Director, Controllership (SOX & ESG)

About the role

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.

Responsibilities

• 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