Associate Director, SOX Compliance and Controls

At Gilead, we’re creating a healthier world for all people. For more than 35 years, we’ve tackled diseases such as HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19 and cancer – working relentlessly to develop therapies that help improve lives and to ensure access to these therapies across the globe. We continue to fight against the world’s biggest health challenges, and our mission requires collaboration, determination and a relentless drive to make a difference.
 

Every member of Gilead’s team plays a critical role in the discovery and development of life-changing scientific innovations. Our employees are our greatest asset as we work to achieve our bold ambitions, and we’re looking for the next wave of passionate and ambitious people ready to make a direct impact.
 

We believe every employee deserves a great leader. People Leaders are the cornerstone to the employee experience at Gilead and Kite. As a people leader now or in the future, you are the key driver in evolving our culture and creating an environment where every employee feels included, developed and empowered to fulfil their aspirations. Join Gilead and help create possible, together.

Job Description
 

The SOX Compliance team is part of the Controllership group at Gilead and is responsible for the SOX internal controls over financial reporting. This is an audit advisory role with cross-functional involvement with U.S. and international finance teams and business partners.  As the Associate Director, SOX Compliance & Controls key areas of responsibility include: design of key controls (business processes, interfaces, and IT application controls), identification of audit process improvements, financial reporting risk mitigation, and remediation of control deficiencies.  

As part of this unique business structure, the SOX PMO group works closely with external auditors and Gilead Internal audit teams to ensure that the global SOX audit program applies the appropriate audit scope, evaluation of financial risk, development of controls over complex processes and application of best practices. The team is also responsible for facilitating audit process improvement and leveraging the use of technology to drive efficient and effective audits.

The SOX PMO team is currently working on a multi-year global SAP implementation that involves the redesign of key processes, leveraging ERP enhancements, evaluation of sophisticated boundary systems, and building well designed control frameworks.  

This role offers a very good opportunity for team members to transition from public accounting and gain in-depth knowledge over the biopharmaceutical industry, overall accounting processes, and complex accounting areas.

Key knowledge and skills

• Comprehensive knowledge and experience working on SOX audit including:

  • Assessment of audit risks – inherent risk and controls risk

  • Understanding of appropriate audit evidence and documentation

  • Materiality assessments

  • Audit planning and coordination based on risk and complexity

  • Auditing of complex areas including significant estimates, areas of judgement and controls that use prospective financial information

  • Evaluating results of the audit and determining if adjustments are required due to changes in business and overall internal/external risk factors

• Experience and expertise in working thought areas of audit judgment including:

  • Assessment of potential control deficiencies

  • Evaluation of aggregation risks

  • Process stabilization and overall improvement of audit strategy

• Experience and expertise in the design and execution of complex management review controls

  • Design of management review controls and specific attributes

  • Evaluation of expectations (how are expectations developed and reviewed as part of the control activity)

  • Experience guiding teams on the level of appropriate evidence required for management review controls and overall level of precision

  • Consideration when using estimates and forecasts

• Audit experience with complex accounting areas including:

  • Corporate income tax

  • Pharmaceutical development and manufacturing (Inventory)

  • Record-to-report

  • SAP – IT application controls testing

• Strong technical acumen

  • Comprehensive understanding of US GAAP and overall accounting knowledge

  • Comfort and experience auditing all core audit areas (significant financial statement line items and SEC reporting disclosures). 

• Technical experience with SAP environment and controls consideration

  • Development of segregation of duties rule sets

  • SAP IT application controls

  • Design and audit of key reports

Additional considerations

• Having relevant working experience on internal controls and SOX compliance (strongly prefer external audit experience - including leading complex multi-national audit engagements)

• Partnering with the business process owners during design, modification, or streamlining of processes and controls for a more efficient/effective control environment

• Ensuring appropriate documentation of internal controls analysis to comply with SOX requirements and/or internal policy

• Partnering with and/or becoming the liaison between business process owners and Internal Audit and External Audit during resolution of control findings

• Developing and producing reports on SOX related project status, trends, and remediation of deficiencies, as needed

• Partnering with IT SOX team to ensure appropriate IT controls design on current and/or future state processes

• Maintaining a positive attitude and embracing change -- learn new technology (SAP, data analytics, and reporting tools)

• Being a self-starter that can solve problems independently and works proactively to identify, advocate for and execute improvements

• Interest in joining and fun and dynamic team

Additional considerations and experience

• Bachelor's degree in business, Finance or Accounting

• CPA with experience working on multinational audits is strongly preferred

• Minimum 8+ years of relevant work experience

• Strong planning, project management and analytical skills 

• Excellent leadership, communication and influencing skills

• Proficiency in US GAAP and general accounting policies and procedures is required

• Proficiency with Microsoft tool (Excel, Outlook, and Word) required

For additional benefits information, visit:

https://www.gilead.com/careers/compensation-benefits-and-wellbeing

* Eligible employees may participate in benefit plans, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

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