Regional Director, Risk & Controls

Role Overview:

The NA Regional Director, Risk & Controls acts as a strategic partner to the WPP ARC Global Director, Risk & Controls, supporting the rollout of strategic priorities across the North American region. This role leads second line of defence activities, drives transformation initiatives, and ensures robust risk management and internal controls in partnership with regional Risk & Controls teams and other WPP functions.

This is a vital role in supporting WPP's global transformation within the North American market. We are looking for a proactive and self-motivated individual who thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. The role requires being in a WPP office a few days a week or as agreed with your line manager, with an expectation of regional travel.

Reporting to the WPP ARC Global Director, Risk & Controls, you will contribute directly to the WPP Risk and Controls group's key objectives by:

• Elevating Risk Management: Driving continuous improvement by performing risk assessment and controls framework within NA, ensuring its effectiveness and relevance.
• Empowering Through Training: Developing and delivering regulatory and compliance training programs to enhance understanding and adherence across  NA.
• Shaping the Transformation: Partnering with project teams involved in Transformation Programs, ensuring the risk assessment and controls framework adapts seamlessly to our evolving company in NA.
• SOX Program Leadership: Leading WPP's SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) program across NA, ensuring compliance and effective internal controls over financial reporting.

What you will be doing: You will support the WPP ARC Global Director, Risk & Controls in delivering the Risk and Controls strategic priorities as directed by the WPP Risk and Controls Group, with a focus on the North American region. Key initiatives include, but are not limited to:

• Guide Strategic Initiatives: Provide support and guidance for areas of strategic importance to the regional RCG teams, ensuring that risk and control considerations are integrated into key decision-making processes, specifically around ERP transformation.
• Implement ICFR Policies and Procedures: Implement policies and procedures aligned with WPP guidelines to support the ICFR (Internal Control over Financial Reporting) / S404 program, ensuring compliance and consistency across NA.
• Drive Control Transformation: Lead the transformation and implementation of best practices in control designs across the NA organization.
• Enhance Controls: Enhance the design and implementation of controls and processes within VML NA, strengthening their effectiveness and efficiency.
• Support Remediation Efforts: Provide support and guidance for remediation efforts across the region, ensuring timely and effective resolution of control deficiencies.
• Deliver Control Training: Develop and deliver training to a variety of VML teams on control design and documentation best practices, WPP RCM changes, etc., promoting a culture of control awareness.
• Collaborate Across Functions: Collaborate effectively with colleagues across functions, including Finance, IT, Legal, Internal Audit, Business Integrity, and other WPP Agency Networks, promoting a holistic approach to risk and controls.
• Support Non-Financial Reporting Controls: Collaborate on control matters related to non-financial reporting that fall within RCG's wider remit as defined, ensuring NA is compliant with regulatory requirements.
• Manage Other Risk and Control Matters: Undertake other risk and control matters as directed by the VML Global Risk and Controls Director, providing flexible support as needed.
• Process Assessment: Work with local finance teams to develop and document necessary processes, based on the WPP Controls Framework. Be a source of support and guidance.
• Identify Gaps & Remediate: Assess processes and controls in place by "walking through" them with operating companies to identify gaps. Partner with local finance teams to set timetables for improvement, including necessary remediation plans and process documentation.
• Compliance Solutions: Identify digital compliance solutions and develop online tools to reduce paper usage and become more efficient.

Stakeholder Management:

• Cultivate Key Relationships: Maintain strong relationships with VML NA functions leadership and VML Controllers, fostering open communication and collaboration.
• Partner with Auditors and Stakeholders: Build strong relationships with external auditors and other key internal stakeholders, ensuring effective communication and alignment.
• Drive Alignment and Transparency: Drive alignment, standardization, and transparency of ICFR matters across the NA organization.

Leadership and Talent Development:

• Provide Strong Leadership: Provide strong leadership for  Risk and Controls teams within NA, supporting the WPP ARC RCG vision.
• Build a High-Performing Team: Develop and maintain a high-performing team of risk and control professionals, fostering their growth and success.
• Foster a Culture of Excellence: Foster a culture of learning, collaboration, and accountability within the team, promoting continuous improvement and high performance.

What You Bring:

• Professional Certification: Chartered Accountant (CA) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation or equivalent.
• Extensive Audit Experience: Significant internal and/or external audit experience, demonstrating a strong foundation in audit principles and practices, preferably in a senior role within a fast-paced environment. Public Accounting experience is highly valued.
• Risk and Control Expertise: Strong background in risk assessment and controls, with a proven ability to identify, assess, and mitigate risks. Process narrative and risk & control matrices documentation experience.
• Leadership and Management Acumen: Demonstrated leadership and management skills, with experience leading and developing high-performing teams. Strong and proven leadership.
• Exceptional Communication and Stakeholder Management: Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, enabling effective interaction and collaboration with individuals at all levels. Effective communicator at all levels in the organization, with strong oral and written skills. Ability to communicate diplomatically and skillfully, settle issues calmly, and win concessions without damaging relationships.
• Regulatory Compliance Expertise: Extensive experience with IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards), GAAP, GAAS, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) regulations, and PCAOB (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) requirements.
• Integrity: Unquestionable ethics and dependability, essential for maintaining trust and credibility.
• Adaptability and Resilience: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-energy, and change-oriented environment, demonstrating adaptability and resilience. Ability to work under pressure in an environment with constantly changing priorities.
• Sound Decision-Making: Proven decision-making skills, with the ability to analyze complex situations and make informed judgments.
• Strategic Thinking: Smart and strategic with a collaborative and team-first mindset. Initiative to think about the bigger picture and downstream impact.
• Problem Solving: Capability to make actionable recommendations to senior management for process improvement solutions.
• Change Management: Proven track record of influencing change. Large company process reengineering and change management experience for systems implementations a plus.
• Organizational Skills: Organized and detail-oriented.
• Controllership experience a plus.
• Experience with quantifying financial statement impact of deficiencies at a large company a plus.

Who you are:

You're open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You're extraordinary: We are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

 

What we'll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?

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