Senior Compliance Analyst

Sterling St James LLC; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Employee stock purchase plan

Tuition reimbursement

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Sterling St James LLC is seeking a Senior Analyst – SOX, Audit & Internal Controls in the Chicago area. The role focuses on the company’s SOX and ICFR program with a strong emphasis on identifying weaknesses and designing, evaluating and enhancing controls.

The ideal candidate has 2–5 years in public accounting audit or corporate internal audit, with hands-on experience in SOX/ICFR and a accounting background. A CPA/CIA is preferred but not required, and GRC experience is a plus.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of relevant experience in public accounting audit, corporate internal audit, SOX, financial controls or consulting.
• Bachelor's or master's degree in Accounting.
• Public accounting candidates should have progressed to in-charge or senior-level responsibility on audit engagements.
• Corporate internal audit candidates should have experience planning or managing audit work, identifying and evaluating controls, and working with control deficiencies or enhancements.
• Hands-on SOX / ICFR experience.
• CPA or CIA preferred, but not required.
• GRC systems experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Support the organization’s SOX and ICFR program.
• Maintain and enhance SOX risk and control matrices, process documentation and flowcharts.
• Participate in and help lead SOX walkthroughs with business partners and auditors.
• Identify and evaluate key controls across accounting and financial reporting processes.
• Evaluate control design and identify opportunities for enhancement.
• Analyze control exceptions and work with management to develop remediation plans.
• Evaluate risks and controls associated with system implementations, new accounting requirements and changing business processes.
• Partner with internal and external auditors throughout audit engagements.
• Assist with SOX scoping, quarterly reporting and ongoing program administration.
• Participate in special projects involving accounting, financial reporting, risk and controls.

Skills

SOX/ICFR experience

Audit & internal controls

Strong communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Public accounting

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Accounting

Tools

GRC systems

Job description

Senior Analyst – SOX, Audit & Internal Controls

Great Quality of Life + Strong Career Opportunity

We are partnering with a large, growing and highly respected financial services organization that has experienced significant growth and strong financial performance.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone coming from public accounting audit or corporate internal audit who wants challenging, visible work with strong career exposure — while maintaining an excellent quality of life.

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

• 40–45 hour workweeks with a strong emphasis on quality of life
• Hybrid work environment
• Far Northwest Chicago / O’Hare-area location with CTA Blue Line access — convenient for both city and suburban candidates
• $85,000–$110,000 base salary plus annual bonus
• Strong benefits including medical, dental and vision coverage
• 401(k) with company match
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Paid parental leave and additional employee benefits
• Join a growing financial services organization with broad exposure across accounting, finance, operations, internal audit, external audit and management

Whether you’re an audit senior in public accounting looking for a better quality of life or a corporate internal auditor looking to broaden your SOX, controls and financial reporting experience, this is a strong next career step.

The Role

The Senior Analyst – SOX, Audit & Internal Controls will be part of the corporate accounting organization and play an important role in the company’s SOX and internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) program.

This isn’t simply a control-testing position. The team is looking for someone who understands how processes and controls work, can identify potential weaknesses, and can help design, evaluate and enhance controls.

What You’ll Do

• Support the organization’s SOX and ICFR program
• Maintain and enhance SOX risk and control matrices, process documentation and flowcharts
• Participate in and help lead SOX walkthroughs with business partners and auditors
• Identify and evaluate key controls across accounting and financial reporting processes
• Evaluate control design and identify opportunities for enhancement
• Analyze control exceptions and work with management to develop remediation plans
• Evaluate risks and controls associated with system implementations, new accounting requirements and changing business processes
• Partner with internal and external auditors throughout audit engagements
• Assist with SOX scoping, quarterly reporting and ongoing program administration
• Participate in special projects involving accounting, financial reporting, risk and controls

What We’re Looking For

• 2–5 years of relevant experience in public accounting audit, corporate internal audit, SOX, financial controls or consulting
• Bachelor's or master’s degree in Accounting
• Public accounting candidates should have progressed to in-charge or senior-level responsibility on audit engagements
• Corporate internal audit candidates should have experience planning or managing audit work, identifying and evaluating controls, and working with control deficiencies or enhancements
• Hands‑on SOX / ICFR experience
• Experience identifying, evaluating designing or enhancing internal controls
• Understanding of accounting and financial reporting processes
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work across functions and with different levels of management
• Financial services experience is a plus, but not required
• CPA or CIA preferred, but not required
• GRC systems experience is a plus

A Strong Next Step for Audit Professionals

For someone who enjoys audit and controls but wants broader business exposure, this position offers an attractive combination of interesting work, meaningful responsibility, a growing organization and approximately 40–45 hours per week.

Public accounting professionals can move into a corporate environment without abandoning the audit and controls experience they’ve built. Corporate internal auditors can expand beyond traditional audit execution into SOX, ICFR, control design, remediation and broader financial reporting initiatives.