Director Financial Systems & SOX Compliance

Job Description

Puget Sound Energy has set an aspirational goal of being a Beyond Net Zero Carbon energy company by 2045, in line with our "north star" of being our customers' energy partner of choice. 

To achieve this ambitious vision, PSE requires robust systems, strong leadership, and rigorous compliance frameworks. With over 3,000 employees managing almost 5 billion dollars of revenue, our financial systems must be intuitive, flexible, and detailed enough to support effective decision-making across all levels of the organization.

The Director Financial Systems and SOX Compliance ensures that system solutions optimally support the finance organization and overall company objectives while maintaining strict Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance standards. This position leads a team that provides strategic vision and proactive thinking to create a comprehensive finance technology roadmap, harnessing the latest technologies to drive innovation and operational efficiencies. This position requires exceptional leadership and partnership skills as it directly supports the Controlling, Financial Planning and Analysis, Tax, and Treasury functions. 

PSE is currently undertaking critical system transformations, including replacing our existing budgeting system and implementing the latest version of our enterprise resource planning software.  Additionally, this role will be responsible developing and leading a comprehensive SOX compliance function, serving as the subject matter expert who provides strategic vision and actionable recommendations to improve and streamline business processes through transformation initiatives. This role will be instrumental in ensuring the success of these foundational projects.

Success in this role depends on building strong partnerships with the Information Technology department to identify, assess, and effectively communicate future business opportunities, translating them into optimal system solutions through successful implementations.

We are seeking a proven leader with a demonstrated track record of managing high-performing teams and complex financial systems within a SOX-compliant environment. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative leader who thrives in cross-functional partnerships, while maintaining focus on successful outcomes. This results-oriented leader must demonstrate the ability to drive projects to completion, meet critical deadlines, and deliver measurable improvements in system performance and compliance effectiveness. Strong communication skills and the ability to influence without authority will be essential for success in this highly collaborative, fast-paced environment.

Job Responsibilities

• Employee Safety, Development & Team Building - Provides employees with coaching, feedback, and developmental opportunities and builds effective teams.
• • Demonstrates a passion for safety. Promotes and supports a culture of total safety including eliminating at-risk behaviors by conducting safety audits and inspections, eliminating hazards and near misses, and attending safety meetings.
  • Sets clear expectations and holds employees accountable for performance as well as safety goals/targets where applicable.
  • Oversees training and development of employees directly and indirectly managed and makes effective staffing decisions. Ensures required training is successfully completed.
  • Challenges and inspires employees to achieve business results.
  • Accountable to ensure employees adhere to legal and operational compliance requirements, as well as safety standards.
• Financial Systems Leadership
  
  • Leads the development and execution of the five-year financial technology roadmap to ensure system solutions support the company’s strategic plan. Systems include, but are not limited to, SAP ECC, SAP BPC (Budget Planning and Consolidations), PowerPlan, Utilities International, EPPM, Workiva, account reconciliation tools, and related interfaces and interdependencies.
  • Proactively partners with technology providers to understand and deliver new system functionality and solutions, including adoption of robot process automation, analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technologies to support accounting, reporting, financial planning, and regulatory life cycle process.
  • Establishes, monitors, and communicates project management and system support metrics to maintain accountability and achieve success. Delivers projects on schedule and budget, including cost recovery of related O&M, capital spending and inclusion in regulatory filings.
  • Manages support, maintenance, and configuration of financial systems and interfaces to meet the day-to-day operational needs of the Finance organization.
• Project Support
  
  • Oversees financial system implementation projects by supporting design of business cases; manages and facilitates fit gap analysis and system design sessions; plans, prioritizes, leads and partners with IT for system upgrade and new implementation projects; and designing and overseeing training, documentation, reporting and change management.
  • Acts as business partner and liaison between the information technology, finance teams, and internal and external audit on system implementations and upgrades through participation in steering committees and other leadership forums.
  • Serves as the Finance Business Lead for major IT projects such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) replacements, including building a team responsible for the business process development, testing and deployment, partnership with IT and third parties, project design and execution.
• SOX and Internal Controls
  • Partners with business and IT to design and document efficient and effective IT and business process controls across the entire financial reporting landscape.
  • Ensures complete and accurate execution of IT controls completed as part of system implementations or upgrades.
  • Monitors SOX compliance across entire financial reporting landscape.
  • Coordinates with internal and external audit to facilitate annual and ad hoc audits or reviews.
• Additional Responsibilities
  • Advocates and demonstrates the mission, vision, and values of our company.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Management Information Systems, Business, Finance, Accounting, Computer Science or equivalent combination of education and/or work experience. 
• Eight (8) years of finance, accounting or IT system experience, including five (5) years of software administration, implementation, support, and/or management of business information systems, project management or related experience.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing innovative new business processes, change management, leading major projects and/or system integration. 
• Demonstrated leadership skills, setting and managing goals, and a proven record leading cross-functional and technical teams.
• Demonstrated experience either auditing or implementing/executing IT SOX controls. 
• Ability to create a culture of accountability and effective employee engagement. 
• Strong oral and written communications skills including the ability to deal effectively with conflict. 
• Ability to explain complex things in a clear, simple and accurate manner.

Desired Qualifications

• Ten (10) years’ experience in an energy utility business, or comparable sector in an IT or Finance related role. 
• MBA or Master of Finance degree. 
• Familiarity with financial software and processes. 
• Knowledge of estimating, utility accounting and finance principles. 
• Certification in Lean Six Sigma or similar process improvement methodologies.

Additional Information