The Director of Financial Controls Compliance will bring an effective and risk-based approach to the Internal Controls over Financial Reporting and Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) governance. Responsibilities include enhancing and leveraging internal/external partnerships to develop the annual program plan, direct its execution, as well as all process improvement initiatives. This role requires an extensive understanding and experience with varying aspects of internal controls including risk assessment, documentation, testing and information technology controls for a high-growth bank under large bank supervision. The successful candidate will possess a strong work ethic, significant risk and leadership skills, the ability to influence key stakeholders and strong people skills.
What You’ll Do- Manage the ongoing annual and quarterly process, documentation and assessments for SOX compliance to include scoping, process walkthroughs and the assessment of control design and effectiveness
- Establish regular communications between executives on the Disclosure Committee regarding scoping, assessment progress, key control testing, control deficiencies in systems design or identified by key control testing failures
- Oversee the remediation of deficiencies identified during testing and evaluate any remaining deficiencies
- Develop/maintain working knowledge of laws and industry guidance for establishing maintaining and reporting on internal controls to include understanding the regulatory requirements for a financial services institution
- Advise and consult with business process owners during design, modification, or streamlining of process and controls
- Develop and produce reports on SOX related project status, trends, and remediation of deficiencies
- Partner with and/or be the liaison between business process owners and Internal Audit and External Audit
- Compliance Training: Participate in all required compliance training, including Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering training, as well as internal and external training programs, online training, meetings, and seminars/conferences, etc.
- Other Duties: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.
- Education: Bachelor's degree Accounting, Finance or related field
- Experience: At least 10 years of experience with internal audit/ risk/ control, 5+ years of proven leadership and experience managing direct reports and executive level reporting
Required Skills:
- Implementation and management experience with end-to-end SOX compliance (risk assessment, control design, testing strategies, etc.)
- Professional Certification is required and may include one of the following: CPA, CIA, CISA, or a Master’s degree
- A sound understanding of IT general controls (ITGC) necessary to evaluate the integrity of the data used to support financial reporting
- Advanced level of understanding of financial statements, financial analysis, and business strategies within the financial services industry including financial reporting processes and the internal control environment
- Strong knowledge of GAAP, COSO, PCAOB Auditing Standards, Sarbanes Oxley, risk and controls standards and banking regulations
- Strong interpersonal skills: written and verbal communication skills; experience managing direct level reports and providing executive presentations
- Proficient in Visio, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook and WDesk. Knowledge and proficiency in audit software and SOX compliance software
- Be eager to assist in problem solving with all banks, activities, and departments in the holding company and be a good resource for senior managers throughout the organization
- Ability to perform functions with minimal oversight
- Have project management skills and able to meet deadlines
Preferred Skills:
- Experience with financial statement audits of mid-to-large financial services entities; and overall knowledge of general accounting and audit procedures
- Must be able to pass a criminal background & credit check
FLSA Status: Exempt
Supervisory Responsibility
This position manages employees and is responsible for the coaching, development, and performance management of those employees.
Working Environment and Physical Demands
This job operates in a professional office environment. The role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, copy machines, and printers.
Physical requirements: sedentary, climbing, standing, stooping, or typing
Position requires schedule flexibility to work evenings and weekends as needed.
This position requires up to 10% travel.
Position Type
This is a full-time position.
Other
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Pay RangeUSD $0.00 - USD $0.00 /Yr.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
- At least 10 years of experience in internal audit, risk, or controls
- At least 5 years of leadership experience managing direct reports and executive-level reporting
- Professional certification such as CPA, CIA, or CISA, or a master's degree
- End-to-end SOX compliance implementation and management experience
- Understanding of IT general controls used to evaluate financial reporting data integrity
- Advanced understanding of financial statements, financial analysis, financial services, and internal control environments
- Knowledge of GAAP, COSO, PCAOB Auditing Standards, Sarbanes-Oxley, risk and controls standards, and banking regulations
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, executive presentation ability, and people-management experience
- Proficiency in Visio, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook, and WDesk
- Ability to work independently, solve problems, manage projects, and meet deadlines
- Experience with financial statement audits of mid-to-large financial services entities
- General accounting and audit procedures knowledge
- Ability to pass a criminal background and credit check
United Community Bank Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about United Community Bank and has not been reviewed or approved by United Community Bank.
-
Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO and parental leave are presented as robust, covering vacation, sick and personal time plus federal holidays. Time-away policies are highlighted as strengths relative to base pay.
-
Healthcare Strength — The package includes multiple medical plan options, company-paid short- and long-term disability, and company-paid life insurance at a high multiple of salary. These protections are positioned as core strengths of the total rewards offering.
-
Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer match and HSA with employer contributions are part of the offering. These components indicate meaningful support for long-term financial security.
United Community Bank Insights
What We Do
Since 1950, United Community has been driven to provide best-in-class service as we work to improve the financial well-being of the people and communities we serve. As a top 100 U.S. financial institution, we offer comprehensive banking, wealth management, and mortgage services, serving clients across the Southeast with more than 200 locations throughout Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida. Our commitment to service has earned us numerous accolades, including ten J.D. Power awards for #1 in customer satisfaction in the Southeast, and consistent recognition from Forbes, including multiple appearances on their lists of World's Best Banks and America's Best Banks. We were also recognized by Newsweek as one of America's Most Trusted Companies and are a multi-year recipient of American Banker's "Best Banks to Work For" award. We are an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. For a better banking experience, visit your local United Community branch today. For more information about our products and services, please visit ucbi.com.







