Benefits and Job Descriptions

Be valued. Be challenged. Build a career.

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Job and benefits that support a healthy work/life balance.

The Washington State Auditor's Office (SAO) prides itself in offering flexible schedules that help you balance work and life. We also offer a comprehensive package of health and wellness benefits to all of our employees, including:

Learn more about state government employee benefits.

Competitive pay

Through our training programs and other promotional opportunities, your pay at SAO can increase steadily along with your experience.


Auditor Job Descriptions

About 350 of our 400 employees are auditors. An auditor is able to work on a wide array of audits of state agencies, local governments, colleges and universities. As auditors develop their skills and gain experience, they have the opportunity to add specialized knowledge in financial, accountability, IT and performance auditing. Auditors may move into handling special investigations such as fraud or Citizen Hotline referrals.

Entry-level Positions

Assistant State Auditor 1 – We provide coaching, training and mentoring to assist you in gaining the skills you need to advance your career in auditing. An Assistant State Auditor works under a more experienced auditor, receiving regular training, mentoring and feedback. Staff at this level are typically promoted to the Assistant State Auditor 2 level within 6 to 18 months.

Requirements: B.A., including completion of 3 college level accounting courses.

Associate Performance Auditor – When you start as a performance auditor, you will work on a section of a performance audit. We will provided regular training, mentoring and feedback to help develop your skills. Staff are typically promoted to the Performance Auditor 1 level within 6 to 18 months.

Requirements: B.A., M.A. is preferred with an emphasis in business, public administration, public policy, political science, statistics, economics, law, social science or a related field.

The State Auditor's Office needs more than auditors

Work as complex as auditing requires top-notch support staff. The Office employs more than 50 people in professional and paraprofessional positions in budget and financial management, information technology, human resources, contracting, audit report production, audit support and communications. Most of these positions are located in Olympia.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, skills and ideas in order to best carry out the agency's mission today and in the future. This includes ensuring every member of our team feels valued and supported. We encourage you to join us.

If you need assistance in the application or testing process, or need job announcements in another format you can contact us at applicationsunit@sao.wa.gov , by phone at (564) 999-0947 or via the telecommunications relay service by dialing 7-1-1.

Contact our office.