Associate Director – Global Investigations

Role Overview

• The successful candidate will take responsibility for final team deliverables, contribute to business development efforts, and manage client relationships alongside Partners and Principals within the practice.
• Plan, lead, and manage investigative assignments across multiple jurisdictions.
• Supervise and mentor team members, ensuring the delivery of high-quality work.
• Identify key investigative issues, develop appropriate methodologies, and oversee the delivery of complex assignments.
• Manage project timelines, budgets, and quality assurance processes for client deliverables.
• Work with practice leadership to build and strengthen relationships with existing and prospective clients.
• Support business development initiatives, including proposal writing, pitch participation, and networking activities.
• Act as a trusted point of contact for clients and assist in presenting findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Contribute to the continued growth of HKA's Investigations practice throughout South Africa and the wider African region.

Requirements

• 10+ years' experience in investigations, including areas such as asset tracing, litigation support, fraud investigations, business intelligence, due diligence, and related advisory work.
• Strong preference for candidates that have experience in financial crime and non-financial misconduct investigations experience.
• Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline; with a mandatory requirement for a qualification as a CFE or FP with prior consulting experience.
• Must have previously worked on cross boarder investigations and led investigations teams working on sensitive investigations mandates.
• Mandatory requirement is the ability to work on cases that require e-discovery for document review and analysis.
• Strong analytical, research, and report-writing capabilities, with the ability to communicate complex findings clearly and concisely.
• Experience managing complex investigations and leading teams across multiple jurisdictions with a willingness to travel for deployments.
• Ability to manage several time-sensitive assignments simultaneously while maintaining a high standard of quality.
• Ability to work independently and exercise sound professional judgement across a broad range of investigative matters.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in relevant investigative disciplines, including extensive knowledge of global databases, public record research, and investigative tools.
• Proven experience building and maintaining strong client relationships and contributing to business development efforts with a requirement to develop a client base both within South Africa and the wider Africa region.
• Fluency in English is essential; additional African or international language capabilities would be advantageous.
• A strong work ethic with exceptional attention to detail, commercial awareness, and a commitment to delivering high-quality client outcomes.
• Exposure to the UKBA, FCPA, PRECCA and other relevant ABAC legislations.

Benefits

• A strong collaborative culture focused on growing the investigations practice globally and expanding our presence across Africa.
• The opportunity to work with a leadership team that believes in strong mentoring, support, and investment in your long-term career development.
• The opportunity to work on complex and challenging investigative assignments across Africa and internationally, alongside experts from our disputes, economics, forensic accounting, and forensic technology practices.