Energy Sector – Director, Internal Audit Sox Compliance and Investigations – Calgary

At its core, our client provides an important part of the foundation that allows North Americans to live comfortable lives and enable their businesses to thrive. They transport the energy required to heat, cool and light buildings, to get people where they need to go, and to maintain high standards of medical care, education, telecommunications, science and technology. Guided by their core values of safety, responsibility, collaboration and integrity, their more than 7,500 people make a positive difference in the communities where they operate across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

Throughout these most extraordinary times, our client has continued to safely and reliably provide an essential service. Like others, they are acutely aware of the inequalities and vulnerabilities that exist in our society and want to help steer the world toward a sustainable future.

And help they have with investments in next-generation technology and clean fuel research. They were recently nominated for a Global Energy Award in the Collaborative Trendsetter category for some of that work.

Our client is publicly traded on the Toronto (TSX) and New York (NYSE) stock exchanges.

Reporting to the Vice President, Internal Audit and Compliance, the Director, Internal Audit, SOX Compliance and Investigations is accountable for the internal audit and investigations functions within the company.

Leading a team of managers, this role has full oversight and accountability to create the strategy for the team and develop and execute the annual audit plan for the Board of Directors. The Director will work closely with business units, corporate functions and internal stakeholders to ensure the enterprise risk is managed and to identify appropriate remedies to improve systems and processes within the company. In addition, the Director will be accountable for internal investigations resulting from audit, compliance and Code of Business Ethics reporting, as well as ensuring SOX Compliance reporting needs are met.

Working in a complex environment, with teams across North America, the successful candidate will have the ability to lead a highly effective team to deliver value for the company while mitigating risk. Excellent interpersonal skills will enable the successful individual to influence at senior levels within the organization, including the Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team.

• Create and execute on the Internal Audit Strategy for a multi-national company.
• Develop the annual Internal Audit Plan based on understanding of the business and best value add to the company and business units.
• Execute on the annual Internal Audit and SOX Plans using the appropriate balance of internal and external resources. The Director will lead and participate on complex audits.
• Lead a team to create management recommendations that are fit for purpose, manage risk and maintain compliance, while ensuring value is created for the business.
• Deliver audit results and ensure management recommendations are implemented in a timely manner.
• Develop strong relationships with the business and educate leaders on the role of internal audit and SOX.
• Lead investigator for complex and sensitive investigations pertaining to Code of Business Ethics concerns. Recommend disciplinary and other remediations to senior leadership.
• Develop strong investigations capabilities within the team and ensure that these are handled in a consistent manner and aligned to the value of integrity.
• Aggregate the quarterly audit report for the Board of Directors and present when applicable.
• Lead and develop a high performing team to provide timely, financially responsible, coordinated and flexible support to Business Units and functional groups.
• Develop and manage the budget for the department, including the costs for external contractors.

In light of the identified responsibilities, the following are specific deliverables that the position is designed to achieve.

• Specific additional measures of performance will be discussed with the successful candidate.

The following competencies listed below define the role of Director of Internal Audit, Sox Compliance and Investigations:

Develops a strategic plan to realize the vision. Revises strategy in light of changing circumstances. Takes a long-term view of organizational success. Works to clarify long term organizational goals. Able to stand back from immediate problems in order to focus on more far reaching ideas.

Can commit to a course of action without delay when faced with limited information. Gathers and interprets all available sources of information. Willing to make solid and quick decisions when necessary. Proactively and systematically gathers information needed to make high quality decisions.

Adapts management style to achieve optimum results. Clarifies roles and responsibilities. Establishes and communicates clear priorities and sense of direction.

Proactive. Seizes opportunities and acts upon them immediately. Takes responsibility for own actions and addresses problems before asked.

Articulates the key points of an argument persuasively. Negotiates skillfully and convinces others to own point of view. Directly and indirectly impacts the decisions/opinions of others. Mobilizes people into action.

Incorporates information about the organization’s structure and protocol into decisions. Attentive to the internal politics and alert to shifting interpersonal dynamics. Establishes the necessary support networks and cross-functional relationships through rapport building. Recognizes, maintains and effectively balances the interests and needs of one’s own group with those of the broader organization.

Focuses strongly on achieving agreed upon outcomes and ensures that key objectives are met. Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure. Aims to improve upon past performance. Establishes aggressive personal targets and strives to achieve them.

Helps to create a sense of team spirit and harmonious relations through cooperation and support. Balances personal goals with those of the team. Fosters collaboration among team members.

Applies appropriate commercial and financial principles. Appreciates the commercial impact of own work on the organization’s total expenses and revenues. Understands situations in terms of costs, profits, added-value and return on investment.

• A senior level leader with demonstrated relationship building capabilities to meet the requirements of stakeholders, while minimizing risk.
• Strong leadership skills and demonstrated history of building a highly effective team.
• A minimum of 15 years of progressively senior experience in leading an audit and investigations function within the Energy, Financial, Transportation or Utility sector.
• Extensive understanding of audit, accounting principles, compliance and investigations.
• Demonstrated alignment with the company’s values of Safety, Integrity, Responsibility and Collaboration.
• Possesses an unquestioned reputation premised upon demonstrated integrity, ethics and personal values.
• Superior oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on tact and diplomacy. Ability to understand various stakeholders and constituencies; internal and external to the organization.
• Ability to work well under pressure having strong organizational, analytical and decision-making skills.
• Results-oriented with strong identification and initiation of continuous improvement opportunities and the ability to manage change.
• Undergraduate degree in one or more of accounting, business or commerce and a professional accounting or internal audit designation. A post graduate degree in business (e.g. MBA) would be an asset.
• Highly collaborative, diplomatic and tactful.

Highly competitive, unique compensation package to the successful candidate.

Our client is committed to fostering a workforce in each of their locations that reflects the diversity of the communities in which they operate. They are an Equal Opportunity Employer that considers employment applicants without regard to age, race, colour, national origin, citizenship, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or any other protected status. If you have any special needs requirements, they will do their utmost to accommodate, in accordance with applicable local legislation.