Associate Director, SOX

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 escalate 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.