Director II Accounting Governance, Controls, Compliance

Introduction Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of global food retailer Ahold Delhaize, is part of the U.S. family of brands, which also includes five leading omnichannel grocery brands – Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. Ahold Delhaize USA associates support the brands with a wide range of services, including Finance, Legal, Sustainability, Commercial, Digital and E-commerce, Technology and more. Primary Purpose The Director II leads the accounting governance and financial and ESG control ownership activities for ADUSA. Through its close line of sight to daily financial operations and accounting practices across the organization, this role helps promote and support a well governed, well controlled financial function. The Director partners with Brand Finance, Risk & Controls, Internal Audit, Health & Sustainability and other leaders to ensure accounting and reporting policies, process controls, and governance standards are consistently applied and regularly updated. With a three-lines of defense model to manage risk, this position oversees the financial control framework from a first line governance and control ownership perspective, helping ensure controls remain relevant, appropriately designed, and clearly understood by process and control owners. Second line control assurance, testing, and independent monitoring are the responsibility of the Risk & Controls function, and this role maintains close partnership with them to ensure alignment on standards, risk themes, and emerging requirements. The Director ensures financial governance requirements are embedded in Finance transformation initiatives, including SAP enhancements and process modernization efforts, leveraging its operational insight to ensure accounting and control considerations are incorporated early and effectively. Additionally, this role leads accounting policy development, finance and vendor training, governance guidance, and audit readiness activities—further strengthening financial discipline and supporting a resilient, well governed financial environment. Responsibilities Strategic Leadership & Governance Serve as the primary strategic leader for Accounting Governance, Controls & Compliance, advising ADUSA Finance, Group, and IT on enterprise wide risk, controls, and policy standards. Establish and continuously mature the governance model for Process narratives, workflows and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across on shore and off shore entities, ensuring consistency, control adherence, and comprehensive end to end documentation. Provide strategic leadership to a team of subject matter experts, setting priorities, enabling capability development, and ensuring alignment to business objectives and regulatory requirements. Establish and cultivate relationships with key business stakeholders to facilitate the implementation of an effective governance framework and reporting structure. Lead 3rd party vendor governance routines, including monthly/quarterly business reviews, performance scorecards, issue escalation protocols, and continuous improvement planning. Partner closely with Finance leaders to ensure services meet operational needs. Develop structured change plans - including communication, training, stakeholder engagement, and adoption roadmaps - to ensure smooth transitions and successful implementation. Control Framework & Systems Integrity Govern ADUSA's internal control framework, ensuring key controls remain current, responsive to emerging risks, and consistently executed across Brands and service providers. Oversee SAP financial system role-based access governance, enforcing global standards, ensuring data protection, and monitoring access integrity across business units. Support ADUSA Finance in understanding impacts of new systems (accounting applications, reporting tools, automation, etc.) to financial processes. Lead enterprise-wide evaluation of finance operating policies, system controls, and operational effectiveness using metrics and performance insights to continually strengthen internal controls and service delivery. Training, Capability, and Change Management Build and oversee the enterprise training platform for accounting, financial reporting, SAP, governance, and continuing professional education (CPE). Partner with Risk Management, Group, and global functions to deliver high-quality training materials and global capability building programs. Audit, Compliance, and Risk Management Direct the External Financial Audit plan (inclusive of ESG) and execution for all U.S. Brands-representing 60-70% of total global business-ensuring coordinated, efficient, and successful audit outcomes across ADUSA, and third-party vendors. Ensure compliance with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and performance commitments between ADUSA and Brands, enhancing predictability, quality, and risk mitigation. Supports the ADUSA Finance teams with internal audits to ensure alignment on risks and management action plans. Additional job duties may be assigned as needed to meet the needs of the business and support our Values. Decision-Making & Impact Make decisions that directly influence the strategic direction of accounting governance and controls environment across ADUSA. Errors in judgment may result in significant financial misstatements, external audit issues, compliance failures, or risks to reputation and stakeholder trust. Applies advanced expertise to solve highly complex problems involving multiple business units, evolving technologies, and cross functional interdependencies. Requires strong influencing skills to drive alignment on critical governance and compliance requirements across Brands, Corporate functions, and vendor relations. Requirements Bachelor's Degree (Accounting preferred) or equivalent experience 15+ years of experience in accounting, controllership, internal controls, financial governance, or related field Exceptional communication, leadership, and relationship building skills across all organizational levels Strong ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive complex initiatives to completion Demonstrated excellence in policy interpretation, technical accounting, and advising senior leaders Strong urgency and accountability, with demonstrated ability to manage high impact decisions Deep knowledge of internal controls, financial reporting processes, and system governance Experience in retail financial processes and ERP systems (SAP strongly preferred) Ability to proactively identify and mitigate process risks within a cross-functional, global organization Exceptional communication, organizational and troubleshooting skills Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work well within a diverse team environment Relationship Management & Influencing - proven ability to develop strong relationships within and across functional areas (i.e., Finance vs. IT, etc.), with a recognized ability to influence up and across the organization - conveying ideas and persuading others to act Ability to effectively conduct meetings, lead members of cross-functional teams and follow-through with action items Effective communicator capable of building relationships at all levels within the organization Strong sense of urgency Experience with financial processes and systems within a retail environment Foundation of internal control framework Preferred Qualifications Accounting degree preferred CPA and/or CIA preferred LEAN certification a plus Experience leading large-scale training or capability-building programs #J-18808-Ljbffr