Transformation Business Controls (Senior Manager / Manager levels)

ROLE:                                Transformation Senior Manager / Manager – Business Controls

REPORTS TO:                  Head of Business Controls Transformation

LOCATION:                       Dublin / London /  Leeds

Barden have been asked to act on behalf of a global technology company to lead the appointment of Transformation Managers at Manager and Senior Manager level relating to Business Controls as they look to enhance their global finance environment. The business needs to make it sustainable for the rapidly growing organisation to comply with US accounting and reporting rules and regulations including SOX.

“This person will take on a key role in one of the biggest finance transformation projects any company is undertaking globally in 2025. It’s a unique chance to join the Transformation programme that will have significant impact across the Division and Group function.” Global ICFR Lead

This ambitious global finance transformation programme, focused on Internal Control over Financial Reporting (ICFR), will span over 3 years and will involve a team of circa 100+ people spread across three interdependent pillars, including:

1. Business controls, both at a group level and within the operating businesses
2. IT controls, including supporting the new ERP implementation
3. Modernisation initiatives for both business and IT controls, driven by technology enablement and automation (such as a GRC application).

These roles will be responsible for delivering Pillar 1 above for the ICFR global finance transformation programme, as well as supporting the other finance transformation pillars (e.g. finance ERP implementation) by providing ICFR input and insight.

The transformation programme goes across all facets of the business including data, systems, people, organisation design and global process owners.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of specific short-term transformation and long-term transformation elements of the ICFR project plan, focused on either (1) business controls operating at the group or (2) business controls covering transactional processes, including with the divisions. You may also be asked to lead the day-to-day delivery of some elements of the ICFR annual cycle transformation, under the leadership of the Head of Next Gen SOX.
• Where relevant, manage the internal and external support, to deliver the specific elements of the ICFR project plan according to the planned costs and timetable.
• Contribute towards regular project management reporting to the Head of Business Controls Transformation and the Head of IT Controls Transformation.
• Highlight potential challenges or revisions necessary to scope, timetable, resources or dependencies.
• Identify improvement opportunities within the specific elements of the ICFR project plan that you are managing, both short-term and long-term, for example process changes or the automation of a particular control.
• Collaborate with IT Controls Transformation peers delivering specific IT elements of the ICFR project and with the Internal Controls team, who lead management’s testing activities.
• If necessary, prepare briefing documents for the Group’s external auditors on the elements of the ICFR project plan that you are managing.
• Collaborate with the teams of other key internal stakeholders who have ownership in some or all of the ICFR project plan, to deliver the necessary transformation and address concerns they may have. This is likely to include teams reporting to Divisional CFOs and Divisional CIOs, and other senior members of the Group Functions such as Tax and Treasury.

ABOUT THE PERSON:

• Strong track record and experience in ICFR skills, covering business processes, is essential. This may be either be (1) at a Group level, covering group-wide process such as impairment and entity level controls or (2) at a transactional level, covering the standard financial reporting processes.
• Experience of significant finance transformation activities in ICFR or with ICFR impacts, such as a GRC implementation, global process owner deployment, an ERP implementation, or technology enablement of the annual ICFR cycle, is advantageous, but not essential.
• Experience working in a SOX environment, in particular organisations going through and having delivered a SOX readiness programme. This can be within Big 4 environment supporting clients on such engagements and / or industry in large scale organisations.
• Good management skills for directing the day-to-day activities of the internal and external support.
• Strong communication skills, to be able to clearly articulate the status of work and the risks that may cause timetable or cost challenges.
• Some knowledge and skills to leverage IT contributions to ICFR, including but not limited to IT general controls and IT automated controls.
• Able to operate in a fast-paced environment in a management role that is empowered to deliver change.
• Strong project management and organisation skills, in order to be able to manage the delivery of one or several workstreams to short-term and long-term deadlines.
• Qualified accountant with PCAOB audit experience and post-qualification experience in a professional services or industry role.
• Experience of delivering ICFR activities day-to-day, across at least one whole financial year cycle.
• Experience of navigating material weakness or significant deficiency remediation is advantageous, but not essential.
• Experience of US GAAP is advantageous, but not essential.

Curious? You should be. Hit apply or contact Lorraine O’Leary (lorraine.oleary@barden.ie) and Lorraine and her team will take things from there. Simple.