About This Opportunity

Reporting directly to the CFO, the Director of Internal Controls is responsible for re establishing, building, and leading the company’s stand-alone internal controls function. This role is charged with overseeing the design, implementation and monitoring of operational control activities embedded in business processes, to ensure that key risks are mitigated and compliance with applicable laws, policies and operating procedures is maintained.   Internal Controls will operate as a second line function, partnering with management to embed strong, scalable controls into day to day processes, support regulatory and audit readiness, and enable proactive, data driven risk management.
A defining aspect of this role will be to develop and implement controls testing and monitoring processes that leverage artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced analytics to move internal controls from periodic, manual activities to continuous, data driven monitoring and proactive risk management. 
The role will also work closely with the company’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program lead to ensure strong alignment between enterprise risks, control design, and ongoing monitoring activities. Periodic travel will be required to manufacturing sites, distribution centres, and corporate locations across the country.

Responsibilities

Re Establish & Build the Internal Controls Function

• Re establish a stand-alone internal controls function, including the solidification of the function’s mandate, operating model, scope, and priorities
• Develop a clear second line internal controls framework that integrates with the company’s ERM framework.
• Leverage and modernize existing enterprise risk assessments, control inventories, process maps, and control matrices as needed.
• Recruit, develop, and lead one direct report, creating a strong and future ready internal controls capability.

Alignment with Enterprise Risk Management

• Partner closely with the ERM program lead to: 
• Align key controls with the company’s top enterprise risks.
• Ensure consistency between risk assessments, risk appetite, and control coverage.
• Support integrated risk reporting to senior leadership and governance forums, and risk mitigation activities.
• Use ERM insights to prioritize control design, automation efforts, and continuous monitoring initiatives.

AI Enabled Controls & Continuous Monitoring

• Lead the transformation of internal controls through AI enabled and automated approaches, including:
• Continuous controls monitoring  using ERP and operational data.
• Exception based analytics and anomaly detection to identify emerging risks.
• Automated and AI assisted testing of key controls to improve coverage and efficiency.
• Partner with the inhouse- Technology and Data & Analytics teams to embed controls into systems and workflows.
• Establish governance around the responsible, transparent, and auditable use of AI in internal controls

Process & Control Design 

• Own control design and oversight across core processes at a consumer packaged goods company, including:
• Order to Cash (revenue recognition, pricing, trade promotions)
• Procure to Pay (vendor management, purchasing, corporate cards, T&E)
• Inventory & Manufacturing (cycle counts, scrap, yield, write offs)
• Record to Report (close processes, reconciliations, journal entries)
• Travel periodically to operational locations across the country to understand processes firsthand and ensure controls are practical, scalable, and effective.

Governance, Stakeholder & Audit Support

• Monitor trends, emerging issues and regulatory changes.
• Advise the CFO and senior leadership on control effectiveness, risk exposure, and remediation priorities.
•  Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, IT, and ERM leaders to embed controls into day to day operations and help ensure adequate risk mitigation.
• Coordinate with external auditors as required to support walkthroughs, testing, and remediation activities, improving audit efficiency and outcomes.

Qualifications

•    CPA designation (required).
•    10+ years of experience in internal controls, accounting, audit, or risk management.
•    Strong knowledge of COSO and ERM principles.
•    Demonstrated experience building or re establishing a function or framework.
•    Experience with AI enabled controls, automation, or advanced analytics.
Preferred
•    Big 4 public accounting experience strongly preferred.
•    Background in consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, or supply chain intensive organizations.

Skills & Leadership Attributes
•    Innovative self starter with a creative, strategic mindset and a strong comfort with technology, including the ability to explore and adopt new tools to enable effective internal controls monitoring.

•    Strong technical accounting and controls expertise with a pragmatic, business oriented mindset.
•    Ability to translate enterprise risks and analytics into executive level insights.
•    Collaborative leadership style with experience partnering across business functions
•    Effective people leader comfortable building capability in evolving functions.