Live Oak Bank

Control Lead - Banking

Remote - NC Full time

About Us

Live Oak Bank is a digital bank that serves small business owners across the country.  Our groundbreaking spin on service and technology has fueled our mission to be America’s Small Business Bank. Our products help customers buy, build, and expand their business, and our high-yield savings and CD products help them grow their hard-earned money.  At Live Oak, we never lose sight of the well-being of our people. We believe our employees are the heart of our company. Our commitment to our customers and culture is intertwined, and we seek those who embody and embrace what it takes to empower the American dream.

How This Role Impacts Live Oak and Its People

The Control Lead – Banking strengthens Live Oak’s financial control environment by embedding SOX and internal control excellence directly within Banking-related processes. This role ensures alignment between business operations and the SOX compliance framework, fostering accountability, consistency, and collaboration across the enterprise. By partnering closely with key business and finance leaders, the Control Lead supports Live Oak’s commitment to accurate financial reporting, operational integrity, and a culture of strong risk management.

This position may be based on-site or remote. For remote employees, periodic travel to Live Oak offices may be required for walkthroughs, audits, training, and collaboration sessions.

What You’ll Do at Live Oak

  • Partner with business unit leaders and control owners to ensure key controls are designed effectively, documented accurately, and updated for process/system changes utilizing the RCSA process

  • Coordinate SOX walkthroughs and maintain updated narratives, flowcharts, and risk/control matrices for Deposit, Electronic Funds Transfer processes and sub- processes (including merchant services, cards, etc)

  • Monitor control performance within the business, ensuring timely evidence collection and readiness for external/internal auditor reviews

  • Track and support remediation efforts for deficiencies, including root cause analysis, documentation of corrective actions, and status reporting

  • Perform control monitoring activity on implementation of Merchant Services product and play lead risk assessment role in new product proposals

  • Prepare periodic updates for the Head of SOX on control issues, remediation progress, and emerging risks

  • Train and coach process/control owners on SOX responsibilities, documentation standards, and evidence expectations

  • Liaise with external and internal auditors during walkthroughs and testing by facilitating requests, gathering documentation, and clarifying process questions

  • Work closely with control owners to act as the lead for identification and reporting new self-identified control issues

  • Identify opportunities to streamline controls and improve efficiency within the business line’s SOX processes

  • Act as the “SOX Champion”, reinforcing compliance culture and ownership of control execution

  • Assist in performing monitoring activities

Additional Areas of Impact:

  • Risk Management & Controls Culture: Act as a risk champion within assigned functions, supporting risk control self assessment process and risk metric reporting while helping the business evaluate operational, compliance, and reputational risks beyond SOX

  • Process Improvement: Identify inefficiencies in workflows, partner with Operations Excellence or Process Improvement teams, and promote automation opportunities. Including working closely with technology department

  • Audit & Regulatory Exam Readiness: Coordinate internal audit and regulatory exam requests (FDIC, SEC, State Regulators, etc.) to ensure readiness and reduce business disruption

  • Project & Change Management: Participate in new product launches or system implementations to assess control impacts and ensure SOX implications are addressed proactively

  • Coordination Across Lines of Defense: Act as a bridge between the first, second, and third lines of defense, translating control requirements and fostering collaboration

  • Accounting/GAAP Guidance: Provide accounting and GAAP insights to business partners to support control design and accurate financial reporting

Required Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field

  • 4–10 years of experience performing public company audits of financial institutions or equivalent industry experience

  • Strong understanding of internal control frameworks (COSO), SOX requirements, and banking operations

  • Excellent communication and relationship management skills, with the ability to collaborate closely with senior executives and cross-functional teams

  • Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Experience

  • CPA or CIA certification

  • Prior experience within SOX program management, external audits of financial institutions, internal audit, or regulatory examinations

  • Experience supporting process improvement or automation initiatives

  • Familiarity with Excel, Workiva, Monday.com, or similar workflow/documentation tools

Our Values

  • Dedication: Possess a deep commitment to Live Oak Bank’s mission and core values, exemplified through a strong work ethic, adaptability and pride in your work.

  • Ownership: Take initiative to deliver positive results by proactively and creatively solving problems, while maintaining a high degree of quality.

  • Respect: Treat everyone with courtesy, politeness, and kindness.

  • Innovation: Embrace fresh ideas and fearlessly contribute new solutions to emerging or existing problems.

  • Teamwork: Foster collaboration, accountability, and trust with others and understand that together, we do more

For a detailed overview of our employee benefits please visit: http://www.liveoakbank.com/careers/

Live Oak Bank is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer, Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled. We consider applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, veteran status or disability. Equal access to programs, service and employment is available to all persons. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify human resources at HumanResources@liveoak.bank.

EEO is the Law

The base pay range for this position is $125,000.00 - $175,000.00 per year. Compensation may also include annual bonuses and long-term incentives, subject to various metrics and company policy. A candidate’s salary is determined by several factors including travel, relevant work experience or skills and expertise.

Please note that we provide at least the minimum requirement of paid sick leave to our employees who reside in states that require employer-paid sick leave, including but not limited to Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.