Director of Internal Contol

Pearce Services

4d•$170,000 - $185,000•Remote

About The Position

The Director of Internal Controls will lead the design, implementation, and ongoing management of the Company’s internal control environment as the organization continues its integration into a public company environment. This role will partner closely with Finance, Accounting, IT, Operations, Human Resources, Procurement, and other business functions to strengthen processes and ensure alignment with public company and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance requirements. As the organization’s primary SOX and internal controls advisor, the Director will work closely with the parent company’s SOX Compliance and Internal Audit teams, external auditors, executive leadership, and business process owners. This individual will oversee SOX readiness and testing activities, control documentation, remediation efforts, audit support, and ongoing compliance. The Director will also play an important role in developing scalable and sustainable processes that support continued organizational growth. Success in this position requires the ability to balance strong governance and compliance requirements with practical, business-friendly solutions. The ideal candidate brings extensive SOX and internal controls expertise, Big Four public accounting experience, strong program management capabilities, and the executive presence necessary to influence stakeholders and lead an evolving organization through public company requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Information Systems, or a related field.
10+ years of progressive experience in public accounting, SOX compliance, internal controls, audit, risk management, or a related discipline.
Big Four public accounting experience with direct involvement in SOX 404 audits, readiness assessments, or advisory engagements.
Demonstrated experience supporting or leading an organization through a transition to public company control standards or operating within an established public company environment.
Strong knowledge of SOX 404, the COSO Internal Control Framework, U.S. GAAP, risk assessment methodologies, and internal control practices.
Experience partnering with publicly traded companies, internal audit functions, external auditors, and senior business leaders.
Demonstrated success leading complex control transformations, SOX readiness initiatives, audit preparation, or deficiency remediation programs.
Strong understanding of business process controls, entity-level controls, IT general controls, and IT-dependent controls.
Strong project and program management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, stakeholders, and deadlines.
Exceptional written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization, including executive leadership.
Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate technical accounting, audit, risk, and compliance concepts in clear and practical business terms.
Proven ability to lead through organizational change in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
Hands-on, proactive, collaborative, and solutions-oriented leadership approach.
Must live in Pacific Time Zone

Nice To Haves

Active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license.
Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and/or Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certification.
Experience working within a recently acquired, private equity-backed, or rapidly scaling organization.
Experience integrating private company processes into a U.S. public company compliance environment.
Experience partnering with outsourced SOX providers, co-sourcing firms, or internal audit functions.
Experience with enterprise resource planning systems and financial process automation tools, including BlackLine or similar platforms.

Responsibilities

Lead the continued transformation and development of the Company’s internal control environment to align with SOX 404 and public company requirements.
Design, document, implement, evaluate, and enhance business process controls, entity-level controls, IT-dependent controls, and other key controls across the organization.
Partner with the parent company’s SOX Compliance and Internal Audit teams to coordinate annual SOX activities, testing schedules, walkthroughs, remediation plans, and audit support.
Establish and maintain a sustainable SOX governance framework, including risk assessments, scoping, risk and control matrices, process narratives, flowcharts, and documentation standards.
Monitor the design and operating effectiveness of controls and work with process owners to address identified deficiencies and control gaps.
Develop practical and timely remediation plans and monitor corrective actions through completion.
Coordinate with internal and external auditors during quarterly reviews, annual audits, SOX testing, and other compliance activities.
Serve as the primary SOX liaison and internal controls advisor to executive leadership, business leaders, control owners, and other key stakeholders.
Build strong cross-functional relationships and promote a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach to compliance and risk management.
Provide training, coaching, and guidance to control owners regarding SOX requirements, control execution, documentation, and evidence standards.
Partner with Accounting, Finance, IT, Procurement, Operations, Human Resources, and other departments to strengthen processes and controls while minimizing unnecessary operational disruption.
Translate complex audit, accounting, risk, and compliance requirements into practical business solutions.
Promote accountability and ownership of controls throughout the organization.
Partner with IT leadership to establish and maintain an effective IT control environment.
Support controls related to IT general controls, user access, change management, computer operations, system-generated reports, and automated controls.
Evaluate IT-dependent processes and controls to ensure appropriate documentation, testing, and risk mitigation.
Support the implementation and optimization of workflow, financial close, approval, and compliance automation tools.
Identify opportunities to improve evidence retention, control consistency, and reporting through technology.
Drive process standardization and automation initiatives that strengthen controls while improving operational efficiency.
Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, milestones, issue logs, remediation trackers, and executive-level reporting for SOX and internal control initiatives.
Manage multiple workstreams and priorities while ensuring critical compliance deadlines are achieved.
Provide leadership with clear visibility into control deficiencies, remediation progress, emerging risks, and key program milestones.
Drive continuous improvement across the internal control framework and related compliance processes.
Evaluate existing processes and recommend opportunities for standardization, simplification, automation, and stronger governance.
Stay current on evolving SOX requirements, COSO guidance, PCAOB expectations, U.S. accounting requirements, and internal control leading practices.