179685 Head of Sarbanes-Oxely recruitment

Key Accountabilities:
- Own, implement and proactively evolve the SOX Operating Model and associated policies/processes to ensure ongoing SOX compliance.

Activities will include:

Stakeholder Management (20%)
- Design, deliver maintain fit-for-purpose SOx awareness and training programmes
- Provide support and direction to External Auditors in relation to their independent testing procedures.
- Provide timely positive support to Group and GRB SOX requests for information / action.
- Provide effective communication and support to the CFO executive and associated finance stakeholders on all matters related to SOX.
- Provide effective management of the SOX Team and wider SOX community to ensure delivery of SOX accountabilities.

Scoping / Documentation (20%)
- Undertake the annual financial disaggregation exercise (and half year refresh) to validate SOX scope for each financial year.
- Ensure changes to SOX scope are appropriately processed to initiate documentation, assurance, remediation and attestation activities.
- Ensure ongoing compliance with Group methodologies/policies by adopting appropriate QA procedures.
- Ensure appropriate processes exist to maintain the currency of SOX documentation within OPUS.

Assurance Activities (40%)
- Maintain and implement a robust assessment testing programme to provide ongoing assurance around all aspects of SOX compliance.
- Maintain processes to track progress of assurance activities and undertake timely actions to address any instances of slippage.
- Ensure appropriate quality assurance activity in maintained over both the annual design effectiveness assessments and the operational effectiveness testing.

Issue Remediation and Evaluation (10%)
- Ensure that there is appropriate of control issues and action plans to facilitate timely remediation.
- Track progress of remedial activities to ensure they are delivered to the appropriate quality and schedule.
- Undertake quarterly issue evaluation process to determine both the potential impact and likelihood of financial reporting misstatement as a consequence of open control deficiencies (including IT control deficiencies).
- Lead and manage the quarterly Financial Controls Review Forum

Attestation (5%)
- Ensure the quarterly process and control owner attestation is completed successfully to schedule.
- Lead and co-ordinate the quarterly SOX control attestation process to enable timely attestation by the CFO to GRB.

Reporting / Management Information (5%)
- Oversee SOX reporting and management information to ensure accurate communication of progress of assurance activities and to ensure that identified weaknesses/issues are properly reported/escalated.

Person Specification:

Core Competencies:
- Excellent communication, negotiation influencing skills
- Strong internal and external networking and managing relationship skills
- Vision/direction setting and forward planning
- Strong understanding of accounting control theory, control objectives and regulatory environment
- Background in documentation, review and application of financial controls, probably gained within big 4 audit role or blue chip financial control environment
- Ability to work on several tasks concurrently
- Drive, determination and flexibility

Experience:
- Practical experience of working with risk control frameworks
- Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA) with minimum 5 years post-qualification experience
- Understanding of the Financial Services industry and core banking services
- Detailed working knowledge of the regulatory environment (particularly the SOX Act)Advantage Professional is a leading international recruitment consultancy.