LocationThis position will be based in Charlotte, NC.
ReportingThis position will report to the Chief Accounting Officer
Summary of Role Palmetto is seeking a SOX Compliance Director to own and lead the company's Sarbanes-Oxley program. This is a high-impact, highly visible role that sits at the intersection of operational accounting, controls assurance, and cross-functional collaboration. The Director will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining a scalable SOX 404 compliance framework to ensure that Palmetto is well-positioned for PCAOB controls audit. The ideal candidate brings a deep understanding of internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR), a builder's mindset, and the ability to operate with credibility at the executive level.
Strategic & Tactical- SOX Program Ownership
- Own the end-to-end SOX 404 compliance program, including scoping, risk assessment, controls documentation, sample testing, and remediation
- Lead the development and maintenance of process narratives, risk and control matrices (RCMs), and flowcharts across all in-scope financial processes
- Establish and maintain a comprehensive controls inventory, ensuring coverage of entity-level controls, IT general controls (ITGCs), and business process controls
- Drive annual SOX scoping decisions in collaboration with internal audit, external auditors and senior leadership
- Testing & Assurance
- Design and execute (or oversee) controls testing procedures in accordance with PCAOB standards
- Manage walkthroughs and control testing timelines to align with audit cycles and financial close schedules
- Identify control deficiencies, assess their severity, and work with process owners to drive timely and effective remediation
- Coordinate reliance strategy with external auditors to optimize the internal/external audit relationship and reduce redundancy
- Cross-Functional Partnership
- Serve as the primary SOX subject matter expert and advisor to process owners across Accounting, Finance, Tax, IT, Legal, and HR
- Partner with IT and business systems teams to assess and strengthen ITGCs and application-level controls across key platforms (e.g., NetSuite, Salesforce, and other enterprise systems)
- Collaborate with FP&A and the broader Accounting organization on the financial reporting control environment, including period-end close and financial statement preparation controls
- Governance & Reporting
- Prepare SOX status reporting and key metrics for executive leadership and the Audit Committee
- Develop and deliver controls training and awareness programs across the organization
- Stay current on SEC, PCAOB, and COSO framework developments; assess and communicate implications to the program
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA preferred
- 8+ years of progressive experience in SOX compliance, internal audit, or external audit, with at least 3 years in a SOX program leadership role
- Deep familiarity with PCAOB auditing standards, COSO 2013 framework, and SEC reporting requirements
- Experience building or significantly scaling a SOX program in a pre-IPO or newly public company strongly preferred
- Demonstrated ability to assess and document complex business processes and design effective controls
- Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and meet non-negotiable deadlines
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; comfortable presenting to senior leadership and external auditors
- Experience working with cloud-based ERP systems (NetSuite experience a plus) and evaluating ITGCs
- Big 4 public accounting background preferred
