Director, Global Controls and Financial Operations

Paula's Choice Skincare•Seattle, WA

2d•Remote

About The Position

Paula's Choice is seeking a Global Director of Controls and Financial Operations to lead the oversight, implementation, and continuous improvement of our financial control environment across the organization. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll serve as the steward of our controls framework while remaining deeply engaged in execution. You'll balance compliance rigor with business partnership, ensuring our controls enable growth rather than constrain it—acting as a trusted partner to the business, not a policeman. As Director of Global Controls and Financial Operations, a typical day might include a mix of the following: Oversee the global financial controls framework, ensuring alignment with Unilever's corporate governance standards and applicable regulatory requirements across all markets. This includes managing corporate audit processes, SOX compliance, and regular Big4 audits, while driving continuous improvement in control maturity across regions. Directly manage accounting operations and financial reporting functions for North America and Australia, with two direct reports: an Accounting Manager and a Financial Reporting and Controls Manager. Set the tone for hands-on problem solving and direct contribution. Assess and elevate control maturity across APAC and other regions where standards lag behind North America and Europe. Develop practical roadmaps to close gaps without creating unnecessary burden on local teams. Own day-to-day execution—building financial models, drafting control documentation, proposing process improvements, and driving adoption across the organization. This is not a supervisor-only role; you will be a doer. Champion AI adoption within the controls and accounting function, leading the transition of manual reconciliations and repetitive control activities to AI-driven processes. Partner with Finance AI initiatives to identify high-impact automation opportunities and set the pace for adoption across North America and Australia, serving as a model for other regions. Partner with business leaders to translate controls into business language, identifying and mitigating financial and operational risks without creating unnecessary friction. Ensure compliance with Unilever's broader corporate requirements while maintaining Paula's Choice's operational agility and speed.

Requirements

8-12 years of progressive accounting and financial controls experience, ideally in a multi-region or multinational environment. Big Four audit or corporate controls background is a strong plus.
Comfort with financial systems and tools—NetSuite, data platforms, and Excel modeling should feel natural. You don't need to be a technologist, but you should be able to own technical implementation.
A balance of strategic thinking and practical execution. You design frameworks, but you also build the spreadsheets and write the proposals that make change happen.
Understanding that controls serve the business. You can speak both the language of compliance and the language of commercial reality.
Ability to work across cultures and regions, recognizing that control maturity varies and requires tailored, pragmatic approaches rather than one-size-fits-all mandates.
Strong communication skills—you can explain complex control concepts to non-finance leaders and executives in ways that drive action and build trust.
Genuine curiosity about AI and automation in finance. You don't need to be a technologist, but you should be excited about how AI can transform tedious control work into strategic oversight. Experience with or openness to AI-assisted tools is a strong plus.
Comfort with ambiguity and a bias toward action. Paula's Choice is evolving; you'll help shape how we do that responsibly.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading within a DTC-led premium brand

Responsibilities

Oversee the global financial controls framework, ensuring alignment with Unilever's corporate governance standards and applicable regulatory requirements across all markets. This includes managing corporate audit processes, SOX compliance, and regular Big4 audits, while driving continuous improvement in control maturity across regions.
Directly manage accounting operations and financial reporting functions for North America and Australia, with two direct reports: an Accounting Manager and a Financial Reporting and Controls Manager. Set the tone for hands-on problem solving and direct contribution.
Assess and elevate control maturity across APAC and other regions where standards lag behind North America and Europe. Develop practical roadmaps to close gaps without creating unnecessary burden on local teams.
Own day-to-day execution—building financial models, drafting control documentation, proposing process improvements, and driving adoption across the organization. This is not a supervisor-only role; you will be a doer.
Champion AI adoption within the controls and accounting function, leading the transition of manual reconciliations and repetitive control activities to AI-driven processes. Partner with Finance AI initiatives to identify high-impact automation opportunities and set the pace for adoption across North America and Australia, serving as a model for other regions.
Partner with business leaders to translate controls into business language, identifying and mitigating financial and operational risks without creating unnecessary friction.
Ensure compliance with Unilever's broader corporate requirements while maintaining Paula's Choice's operational agility and speed.

Benefits

Generous paid time off, including time off to volunteer
Learning and development resources to support personal and professional growth
Wellness benefits like meditation app memberships, product discounts, and free samples of our amazing products
Most roles are fully remote (roles that are required to be at our Seattle HQ can be found in the details section of this job post)
Great location – for roles that are hybrid or fully onsite, we’re in the heart of Seattle’s beautiful International District
Did we mention we’re a dog-friendly office?

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