Internal Controls Manager

At Mission Pet Health, our mission to care for pets and their families drives everything we do. As we rapidly scale toward 1,000 hospitals, our forward-thinking team of more than 20,000 teammates is making bold investments in people, technology, and process to prepare for life as a public company. This is where you come in. You will serve as the operational engine of our SOX program — owning the Workiva GRC platform, leading control walkthroughs, and building the internal controls framework that will underpin Mission's IPO and sustain it as a credible, compliant public company. This is a career-defining opportunity for a controls professional ready to build something from scratch and see it through to a public market debut. We are flexible on hybrid or remote work for this position, with a preference for candidates based in the Detroit, MI or Birmingham, AL areas. Role Summary The Internal Controls Manager serves as a dedicated owner of Mission's SOX readiness program infrastructure. This role ensures that Mission's control environment is documented, tested, and ready for SOX compliance and remains fully operational thereafter as a permanent public company compliance function. This role sits within the Accounting Transformation & IPO Readiness Team alongside peers responsible for SOX program oversight, overall IPO readiness, and system/process optimization and transformation. The Internal Controls Manager brings technical precision and controls documentation depth that makes the broader team's work auditable and defensible. The ideal candidate has lived through at least one pre-IPO SOX build and is ready to own the next one from day one. Mission has selected Workiva as its governance, risk, and compliance tool and will use it as the system of record for all SOX control documentation, testing evidence, and Audit Committee reporting. Experience in configuring and administering the Workiva GRC platform is highly preferred for this role. The ability to stand up the GRC environment, design control frameworks, and manage the testing workflow within Workiva is an important technical differentiator for this hire. Key Responsibilities Workiva GRC Platform Ownership Configure and administer Workiva as Mission's system of record for all SOX documentation. Design and maintain the control owner workflow within Workiva, routing evidence requests, managing testing assignments, and tracking remediation items through to closure. Build and maintain the SOX status dashboard and Audit Committee reporting package within Workiva, providing real-time visibility into testing progress, open items, and control deficiency status. Own the annual GRC tool refresh; updating RCMs, control owner assignments, and evidence libraries to reflect process changes, system changes, and new risks identified during the year. Control Walkthroughs & RCM Development Lead business process control walkthroughs, as assigned, across in-scope cycles, including Revenue/Order-to-Cash, Payroll/Benefits, Procure-to-Pay, Fixed Assets, Financial Statement Close, Entity Level Controls, and IT General Controls. Develop and maintain Risk and Control Matrices (RCMs), process narratives, and control attribute documentation for all in-scope business processes, ensuring alignment with external audit expectations and PCAOB standards. Conduct walkthrough interviews with process owners across Finance, Accounting, IT, Legal, and Operations; document control activities in sufficient detail to support both design and operating effectiveness testing. Assess control design against identified risks. Maintain Mission's inventory of in-scope controls, including classification by type (preventive/detective, manual/automated/IT-dependent), frequency, owner, and evidence requirements. SOX Testing Program Manage Mission's annual SOX testing cycle; coordinating design testing, operating effectiveness testing, and the remediation/retest workflow in alignment with the IPO timeline and post-IPO obligations. Serve as the day-to-day liaison to external SOX advisors and external audit team by scheduling walkthroughs, managing the PBC list, coordinating evidence requests, and facilitating issue resolution. Evaluate identified control deficiencies for classification (control deficiency, significant deficiency, or material weakness) and coordinate management remediation responses, ensuring retesting is completed within the fiscal year. Support preparation of the Section 404(a) management assessment and the CEO/CFO quarterly 302/906 certification process, including management sub-certification coordination with process owners. Develop and maintain the Internal Audit co-source coordination model, defining the reliance strategy, scoping co-source testing assignments, and reviewing co-source work product. Monitor the control environment for emerging risks from acquisitions, system changes, personnel changes, and new accounting standards; update RCMs and testing procedures accordingly. Design the organization-wide SOX awareness and training program for control performers, including what constitutes a SOX control, how to retain evidence, and what to do when a control fails. Partner with the Accounting Transformation team to develop and maintain Mission's accounting policy library and operations policy library (SOX Requirements) in Workiva. Establish and enforce documentation standards across all SOX workpapers, ensuring that narratives, RCMs, and testing evidence produced by the team (including AI-assisted content) meet professional standards and are independently reviewed before submission to the external auditor. Support the Accounting Transformation Team's broader IPO readiness program as an embedded SOX subject matter expert, providing guidance on control implications of process changes, system implementations, and new business activities. Produce quarterly SOX status reporting to the Audit Committee, including testing progress, deficiency status, and remediation timelines. Responsibilities and Benefits Qualifications Education Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required. Master's degree in Accounting or Business Administration (MBA) preferred. Experience 7+ years of progressive experience in internal controls, SOX compliance, or external audit, with at least one full pre-IPO or year-one SOX build highly preferred. Prior experience at a Big 4 or large regional accounting firm (assurance or advisory) strongly preferred. Demonstrated experience owning the full SOX lifecycle from scoping and walkthroughs through design testing, operating effectiveness testing, deficiency evaluation, and 404(a) reporting. Experience in a high-growth, multi-site, or distributed-operations environment; veterinary, healthcare services, or private equity-backed company experience a plus. Experience working alongside external auditors on SOX programs at a public company or during an IPO readiness process. Credentials Certified Public Accountant (CPA) required. Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) preferred. Technical Skills Workiva GRC:Hands-on configuration and administration experience highly preferred. This is Mission's selected GRC platform. Workday Financials: Familiarity with Workday as an ERP and an understanding of Workday ITGC considerations (user access, change management, SOD) preferred; Mission's Workday environment went live July 1, 2026. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and the Microsoft 365 suite; experience with AI-assisted documentation tools is a plus (e.g., Claude Enterprise, Copilot, etc.). Strong command of PCAOB auditing standards, the COSO 2013 Internal Control framework, and SEC reporting requirements for newly public companies (Form 10-K, 10-Q, CEO/CFO certifications under Sections 302 and 906). Leadership & Communication Exceptional written communication skills with the ability to produce clear, precise control narratives, RCMs, and executive-facing status reporting that meets Big 4 documentation standards. Demonstrated ability to manage cross-functional relationships and influence process owners across Finance, Accounting, IT, Legal, and Operations, many of whom will be performing SOX controls for the first time. Ability to explain SOX requirements, control concepts, and evidence standards to non-technical audiences across the organization. Comfortable operating with significant ambiguity in a fast-moving pre-IPO environment; able to build structure where it may not yet exist. How You're Supported As part of the Mission Pet Health Home Office team, you'll be joining a collaborative group of professionals dedicated to supporting our hospital teams and shaping the future of veterinary medicine. Competitive Compensation A competitive salary commensurate with 7+ years of controls experience, and a comprehensive benefits package. Comprehensive coverage including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance, plus 24/7 access to doctors through Teladoc. Plan for your future with a 401k featuring a generous company match, plus Life Insurance and Short-Term Disability options. Commitment to Growth Significant opportunities for career growth in a rapidly expanding organization — with a direct line from this role to senior internal controls and public company finance leadership as Mission scales post-IPO. Join a nationwide community of over 20,000 veterinary professionals and a Home Office team that lives by our WAG values. Generous paid time off and company-wide holidays, discounted veterinary care for your pets, and access to an online discount platform. If you're using NVDA, press NVDA key + space to enable focus mode to read the slider properly. #J-18808-Ljbffr