Associate Director, SOX

GSK; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,200,000 - 6,600,000; Full time

Job summary

GSK is seeking an Associate Director - SOX IT to lead the testing team and drive the Sarbanes-Oxley IT general controls programme from scoping through remediation and external audit coordination.

The role owns the technology scope, runs the annual testing cycle across in-scope systems, and reports to CSO and Finance governance bodies, while developing team capability and coordinating with product owners on remediation.

Qualifications

• Experience in SOX IT general controls or IT audit.
• Experience coordinating with external auditors.
• Ability to analyse root causes of control issues and partner with technology owners on remediation.
• Proven leadership of a team or a substantial programme of work.
• Excellent relationship management and senior stakeholder communication.

Responsibilities

• Lead the SOX IT testing team, including people, delivery and outcomes, planning and executing the annual testing cycle across in-scope systems.
• Manage delivery against the SOX testing roadmap and escalate blockers early.
• Develop team capability in SOX ITGC and IT audit testing through coaching and feedback.
• Represent the SOX programme in CSO and Finance governance forums, including Risk boards and Audit Committee reporting.
• Own the technology scope of GSK's SOX control environment, including in-scope systems and controls.
• Run the annual SOX ITGC testing cycle, covering access, change, operations and program development controls.
• Assess control deficiencies for severity and aggregation, analyze root causes, and partner with Tech product owners on remediation plans to closure.

Skills

SOX IT testing

IT audit leadership

Risk assessment

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Remediation planning

Education

Degree in a relevant discipline

Tools

SAP

Blackline

CyberArk

SailPoint

Job description

GSK remains committed to achieving bold commercial ambitions for the future. By 2031, we aim to deliver £40 billion in annual sales, leveraging our existing strong performance momentum to significantly increase our positive impact on the health of billions of patients globally. Our Ahead Together strategy is centred on early intervention to prevent and alter the course of disease, thereby protecting people and supporting healthcare systems. Our diverse portfolio consists of vaccines, specialty medicines, and general medicines. Through continuous innovation and a dedicated focus on scientific and technical excellence, we strive to develop and launch new, groundbreaking treatments that address critical health challenges.

Job Purpose:

The Associate Director - SOX will lead the SOX IT testing team and the end-to-end delivery of GSK's Sarbanes-Oxley IT general controls programme, reporting to the Director, Compliance Operations. This is a leadership role accountable for the SOX IT controls capability, from scoping and testing through remediation and external audit coordination.

About the team:

The SOX team owns GSK's IT general controls compliance under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. It scopes the SOX control environment for technology, runs the annual testing cycle, manages deficiencies, and coordinates with external auditors so GSK's financial systems controls hold up.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the SOX IT testing team, including its people, delivery and outcomes, planning and executing the annual testing cycle across in-scope systems.
• Manage delivery against the SOX testing roadmap and escal blockers early.
• Develop team capability in SOX ITGC and IT audit testing through coaching, review and structured feedback.
• Represent the SOX programme in CSO and Finance governance forums, including Risk boards and Audit Committee reporting.
• Own the technology scope of GSK's SOX control environment, including in-scope systems and controls.
• Run the annual SOX ITGC testing cycle, covering access, change, operations and program development controls.
• Assess control deficiencies for severity and aggregation, analyse root causes, and partner with Tech product owners on remediation plans through to closure.
• Act as the main point of contact with external auditors, facilitating audit coordination, scope and testing reliance discussions throughout the year.
• Maintain SOX control documentation, narratives and risk-control matrices.
• Advise system and control owners on SOX control design and evidence expectations.
• Liaise with Finance risk management on scoping and changes to the IT landscape as Finance's digital transformation introduces automation, AI and other emerging technologies.
• Track and report testing status and findings to Risk boards and in Audit Committee papers, and act as the main point of contact for the GRC leadership team on SOX programme status.
• Support the Director, Compliance Operations and wider GRC leadership on other SOX compliance-related initiatives.

Basic Qualifications:

• Degree in a relevant discipline, or related experience.
• Demonstrated experience in SOX IT general controls or IT audit.
• Working knowledge of control testing and deficiency evaluation.
• Practical experience with external auditor coordination.
• Experience analysing root causes of control issues and partnering with technology owners on remediation plans.
• Ability to prioritise and manage multiple concurrent testing workstreams.
• Significant experience in cyber security within the relevant domain.
• Proven experience leading a team or a substantial programme of work.
• Experience managing delivery to plan, quality and timelines.
• Excellent relationship management, influencing and communication skills, including the ability to translate technical control issues into clear, business-friendly terms for senior leadership.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deep working knowledge of SOX ITGC across access, change and operations.
• Experience coordinating with external auditors on IT controls.
• Big Four or internal audit background.
• Experience in a listed pharmaceutical or life sciences company.
• Experience auditing cloud and SaaS environments such as Microsoft Azure.
• Familiarity with ERP and financial applications (e.g., SAP, Blackline) and identity and access tools (e.g., CyberArk, SailPoint) commonly in scope for SOX ITGC testing.
• Relevant certification such as CISA, CPA, CISSP, CRISC, or ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.
• Experience in pharmaceutical, life sciences or another highly regulated industry.

#AGTech Skills

• Cloud Security
• Control Assessment
• Controls Testing
• Cybersecurity
• Data Integrity
• Executive Reports
• External Audit Management
• Identity Access Management (IAM)
• Information Technology Auditing
• Internal IT Audit
• Risk Assessments
• Risk Management
• Risk Management Framework
• Security Architecture Design
• Security Compliance
• Security Policies
• Security Risk
• SOX Guidelines
• Third Party Risk Management
• Vulnerability Management
• Web Application Security

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale. People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

Inclusion at GSK:

As an employer committed to Inclusion, we encourage you to reach out if you need any adjustments during the recruitment process. Please contact our Recruitment Team at [e-mail] to discuss your needs.

We are a global biopharma company with a special purpose – to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together – so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns – as an organisation where people can thrive. Getting ahead means preventing disease as well as treating it, and we aim to impact the health of 2.5 billion people around the world in the next 10 years. Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it’s also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a place where people feel inspired, encouraged and challenged to be the best they can be. A place where they can be themselves – feeling welcome, valued and included. Where they can keep growing and look after their wellbeing. So, if you share our ambition, join us at this exciting moment in our journey to get Ahead Together. Find out more on our career site.