Director, Controllership (SOX & ESG)

McDonald's Corporation; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 178,000 - 223,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus Eligible

Long Term Incentive

Benefits Eligible

Job summary

McDonald’s Corporation is seeking a Director – Controllership (SOX & ESG) to lead the global internal control framework, drive modernization, and ensure regulatory compliance across markets. The role partners with Finance, Technology, and Audit to strengthen governance and risk management.

The position oversees ESG reporting readiness, drives continuous improvement, and mentors a high-impact team. A CPA and Big 4 experience are highly valued for this senior leadership opportunity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• CPA or equivalent professional certification preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in accounting, audit, controllership, or internal controls.
• Big 4 public accounting experience required.
• Deep knowledge of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and internal controls.
• Experience leading enterprise-wide control or transformation initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead global SOX and controls program across markets and functions.
• Advise senior finance leadership on governance, compliance, and financial reporting risks.
• Partner with Markets, GBS, Technology, Internal/External Audit to maintain control environment.
• Evaluate controls for major business and technology changes.
• Drive standardization and efficiency across markets and processes.
• Lead SOX self-assessment and quality assurance activities.
• Oversee ESG controllership and reporting readiness.
• Coach and develop a high-performing controls team.
• Support ESG disclosures and regulatory readiness.

Skills

Sarbanes-Oxley

Internal controls

Governance frameworks

Financial reporting

Leadership

Change leadership

Stakeholder management

ERP implementations

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance

CPA or equivalent

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Job description

Job Description

Company Description:

McDonald’s is proud to be one of the most recognized brands in the world, with restaurants in over 100 countries that serve 70 million customers daily.We continue to operate from a position of strength. Our updated growth strategy is focused on staying ahead of what our customers want and realizing further growth potential. Our relentless ambition is why McDonald’s remains one of the world’s leading corporations after almost 70 years. Joining McDonald's means thinking big and preparing for a career that can have influence around the world.

At McDonald’s, we see every day as a chance to create positive impact. We lead through our values centered on inclusivity, service, integrity, community and family. From support of Ronald McDonald House to our Youth Opportunity project and sustainability initiatives, our values keep us dedicated to using our scale for good: good for our customers, people, industry and planet. We also offer a broad range of outstanding benefits including a sabbatical program, tuition assistance and flexible work arrangements.

Department Overview

The Director – Controllership (SOX & ESG) is responsible for leading and advancing McDonald’s global internal control environment, ensuring a robust, scalable, and compliant SOX framework. This role serves as a strategic advisor and thought partner across Finance, Technology, Global Business Services, Global Internal Audit, Transformation teams, and Markets to strengthen governance, mitigate risk, and support enterprise-wide change initiatives.

The position plays a key leadership role in driving SOX strategy, controls modernization, governance, risk management, and continuous improvement across the organization. This includes supporting large-scale transformation programs, enhancing control design and monitoring capabilities, promoting consistency across markets, and enabling a sustainable, efficient control operating model.

In addition, the role provides controllership oversight for ESG reporting readiness, focusing on governance, controls, and regulatory compliance for emerging sustainability reporting requirements.

Duties

• Lead the global SOX and controls program, supporting management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting and compliance with SEC requirements.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior finance leadership on control, governance, compliance, and financial reporting risk matters.
• Partner with Markets, Global Business Services, Technology, Internal Audit, External Audit, and Transformation teams to establish and maintain an effective and efficient control environment.
• Evaluate the control implications of major business, technology, and operating model changes, ensuring risks are identified and addressed through sound control design.
• Drive consistency and standardization of controls across markets, processes, and functions while balancing risk management with operational efficiency.
• Provide recommendations and thought leadership to improve the effectiveness, sustainability, and scalability of the control environment.
• Lead the SOX self-assessment and quality assurance program, providing independent review and challenge of control design and execution to identify improvement opportunities, promote consistency, and enhance the effectiveness of the global control environment.
• Controls Transformation & Continuous Improvement. Lead initiatives to modernize and simplify the SOX operating model through standardization, automation, analytics, and continuous monitoring capabilities.
• Audit & Remediation Oversight. Partner with Internal Audit and External Audit to coordinate controls testing, walkthroughs, audits, and deficiency evaluations.
• Capability Building & Stakeholder Engagement. Act as a global controls subject matter expert, providing training, coaching, and guidance to finance teams, control owners, and project teams.
• ESG Controllership & Reporting Readiness. Support governance, controls, and reporting readiness activities related to ESG and sustainability disclosures.
• Lead, develop, and coach an established team. Establish clear goals, priorities, and development plans while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• CPA or equivalent professional accounting certification preferred
• 10+ years of progressive experience in accounting, audit, controllership, financial reporting, or internal controls.
• Big 4 public accounting experience required.
• Deep knowledge of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, internal controls, governance frameworks, and financial reporting processes.
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-wide control, compliance, audit, or transformation initiatives.
• Experience partnering with senior leadership and influencing decision-making across complex organizations.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and organizational change leadership skills.
• Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, prioritize effectively, and drive results through cross-functional teams.
• Experience with ERP implementations, finance transformation, shared services environments, or large-scale business transformation initiatives preferred.
• Knowledge of ESG reporting frameworks, regulatory requirements, and assurance readiness considerations preferred.

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: Yes

Long - Term Incentive: Yes

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is$178,121.00 -$222,651.00per year
The above represents the expectedsalaryrange for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining yourpay, we may also consider your experience, and other job-related factors.

Additional Information:

Benefits eligible: This position offers health and welfare benefits, including but not limited to comprehensive health insurance, which includes medical, prescription drug, mental health, dental and vision coverage, as well as, life insurance.

Bonus eligible: This position is eligible for a bonus, calculated based on individual and company performance.

Long term Incentive eligible: This position is eligible for stock or other equity grants pursuant to McDonald’s long-term incentive plan.

McDonald’s is an equal opportunity employer committed to the diversity of our workforce. We promote an inclusive work environment that creates feel-good moments for everyone. McDonald’s provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities as part of the application or hiring process or to perform the essential functions of their job. If you need assistance accessing or reading this job posting or otherwise feel you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process, please contact [e-mail]. Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis.

McDonald’s provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to sex, sex stereotyping, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin, age, disability status, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, protected military or veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Nothing in this job posting or description should be construed as an offer or guarantee of employment.