Finance Senior Director SOX Risks and Controls

The Senior Director – SOX Risks and Controls is a key leader within the Global Reporting and Accounting Center of Excellence. This role partners with global finance teams and other stakeholders to design the strategy around assessing, designing, and documenting financial processes, inclusive of risks and internal control over financial reporting (ICFR), while shaping and supporting company‑wide transformation initiatives, including large‑scale digitization efforts and enterprise projects. The Senior Director will gain broad exposure across the Company’s operating units, engage directly with organizational leaders as well as internal and external auditors, and drive meaningful, enterprise‑level change. Furthermore, the Director will oversee the implementation of current industry best practices for ICFR as it relates to existing legacy processes with the goal to enhance the Company’s overall internal control structure. The role also includes partnering to lead a broader team of manual and IT focused internal control subject matter experts to deliver on these objectives.

This position is not hybrid/remote and will be located at our Global Headquarters in Cleveland, OH. 

Because this role involves access to confidential financial information, the Company has determined that a review of criminal history is necessary to protect the business and its operations and reputation and to provide similar protections for its clients and potential investments.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead the development of the Company’s global strategy to address risks of material misstatement to the consolidated financial statements and disclosures and the related ICFR. Build a road map and timeline to achieve targeted goals to enhance ICFR using best practices as a guiding principle. This will encompass ICFR by region, acquisition, IT implementation and legacy process enhancement, including forming a business case for resources, whether internal or external, when necessary to achieve the desired objectives. Provide updates to Department and Company leadership as well as other key stakeholders.

Ensure global financial processes have appropriately designed SOX-compliant controls to address identified risks of material misstatement:

• Co-lead discussions and ask probing and detailed questions in meetings with business teams to understand key financial processes, evaluate risks, and design SOX‑compliant controls within the COSO 2013 framework—covering both business process controls and IT controls—across the global organization
• Coach and collaborate with the broader SR&C team on an appropriate approach for each project, including how to adapt to facts and circumstances and utilize strong project management from beginning to end
• Review process documentation prepared by the team in a flowchart format
• Review control assessment documentation prepared by the team to ensure the controls are appropriately designed to address process level risk
• Collaborate on enterprise‑wide finance initiatives to identify process changes and ensure related control updates are designed and implemented
• Apply strong auditing and accounting knowledge to evaluate processes and related risks
• Co-lead discussions with internal and external auditors, addressing questions that arise during the SOX compliance program and providing updates on process changes and remediation plans
• Review audit findings and facilitate remediation plans, including collaborating with the broader team to form a plan for communicating updates to Department and Company leadership as well as other key stakeholders
• Develop a strong understanding of the Company’s divisions and IT applications
• Assess and evaluate any deficiencies identified for severity, using the 6-step model

Educate and raise awareness of critical SOX concepts:

• Identify opportunities to improve SOX control execution, including proactively guiding the team to provide training sessions, workshops, issuance of best‑practice guidance, etc.
• Understand common pitfalls to control execution and seek opportunities to enhance current processes
• Co-lead discussions in Enterprise Controls Committee meetings to update leadership on issues, trends, opportunities, and ongoing projects

• Stay current on guidance, methodologies, and other SOX related topics with external sources such as Big 4 accounting firms and for example, the use of Artificial Intelligence in business processes and addressing associated risks with the proper internal controls

   

Direct other risk and SOX-related initiatives:

• Provide input to help optimize and enhance the efficiency of the global financial risk assessment process, including the use of technology, and co-lead the read out of the results to leadership
• Advance initiatives related to enhancing certain financial statement close process controls

Career Development / Team Dynamics

• Coach and empower a direct report(s) to grow in career as well as assist in coaching indirect reports on the broader team all while fostering an efficient, collaborative, and solutions‑oriented team environment
• Actively build strong relationships with company leadership, key business personnel across departments and the auditors
• Professionally determine which tasks to delegate effectively and provide guidance to ensure successful completion, while also keeping and performing detailed work when necessary
• Uphold the highest standards of professionalism and confidentiality
• Conduct formal and informal performance evaluations and provide ongoing feedback with a coaching mindset

• Support career development by identifying opportunities for growth and skill enhancement

   

Direct projects and non-routine transactions, as needed and requested by Department and Company leadership

POSITION REQUIREMENTS 

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree with a major in Accounting or Finance
• 16+ years of prior work experience related to internal controls
• Advanced experience with general accounting, SOX, COSO, US GAAP/IFRS and manufacturing/retail industry
• Supervisory experience
• Advanced Excel experience 
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future for employment visa status 
• Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age

Preferred:

• Advanced degrees or certifications (CPA, CIA, MBA, etc.)
• Experience with a Big 4 firm or similar public company audit experience
• Experience in leading SOX initiatives surrounding system implementations 
• Experience with Oracle and global consolidation systems 

Travel: 10%