Director, Internal Controls

Acron Aviation•Saint Petersburg, FL

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Director, Internal Controls, will be responsible for building, enhancing, and maintaining the company’s internal control environment in accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). This leader will design and implement a comprehensive internal control framework, establish the annual control testing program, oversee remediation of deficiencies—including an existing material weakness—and serve as the primary liaison with external auditors. The position requires deep technical expertise across business process controls, IT General Controls (ITGCs), and IT Application Controls (ITACs), as well as exceptional leadership, communication, and influencing skills. This is a highly visible role that partners closely with Accounting, Finance, IT, Operations, and other business leaders to ensure a robust and sustainable controls environment that supports a clean internal control audit opinion.

Requirements

10+ years of relevant experience in internal controls, SOX compliance, audit, or risk management, including significant experience building a SOX program from the ground up as well as testing and validating controls.
Proven experience with ITGCs (access management, change management, operations) and IT application controls in addition to business process controls.
Strong understanding of COSO internal control framework, SOX 404, PCAOB standards, and internal control best practices.
Demonstrated experience in remediating control deficiencies and managing material weaknesses.
Self-starter with the ability to create structure, establish processes, and drive transformation with minimal supervision.
Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders and control owners across all levels of the organization—even without direct reporting lines.
Strong project management, analytical, and organizational skills, with experience managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines.
Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
Experience managing or developing a team, or working with co-sourced/internal audit partners.
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, or related field required.

Nice To Haves

CPA, CIA, or CISA preferred (not required).

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain a comprehensive internal control framework aligned with SOX 404 and COSO requirements.
Lead the company through SOX readiness and ongoing compliance activities, including documentation, design assessment, implementation, testing, and evaluation of controls.
Develop and document internal control policies, procedures, narratives, flowcharts, and risk-control matrices (RCMs).
Implement a scalable SOX program that includes assessment of entity-level controls, business process controls, ITGCs, and IT application controls.
Design and manage the annual internal control testing plan to evaluate the operating effectiveness of controls.
Oversee testing procedures performed by internal teams or co-sourced partners to ensure quality and consistency with PCAOB standards.
Track deficiencies, root-cause analysis, and remediation plans, including documentation of corrective actions for an existing material weakness.
Present remediation updates, deficiency trends, and overall SOX program status to the CAO, CFO, and executive leadership.
Act as the primary liaison with external auditors, ensuring clear communication, timely responses, and alignment on scope, testing, and documentation needs.
Coordinate walkthroughs, evidence requests, testing cycles, and remediation validations.
Ensure strong audit outcomes, targeting a clean internal control audit opinion.
Influence and partner with leaders across Accounting, Finance, IT, HR, and Operations to embed strong internal controls into business processes.
Provide guidance and training to control owners throughout the organization to promote a strong control culture.
Lead and mentor a small internal controls team and/or manage a co-sourced external partner.