Director/Sr Manager, SOX and Internal Controls
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Celonis is the leader in business transformation software. Powered by its market-leading process mining core, the Celonis Execution Management System provides a set of instruments and applications, with a developer studio and platform capabilities for business executives and users. The Celonis EMS offerings help companies manage every facet of execution management from analytics, to strategy and planning, management, actions and automations. For Global 2000 companies, transforming to an intelligent enterprise has become a key strategic priority. Celonis disrupted what had previously been a manual, time-consuming and expensive consulting-driven approach to jump-start and operationalize change in transformation initiatives. Celonis has thousands of global customers including ABB, AstraZeneca, Bosch, Coca Cola, Citibank, Dell, GSK, John Deere, L’Oreal, Siemens, Uber, Vodafone and Whirlpool. All rely on Celonis technology to unlock their full execution capacity and drive change to business processes. Celonis is headquartered in Munich, Germany and New York, New York, and has in total 15 offices worldwide. The company has grown 5,000% in 4 years and 300% in the past year. In 2019, Celonis reached a $2.5 billion valuation, after receiving a $290 million Series C funding round. Since opening its US headquarter in New York in September 2016 it has quickly added blue chip customers like Lockheed Martin, ExxonMobil, Honeywell, and Mars to its client roster. The US is the fastest growing region for Celonis and will soon exceed 50% of its total revenue, and therefore expanding US offices in New York, San Francisco, Raleigh, Ann Arbor, as well as Latin America.
Celonis is seeking to hire a Director, SOX and Internal Controls. This hire will play a key role at the company, reporting to the Corporate Controller. You will leverage your cumulative knowledge to work directly with our co-sourcing audit firm, management and our external auditors to create an internal controls/audit program and then oversee the ongoing annual SOX program. You will bring a systematic and disciplined approach to evaluating the effectiveness of the Company’s governance, risk management, compliance and control practices. You will help us operate like a public company and collaborate across functional teams such as Finance, Legal, IT, Security and all functional leadership.
Responsibilities:
- In collaboration with our co-sourcing partner, assist in the development of an annual SOX scoping assessment and plan.
- Plan and execute efforts to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act which would include developing an implementation plan, ensuring execution across the organization and facilitating SOX design testing and operating effectiveness of our internal controls
- Serve as a trusted resource while working with co-sourced providers, external auditors, IT compliance, internal leaders and process owners
- Drive efficiencies and enhancement opportunities to existing auditing processes and techniques, using automation and other process improvement techniques and ideas
- Consult company leaders on new business initiatives, system implementations, accounting policy changes and assess the impact of said changes on internal controls
- Facilitate SOX walkthrough process with business owners, provide meaningful insights and seek to gain broader understanding of their current processes and decisions making activities
- Work with business partners and consultants to document key processes and controls, and related testing. Maintain and improve SOX documentation as needed
- Assess SOX findings / gaps including control weaknesses and monitor timeliness of remediation efforts. Assist business partners with the development of management action plans to ensure compliance objectives are met
- Review and analyze attestations reports (SSAE18) for service providers
- Coordinate/lead training programs as it relates to internal controls/SOX compliance
- Select best in class software tool to manage all facets of ongoing internal audit and SOX compliance work
- Coordinate and deliver updates and reports to Management on SOX results and propose process improvements
- Assist with ad hoc projects and investigations, as needed
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, Information System or other business related major
- 8 to 12 years of experience in Big 4 public accounting and private industry, preferably in Software/SaaS
- Ability to build and maintain solid relationships across multiple levels of management including communication with external auditors/consultants.
- Strong knowledge of the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Section 404, US GAAP applicable to the technology industry, SEC reporting requirements, and PCAOB and COSO/Internal Audit standards
- Strong operational capability and sense of urgency to drive completion of SOXplan and achievement of annual departmental initiatives
- Willingness to roll up sleeves to both do the work and manage other people, while building out the internal control/audit function
- Demonstrated ability to work and multi-task in a fast-paced/high growth environment with multiple entities
- Strong international and inter-cultural experience
- Ability to prioritize the most critical areas and issues with an entrepreneurial mindset
- Experience establishing a SOX controls program that address a combination of financial/operating and technology objectives
- Familiarity with financial systems as they relate to reviewing and improving internal controls
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills
- One or more current qualifications required - CISA, CRISC, CISSP, or CPA
Celonis is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Different makes us better.