Head of Internal Controls & ICFR Leadership

Ascot Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascot UK is seeking a senior internal controls professional to head the Internal Controls unit, supporting the UK Finance leadership and the SVP, Group Head of Internal Audit & Advisory, in quarterly and annual control testing. You will own the ICFR programme and lead a team responsible for ensuring robust control design and effectiveness.

Responsibilities include enhancing the control framework, aligning with SOX 404 and UK Corporate Governance, developing testing programs across finance,

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant ACA, ACCA or equivalent.
• 5–10 years external audit experience.
• Comprehensive understanding of internal auditing standards and techniques, financial risks and controls, US GAAP, UK GAAP, SOX compliance and the COSO Framework.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and continual enhancement of the internal control framework, aligning it with organisational needs and evolving risk profiles.
• Own the Internal Control over Financial Reporting (ICFR) programme, ensuring compliance with standards such as SOX 404 and the UK Corporate Governance Code.
• Develop and deliver control testing programmes for financial, reporting, operational and compliance controls, and establish methodologies to assess control design and effectiveness.
• Line manage, develop and set objectives for the Internal Controls function, including the Technical Accountant, and review the output of the duties set out below.
• Coordinate with the external audit team during the annual year-end audit planning process.
• Remain current on and continually develop knowledge of control guidance, accounting standards, trending issues and best practices.

Skills

Internal controls

SOX compliance

US GAAP

UK GAAP

COSO framework

Audit

Education

ACA

ACCA

Tools

Optro (AuditBoard)

Job description

Ascot UK is seeking a senior internal controls professional to head the Internal Controls unit, supporting the UK Finance leadership and the SVP, Group Head of Internal Audit & Advisory, in quarterly and annual control testing. You will own the ICFR programme and lead a team responsible for ensuring robust control design and effectiveness.

Responsibilities include enhancing the control framework, aligning with SOX 404 and UK Corporate Governance, developing testing programs across finance,