Head of Business Controls

Anthropic$300K — $385K *
Business Services
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of hands-on financial audit and SOX compliance experience, ideally in Big 4 and in-house roles
  • Proven capability in establishing or scaling financial audit programs at pre-IPO companies
  • Deep understanding of financial reporting, business process controls, and US GAAP compliance
  • Strong project management and analytical skills
  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or similar field
  • Passion for scalable processes supporting organizational growth and the mission of safe AI

Responsibilities

  • Lead and manage the organization's financial audit and SOX compliance program
  • Own financial audit planning, scoping, testing, remediation, and reporting
  • Build scalable, automated controls for pre-IPO and post-IPO readiness
  • Develop the financial audit compliance roadmap aligned with growth
  • Pioneer AI and automation technologies to enhance control effectiveness
  • Drive financial controls rationalization to optimize the control environment
  • Collaborate with various teams to design and implement scalable financial controls

Benefits

  • Hybrid work model requiring in-office presence 25% of the time
  • Opportunity to leverage AI technology in compliance solutions
  • Engagement with high-level executives including the Controller and CFO
  • Support for visa sponsorship
  • Encouragement for diverse candidates to apply despite confidence levels
Full Job Description
About the Role

We are looking for a Head of Business Controls to join our Internal Audit team at Anthropic. In this role, you will lead the organization's financial audit and SOX 404 compliance program, with a primary focus on financial process controls, business process risk assessments, and end-to-end financial reporting integrity as we scale rapidly toward an IPO.

This is a unique opportunity to build financial audit controls at an AI-first company, leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to create innovative, automated, and scalable compliance solutions. You will help define how AI can transform traditional financial audit processes - from continuous monitoring of financial transactions to intelligent anomaly detection - while maintaining the rigor required for public company compliance.

As the Head of Business Controls, you will own audit planning, scoping, testing, remediation, and reporting, partnering directly with Finance, Accounting, Operations, and Business teams to design scalable controls, oversee documentation, and manage communication with external auditors. This role reports to the Head of Internal Audit and plays a critical part in strengthening internal control maturity through pre-IPO readiness and beyond.
Key responsibilities
  • Lead and manage the organization's end-to-end financial audit and SOX compliance program
  • Own financial audit planning, scoping, testing, remediation, and reporting activities
  • Build scalable, automated, and sustainable controls to support growth through pre-IPO and post-IPO readiness
  • Develop and maintain the financial audit compliance roadmap aligned with organizational growth
  • Pioneer the use of AI and automation technologies to enhance control effectiveness, continuous monitoring, and anomaly detection across financial processes
  • Drive financial controls rationalization initiatives to optimize the control environment and increase reliance on automated controls
  • Design, implement, and monitor controls across key financial processes including revenue recognition, financial close, accounts payable/receivable, and treasury operations
  • Evaluate and test business process controls and automated controls to ensure proper functionality and compliance with US GAAP and SEC reporting requirements
  • Conduct process and risk assessments to identify control gaps and remediation needs across financial workflows
  • Oversee control documentation and ensure audit-ready evidence is maintained for all financial processes
  • Assess and monitor controls over financial system implementations, ERP migrations (e.g., Workday Financials), and related integrations
  • Partner with Finance, Accounting, Operations, and Business teams to implement scalable financial controls
  • Work directly with the Controller, CFO, and Chief Accounting Officer to align audit priorities with business objectives
  • Collaborate with process owners to identify control improvements and automation opportunities across financial workflows
  • Support management's assessment of internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR) and related disclosures
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for external auditors on financial audit and SOX matters
  • Manage audit requests, coordinate testing schedules, and facilitate walkthroughs across all financial processes
  • Track and report on financial audit compliance status to leadership, the Board, and Audit Committee
  • Drive alignment with external auditors on testing approaches, reliance strategies, and deficiency evaluation
Minimum qualifications
  • Have 10+ years of hands-on financial audit and SOX compliance experience, preferably in both Big 4 and in-house internal audit/SOX leadership roles at a fast-paced technology company
  • Have proven ability to establish or scale financial audit and SOX compliance programs at newly public or pre-IPO companies
  • Possess deep understanding of business process controls, financial reporting, and US GAAP requirements
  • Have strong project management, analytical, and communication skills
  • Hold a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field
  • Are passionate about building scalable processes that support organizational growth and Anthropic's mission to create safe AI
Preferred qualifications
  • Have 10+ years of hands-on financial audit and SOX compliance experience, preferably in both Big 4 and in-house internal audit/SOX leadership roles at a fast-paced technology company
  • CPA, CIA, CISA, or similar certification
  • Experience supporting rapid company growth and scaling financial compliance programs accordingly
  • Interest in or experience applying AI/ML technologies to financial audit, compliance, or risk management processes
  • Deep understanding of revenue recognition (ASC 606), lease accounting (ASC 842), or other complex accounting standards relevant to technology companies
  • Experience working at a high-growth AI or technology company
  • Familiarity with financial data governance, internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR), and SEC disclosure requirements


The annual compensation range for this role is listed below.

For sales roles, the range provided is the role's On Target Earnings ("OTE") range, meaning that the range includes both the sales commissions/sales bonuses target and annual base salary for the role.

Annual Salary:

$300,000-$385,000 USD

Logistics

Minimum education: Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience

Required field of study: A field relevant to the role as demonstrated through coursework, training, or professional experience

Minimum years of experience: Years of experience required will correlate with the internal job level requirements for the position

Location-based hybrid policy: Currently, we expect all staff to be in one of our offices at least 25% of the time. However, some roles may require more time in our offices.

Visa sponsorship: We do sponsor visas! However, we aren't able to successfully sponsor visas for every role and every candidate. But if we make you an offer, we will make every reasonable effort to get you a visa, and we retain an immigration lawyer to help with this.

We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification. Not all strong candidates will meet every single qualification as listed. Research shows that people who identify as being from underrepresented groups are more prone to experiencing imposter syndrome and doubting the strength of their candidacy, so we urge you not to exclude yourself prematurely and to submit an application if you're interested in this work. We think AI systems like the ones we're building have enormous social and ethical implications. We think this makes representation even more important, and we strive to include a range of diverse perspectives on our team.

About Anthropic

Anthropic is an artificial intelligence research lab that focuses on developing AI systems that are safe, reliable, and trustworthy. The company was founded in 2019 by Dr. Yoshua Bengio, a leading AI researcher and winner of the Turing Award. Anthropic's research is focused on developing AI systems that can learn from small amounts of data, reason about complex systems, and interact with humans in a natural way. The company is based in New York City and has a team of experienced AI researchers and engineers.
Learn more about Anthropic
Size
50 employees
Industry
Founded
2019

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