Careers at SAO

Professional Experience. Collaborative Workplace. Local Impact.

The Washington State Auditor’s Office (SAO) is a team-driven workplace, with 400 employees located in more than a dozen regional offices across Washington. Every day our auditors are out in local communities, helping increase trust in government through objective auditing and performance reviews. You can join the team and help build a better government.

What we look for in employees

SAO prides itself in being ethical, accountable and efficient. These values are also what we search for in our employees. If you possess a Bachelor’s degree and completion of 3 college level accounting courses, along with strong communication, time management and analysis skills and an interest in improving government, we may have an opportunity for you in financial and compliance auditing. Other types of auditing, such as those focusing on performance audits or cybersecurity audits, may require more education.

Professional experience and development

As an SAO employee, you will have professional development opportunities to build your skills. We work with each person on our staff to design professional development plans that ensure your knowledge and skills advance in line with your career aspirations. Because the work we do is unique, staff are provided around 40 hours of in-house training each year. We want to make sure each auditor receives the training, mentoring and coaching to help them gain the necessary skills to succeed.

Looking to talk to an SAO recruiter? Email our recruiters

View current SAO job and internship opportunities

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.

Work in your community

There are more than 2,000 governments in Washington, from cities and counties to library and health districts. SAO audits them all. While State Auditor Pat McCarthy works on the Capitol Campus in Olympia, field teams of auditors live and work around the state.

See SAO office locations

Have a job and a life

SAO offers flexible schedules that help you balance work and life. We also offer competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package.

Job Fairs

Our frontline audit staff visit job fairs at local colleges and universities across Washington. They can tell you about their real-world experiences, opportunities, and benefits from working for the Office of the Washington State Auditor. If you would like to have SAO visit your job fair or classroom, please contact our recruitment staff.

Contact our Office