Principal in Finance Control (SOX Expert)

Strengthening the reporting control frameworks

This is the job every professional controls expert dreams about. This is where it all happens at one of the largest financial institutions in the world. In this dynamic environment, you are responsible that ING stays in control over its financial, regulatory and ESG reporting processes. With an international team of 10 experts, you develop and maintain an effective framework for identifying and reducing reporting risks as well as increasing control awareness.

The team

Reporting Control Management is the corporate staff department within Group Finance, responsible for the Internal Control over Financial Reporting. The team is the linking pin between Group Finance and the other corporate departments, local ING entities and shared service centers and maintains the day-to-day relationship with the local finance control officers and taking the ownership for implementing the requirements leading to a sound internal control over global reporting processes. In this dynamic environment requirements in the financial, regulatory and ESG environment are continuously increasing. The team supports internal stakeholders by ensuring that the processes, controls and their testing is performed in line with the internal and external reporting requirements. Additional to that, the department is responsible for managing the contract with the external auditor. Internal stakeholders are non-financial risk departments, enterprise risk management business representatives, internal and external auditors. The RCM team has a dynamic culture, characterized by open, direct and informal communication, with a focus on team work.

Roles and responsibilities

As a Principal in Finance Control, you are responsible for maintaining an effective framework for identifying and reducing financial, regulatory and ESG reporting risks as well as increasing control awareness. You manage change initiatives in an international context either independently or in small teams, coaching more junior team members or as part of larger (multi-disciplinary) projects and programs.
 

The team’s tasks include the following, in which you will play a principal role:

• Develop, improve and maintain the ING guidance on Internal Control over Financial Reporting (incl test plans), evaluation of deficiency guidelines and reporting instructions;
• Coordinate and actively participate in the ICFR/SOX404 sign-off process;
  • Involvement in the local sign-off of countries, service organisations and Business Lines and Corporate Departments
  • Coordination and evaluation of an ING wide focus area (e.g. ITGC and ITAC controls, Entity Level Controls, Loan Loss Provisioning, Disclosures and ESG) 
• Help entities with the implementation of internal controls in line with the guidance to ensure a sound control environment, resulting from;
  • New (IFRS) accounting standards
  • Increase of SOx scope, new locations added and need to apply the SOx controls for the first time
  • Identified deficiencies throughout the organization, indication for attention areas where guidance needs to be improved or training should be provided
• Actively contribute to the further enhancement of the ESG reporting control framework and support to implement this framework.
• Lead deep dives into finance control and accounting matters;
  • Virtual and/or ‘on location’ site visits
  • Ad hoc requests for deep dives from senior management
  • ICFR assessment of errors found in financial reporting and/or controls
• Seek opportunities for control optimization that is still SOX compliant and ways to reduce the finance control burden on the business. Align with other control frameworks as a contributor/advisor to the Enterprise Risk Management environment.
• Responsible for the quality of documents for the ICFR governance meetings;
  • Open hours, which are weekly calls with all Finance Control Officers worldwide where all areas of attention, comments from second line and the external auditors are shared.
  • Materials for the (bi-)annual evaluation meetings at Group level
  • Materials for the Sox Governance Board
• Help entities with the implementation of Control Standards to ensure a sound reporting environment specifically for regulatory reporting;
  • Assisting entities with the implementation of the Process Control Standard on Financial and Regulatory reporting (PCS FRR)
  • Enhancing guidance and evaluation tooling with regard to PCS FRR
• Coordinate ING’s  contract with the external auditor, incl. monitoring of independence and fees;
  • Assisting in the preparation of the global contract and managing the adherence to the contract
  • Participating in fee and scope discussions
  • Maintaining the External Auditor Independence Policy and assessing situations to determine if certain activities performed by the external auditors are not in breach with the policy
  • Assisting/coordinating of the evaluation of the external auditor
  • Reporting on the above items related to the external auditor to the Executive Board and Audit Committee
• Be a Group Finance GCR application expert;
  • Representing Group Finance in the user board of the ING GRC application, making sure the ICFR requirements are embedded
  • Acting as the expert on the use of the tool for Group Finance and the ICFR community
• Develop training materials and providing trainings and workshops to a wide community of global finance control officers, bringing bank-wide control knowledge up to a required level. This is done via:
  • Webcasts/calls
  • Classroom training in Amsterdam or foreign locations

How to succeed

We hire smart people like you for your potential. Our biggest expectation is that you’ll stay curious. Keep learning. Take on responsibility. In return, we’ll back you to develop into an even more awesome version of yourself!

You have a hands-on approach and a healthy dose of organisation sensitivity combined with an independent state of mind. You are convincing in your work and critical (in a positive sense) of your own performance and that of others. You are a very quick learner, a superb team player, have a strong focus on stakeholders, supported by excellent collaboration skills. A strongly result-oriented professional who continuously looks for ways to drive change/improve and deliver high quality. You have deep knowledge and experience and dare to speak out. You are capable to translate a generic strategy into tangible actions, approach issues from a ‘helicopter’ perspective but can also handle issues in detail when necessary.

To support above, you have:

• 3+ years of SOX knowledge and experience. A deep understanding of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the COSO 2013 internal controls framework.

• 5-9 years of work experience in a bank or Financial Services (external/internal auditing and/or graduated as external auditor)

• An academic degree in Finance or Economics, preferably supplemented by an RA (or equivalent) or CIA certificate or in the final stage of studying for this​

• A deep understanding of Dutch and US external auditor independence regulations

• Knowledge of IT, IT related controls (including IT general controls and application controls)

• Proven experience in complex business process improvements, including design, implementation and execution of (regulatory) oversight processes

• Demonstrable knowledge of banking business processes and knowledge of the relevant (legal) regulations (including ESG reporting regulation) and procedures

• Experience with multi-layered financial statement closing processes, loan loss provisioning and IT general controls and ITACs

• Superb business acumen and communication skills to help the business and its stakeholders understand, relate to and action key elements of his/her agenda

• Possess a highly ethical and professional “executive” demeanor, along with sound judgement and confidence to represent ING in both formal and informal settings

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a business partner and trusted advisor to the senior management, as well as other internal clients

• Exceptional influencing skills, being assertive without being antagonistic or alienating

Rewards & benefits  

We want to make sure that it’s possible for you to strike the right balance between your career and your private life. You can find out more about our employment conditions here.  

The benefits of working with us at ING include: 

• A salary tailored to your qualities and experience
• Relocation package is provided when living outside the Netherlands
• 12-month contract with view to extend
• 36 or 40 hour workweek
• Individual leave: 24+2 individual holiday days based on 36 hr workweek
• Diversity leave: 3 days per year (1,5 paid, 1,5 unpaid)
• CSR days: up to 2 days per year to actively engage in society by volunteering
• 13th month salary
• 8% Holiday payment
• Individual Savings Contribution (BIS), 3.5% of your gross annual salary
• Mobility card
• Attractive pension scheme
• Hybrid working to blend home working for focus and office working for collaboration and co-creation

Want to apply directly?

Upload your CV and motivation letter by clicking the “Apply” button. 

Please note, multiple interview steps involving various business stakeholders will be part of the selection process.

About us 

With 60,000 employees and operations in approximately 40 countries, there is no shortage of opportunities for people with initiative who want to help people take a step ahead in life and in business. Do you want to work at the cutting edge of what’s possible and at the same time ensure you work with integrity and hold the customer’s interests at heart? Do you want to be surrounded by progressive, inspiring, diverse and supportive colleagues? Then there is no better place to invest your talents than at ING. Join us and apply today!