Senior Accounting Analyst- (SOX Controls Coordinator)

Principal Financial Group; Des Moines (IA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 148,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension eligible

Job summary

Principal Financial Group, Des Moines, IA, is seeking a Senior Accounting Analyst (SOX Controls Coordinator) to support the control environment, coordinate testing and remediation, and guide governance for finance transformation initiatives.

You will collaborate with accounting, actuarial, IT, risk, audit, and project teams to maintain SOX documentation and ensure accurate, timely financial reporting in a hybrid office setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or equivalent experience required.
• 6+ years of SOX controls experience.
• Strong understanding of internal controls and audit requirements.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate SOX activities across IFS processes, including documentation and remediation.
• Partner with process owners and audit teams to support control execution.
• Maintain risks, controls, narratives, and testing docs in Optro.
• Support model governance, validation coordination, and high-risk findings tracking.
• Provide controls guidance for finance journey and future-state processes.
• Assist governance and automation initiatives to improve data integrity.

Skills

SOX controls

Audit & risk

Governance

Cross-functional collab

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or equivalent experience

Tools

Optro

Job description

What You'll Do

We're looking for a Senior Accounting Analyst (SOX Controls Coordinator), to join our cross-functional Integrated Finance Solutions (IFS) team. In this role, you'll help support the control environment, model governance processes and finance transformation initiatives that enable accurate, timely, and well-controlled financial reporting. You will collaborate closely with accounting, actuarial, IT, risk, audit, and project teams to maintain SOX documentation, coordinate testing and remediation activities, support model validation efforts and offer controls guidance for future-state processes.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working across teams, improving processes and translating complex control and governance requirements into clear, actionable steps. The successful candidate will be thorough, collaborative, and comfortable balancing routine compliance responsibilities with broader enterprise transformation work.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate SOX activities across key IFS processes, including documentation, walkthroughs, testing, evidence requests, deficiencies, and remediation tracking.
• Partner with process owners, Corporate SOX, EY, PGS, IT, Risk, PwC, and business unit contacts to support control execution and audit readiness.
• Maintain and update risks, controls, process flows, narratives, testing documentation, and related information in Optro.
• Support IFS model governance activities, including model validation coordination, annual model inventory review, and tracking of high‑risk findings.
• Provide controls guidance for Finance Journey including future-state process flows, key report testing, integration testing, and SOC 1 assessments.
• Assist with governance, reporting, and enterprise transformation activities that improve control design, documentation, and process effectiveness.
• Partner with finance, technology and control owners to redesign manual activities, automate evidence collection, improve monitoring capabilities and identify opportunities for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and intelligent automation that support data integrity, governance and regulatory compliance.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or equivalent experience required.
• 6+ years of experience with SOX controls is required.
• Demonstrated experience with audit, accounting, financial reporting, risk, model governance, or finance transformation preferred.
• Strong understanding of internal controls, process documentation, testing concepts, and audit requirements.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities, timelines, and stakeholders.
• Strong communicator who can work effectively across accounting, actuarial, IT, risk, audit, and leadership teams.
• Self‑motivated, collaborative, agile, and comfortable working in a changing environment.

SKILLS THAT WILL HELP YOU STAND OUT

• 3+ years in leveraging technology, including AI and automation solutions, while ensuring effective technology controls, risk management and regulatory compliance is highly preferred.
• CPA or other applicable certification preferre d.

Salary Range Information

Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non‑sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer.

Salary Range (Non-Exempt expressed as hourly; Exempt expressed as yearly)

$110200 - $148200 / year

Time Off Program

Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short‑term illness. Employees don’t accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided.

Pension Eligible

Yes

Work Environments

This role offers in‑office, hybrid (blending at least three office days in a typical work week) from Des Moines, IA.

Work Authorization/Sponsorship

At this time, we're not considering applicants that need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc. For additional information around work authorization needs please use the following links.

Nonimmigrant Workers and Green Card for Employment‑Based Immigrants

Investment Code of Ethics

For Principal Asset Management positions, you'll need to follow an Investment Code of Ethics related to personal and business conduct as well as personal trading activities for you and members of your household. These same requirements may also apply to other positions across the organization.

Experience Principal

At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we're imagining a more purpose‑led future for financial services - and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our employees. And we support our employees the same way we support our customers: with comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well‑being. Check out our careers site to learn more about our purpose, values and benefits.

Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Posting Window

We will accept applications for 3 full days following the Original Posting Date, after which the posting may remain open or be removed based upon applications received. If we choose to post the job again, we will accept additional applications for at least 1 full day following the Most Recently Posted Date. Please submit applications in a timely manner as there is no guarantee the posting will be available beyond the applicable deadline.

Original Posting Date

9/17/2026

Most Recently Posted Date

9/17/2026

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