Senior Director of SOX Compliance

Job Title

Senior Director of SOX Compliance

Job Description Summary

The Senior Director of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Compliance reports to the Senior Vice President of Internal Audit and SOX. This role is responsible for leading the company’s global SOX compliance program, including business and IT processes, ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements, internal controls, and risk management practices. This role will oversee the assessment, testing, and reporting of internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR) in accordance with SOX Section 404, while collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive continuous improvement in compliance and corporate governance.

Job Description

Responsibilities:

• Manage the overall project management of the SOX 404 program, including business and IT controls.  Plan deliverables and co-dependencies, anticipate issues, and provide the necessary tools and communications to enable the success of all business and IT SOX leads and testers. 
• Work closely with C&W’s senior leadership and stakeholders to perform a risk assessment and scope SOX processes and controls in support of regions and C&W SOX 404 certification. On a quarterly basis, drive the analytical risk assessment and scoping analytics.
• Drive the strategic annual, quarterly and on-going SOX 404 and 302 compliance testing with management, process owners, external auditors, and the Budapest SOX Center of Excellence (COE).
• Manage the business and IT Process SOX 404 global leads, the team that partners with regional process owners and with the Budapest SOX COE.
• Assist in the development and adoption of SOX best practices and delivering training to process owners and IT application owners, during both stable and transitional periods.  Work with business and IT control owners and operators to ensure quality and consistency of new and existing controls. Make recommendations for continuous improvements and help management remediate deficiencies where needed.
• Align the SOX 404 program with external audit to maximize external audit’s reliance on management’s work.
• Prepare quarterly reporting for senior leadership and Audit Committee that includes testing results, deficiency root cause analysis, and audit milestone status.
• Lead a team of SOX compliance professionals, providing mentorship and development opportunities.
• Serve as the primary liaison with external auditors, regulators, and internal audit teams regarding SOX-related matters.
• Foster a culture of compliance and ethical financial reporting across the organization.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree, preferably in Accountancy.
• 10+ years of external or internal auditing with a public accounting firm and / or publicly-traded company, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.  Public accounting experience required.
• Expertise in SOX 404 compliance in financial reporting areas, including business process and controls IT general controls
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to assess risks and develop control solutions.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, COSO framework, and PCAOB standards
• CPA, CIA, or CISA is strongly preferred
• Apply knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles, IT general controls, and the COSO framework
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders.  Ability to work and communicate with all levels of management and functions.
• Manage direct and indirect reports and ensure strong engagement.  Provide coaching, mentoring, and career counseling.
• Project Manage collaboratively and constructively across geographies, functions, and time zones, assisting colleagues to meet their deadlines with high quality deliverables. Provide accurate and timely reporting of status and results
• Ability to manage by influence.  Excellent soft skills, including communication, management of direct and indirect reports, negotiation, and being able to drive win-win solutions wherever possible
• Demonstrate analytical, accounting and audit skills
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize, follow-through, and manage multiple competing tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines.
• Self-starter with flexibility, desire, and eagerness to take ownership of related tasks and responsibilities in order to keep the project on schedule.
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills. Must have the ability to contribute in meetings and be well versed on activities and issues within business processes.

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity t