Associate Director, Audit and Assurance Services

MSD • Rahway, NJ

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

This Associate Director, Audit and Assurance Services role will be part of the SOX Project Management Organization (SOX PMO) along with the Director and Executive Director in charge of our SOX Program. This role is responsible for assisting in the development of our SOX Audit Plan, coordinating with external auditors and Global Process Owners, staying connected to the Governance and Compliance Lead who leads any changes to controls, assisting Audit Teams during fieldwork, and ultimately reporting SOX Audit Findings to Senior Leaders. This individual will also assist in audits outside of SOX.

Requirements

• BS/BA degree in accounting
• A minimum of 7 years of demonstrated technical accounting experience, preferably with a Big 4 firm
• Must be able to cope with changing priorities and work under the pressure of rigid time schedules
• Experience with Sarbanes-Oxley compliance
• Certified Public Accountant
• Air travel is required within assigned regions/entities both domestically and internationally to complete testing; estimated travel up to 25% of the time.
• Driving is also required for certain domestic audits

Nice To Haves

• Current Employees apply HERE
• Current Contingent Workers apply HERE
• US and Puerto Rico Residents Only
• San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance
• Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance
• Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the SOX Audit Plan, including selection of entities and processes subject to MCAAS testing.
• Execute quarterly scoping reviews to confirm testing coverage aligns to MCAAS guidelines and evolving business changes.
• Support audit teams during fieldwork to ensure consistent application of testing attributes, timely deficiency vetting, and alignment on process improvements.
• Maintain AuditBoard accuracy and reporting for all control and testing documentation.
• Partner with SOX IT team to evaluate the control impact of new system implementations and general changes to our control environment.
• Discuss control changes and significant findings with Global Process Owners (GPOs), Governance & Compliance leads, and PwC.
• Serve as MCAAS’s liaison to PwC.
• Lead, coach, and train a small team during audits, ensuring high-quality deliverables and development of staff.
• Provide technical guidance on company policies, control design, testing methodology, and reporting.
• Produce senior leadership reporting on deficiency trends and audit results.
• Lead initiatives to streamline testing, improve efficiencies, and implement best practices across the SOX program.
• Participate in ad-hoc incident response and control impact assessments as required.
• Perform approx. four GRC Audits in a year, where you lead a small team through financial and compliance audits and assessments across all our Company's divisions and functions to evaluate the adequacy of internal controls and deliver audit reports that add value to the area audited.
• Coach and train staff members during the execution of the audits and assessments.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• paid holidays
• vacation
• compassionate and sick days

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager