The Senior Director – Technical Accounting Advisory & Global SOX is a senior finance leadership role responsible for leading the company’s global technical accounting advisory function and enterprise-wide Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance program. This role serves as a key member of the Corporate Controller leadership team, providing strategic advice on complex accounting matters, financial reporting risk, internal controls, and governance while partnering with senior leadership across finance and the broader organization. The position ensures consistent application of U.S. GAAP, robust accounting policy oversight, compliance with SEC regulatory requirements and a sustainable, risk-based global SOX program.
Responsibilities, authorities and accountabilities
TECHNICAL ACCOUNTING & POLICY
- Lead the company’s technical accounting advisory function, providing authoritative guidance on complex, non-routine, and judgmental accounting matters.
- Serve as the primary finance leader for accounting policy determination, including interpretation and application of U.S. GAAP and other relevant accounting guidance.
- Oversee the preparation, review, and approval of technical accounting memoranda and position papers supporting significant judgments and conclusions.
- Advise on the accounting implications of a range of complex transactional areas, including but not limited to: mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and investments; revenue recognition matters; financing and treasury transactions; impairments and asset valuations; and foreign currency and global legal entity issues
- Establish and maintain a robust global accounting policy framework, including governance of policy updates, interpretation protocols and stakeholder communication.
- Monitor emerging accounting standards, SEC developments, regulatory changes, and leading practices; assess business impact and oversee implementation plans.
- Work closely with the Corporate Controller and other finance teams to ensure accounting conclusions are operationalized appropriately.
- Provide technical accounting guidance for strategic initiatives, transformation programs, and system/process changes affecting financial reporting.
- Ensure technical accounting positions are well-supported, consistently applied, and audit-ready.
GLOBAL SOX PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
- Lead the design, governance, and execution of the company’s global SOX compliance program across business units, regions, and corporate functions.
- Own the annual SOX strategy - risk assessment, scoping, control rationalization, testing approach, deficiency evaluation, remediation oversight, and reporting.
- Ensure the SOX program remains risk-based, efficient, sustainable, and aligned to the organization’s evolving risk profile, operating model, and technology landscape.
- Oversee management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR), including documentation standards, control design evaluations, control operating effectiveness testing, and deficiency remediation.
- Coordinate with process owners, control owners, controllership teams, DT, internal audit and external auditors to drive timely and high-quality SOX execution.
- Provide leadership over governance for SOX deficiencies, remediation plans, root cause analysis, and escalation protocols, including evaluation of control issues for potential material weakness/significant deficiency considerations.
- Drive alignment between SOX, broader controllership and transformation initiatives to strengthen the control environment while reducing duplication and inefficiency.
- Oversee roll out / extension of the Baker Hughes SOX program to acquired operations (both smaller scale businesses and large global organizations)
- Oversee SOX program tools, methodologies, reporting dashboards, and documentation standards to improve transparency, execution discipline, and audit readiness.
- Ensure global consistency while allowing appropriate flexibility for geographic, business, and process-specific requirements.
- Champion continuous improvement in the control environment, including automation, standardization, and integration of controls into business processes and systems. To include recommendations on internal controls both to address deficiencies and audit findings as well as more generally in terms of opportunities for improvement
GOVERNANCE & STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
- Trusted advisor to leadership on accounting, controls and financial reporting risk.
- Support the Corporate Controller in preparing and aligning communications with the CAO and CFO in communications with the Audit Committee, external auditors, and other governance stakeholders on key accounting judgments, policy positions, control matters, and remediation progress.
- Maintain effective relationships with external auditors and internal audit, helping to facilitate aligned expectations, transparent issue resolution, and efficient execution.
- Establish strong governance over technical accounting consultations, accounting policy approvals, SOX deficiencies, and key internal control matters.
- Promote a culture of accountability, integrity, standardization, and disciplined compliance across the finance organization.
- Ensure that accounting and control matters are addressed in a proactive, timely, and well-documented manner.
LEADERSHIP & ORGANIZATION
- Lead and develop high-performing global team
- Drive capability building across finance organization
- Align resources with strategic priorities and transformation initiatives
- Foster cross-functional collaboration
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
- CPA required (or equivalent professional certification).
- Significant progressive experience in technical accounting, controllership, financial reporting, and/or SOX/ICFR leadership, including experience in a large public company and/or Big Four/public accounting environment.
- Deep knowledge of U.S. GAAP, SEC reporting implications, accounting policy governance, and internal control over financial reporting.
- Demonstrated experience leading assessment and resolution of complex accounting matters and significant judgment areas.
- Proven leadership of a global SOX or internal controls program in a complex, multinational environment.
- Experience partnering with external auditors, internal audit, senior finance leadership, and cross-functional business stakeholders.
- Strong executive presence, communication skills and ability to influence at a senior level.
- Demonstrated success leading teams, driving transformation, and implementing process/control improvements at scale.
Desired Characteristics
- Experience supporting M&A, integration, restructuring, ERP/system implementations, or finance transformation initiatives.
You will be eligible to participate in Company-sponsored benefit programs, including health & welfare programs and the Thrift Plan (401k). You will have a choice of coverage options that best suit your needs. Coverage options and contribution amounts are related to your benefit elections, base salary level, and specific requirements of each of these plans.
This position is eligible for our comprehensive and competitive benefits package, which can be found here, and is further eligible for additional forms of compensation such as bonuses subject to the terms of the applicable benefit plans or policies.
The Baker Hughes internal title for this role is: Finance Senior Director - Controllership Management
