[Hiring] Director, Controls Management @Step Up For Students

Role Description

The Director, Controls Management is a critical enterprise leadership role responsible for establishing, advancing, and governing the organization's comprehensive controls management program, including the enterprise controls framework, control environment, and continuous monitoring capabilities. This leader ensures controls are designed and embedded to support regulatory compliance, policy adherence, effective risk management, operational excellence, and scalable business growth.

The role is accountable for defining and executing the strategic vision and roadmap for a modern, enterprise-wide controls program, encompassing:

• Framework development
• Control standardization
• Control lifecycle management
• Integration of controls within business processes, technology platforms, and transformation initiatives

As a trusted partner to executive and senior leadership, the Director provides insight into:

• Control effectiveness
• Organizational control maturity
• Systemic risk exposure
• Emerging control gaps

This role influences enterprise decision-making through data-driven recommendations and strategic guidance that strengthen governance and improve resilience.

The Director also drives enterprise-wide accountability, fosters a culture of ownership and continuous improvement, and ensures a consistent, sustainable approach to controls management across all business functions.

Location: Remote (United States)

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the enterprise Controls Management strategy, including the build-out, maturity, and ongoing evolution of the controls management function and operating model.
• Design and implement a scalable enterprise controls framework that defines control standards, governance structures, control taxonomy, and lifecycle management practices.
• Design, implement, and maintain a comprehensive internal control framework that integrates compliance, operational risk management, and governance across all business functions.
• Establish and maintain a centralized controls library, including documentation standards, control mapping, ownership structure, and version governance across the enterprise.
• Build and operationalize a controls evidence repository to support audit readiness, regulatory compliance, and transparent visibility into control execution.
• Develop and implement a continuous controls monitoring capability to proactively identify control failures, emerging risks, and process inefficiencies.
• Drive controls framework build-out across key business domains, ensuring alignment between business processes, regulatory requirements, and enterprise risk appetite.
• Embed “controls by design” principles into business process redesign, digital transformation, and technology implementation initiatives.
• Standardize control design, testing, validation, and remediation methodologies to ensure consistency, scalability, and operational rigor across the organization.
• Provide strategic guidance to executive and senior leadership on controls maturity, control effectiveness, and enterprise-wide risk posture.
• Partner with business leaders to integrate controls into end-to-end workflows in a way that supports efficiency, automation, and improved customer and operational outcomes.
• Oversee control gap identification, risk-based prioritization, remediation planning, and sustainable resolution of control deficiencies.
• Lead the development of enterprise controls governance routines, including reporting dashboards, control health metrics, and executive-level visibility into control performance.
• Provide coaching and leadership development to strengthen technical controls expertise and enterprise leadership capability within the team.
• Partner closely with Risk, Compliance, Internal Audit, Finance, Operations, and Technology to ensure a fully integrated and aligned control environment.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated success and a proven track record in professional/life experience in specific job functions, projects, or industries. Military service can substitute for professional experience and/or formal education requirements.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in internal controls, enterprise risk management, compliance, audit, or governance within a complex, regulated organization.
• 5+ years of leadership experience with accountability for building and managing enterprise-scale controls, risk, or governance functions.
• Proven track record of establishing and scaling controls management capabilities, including controls libraries, evidence repositories, and structured documentation practices.
• Experience implementing continuous controls monitoring programs, control testing frameworks, and risk-based validation methodologies across multiple business areas.
• Strong experience embedding controls into business processes, system design, and enterprise transformation or modernization initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with executive leadership and governance bodies on control effectiveness, risk exposure, and enterprise control maturity.
• Experience working in highly matrixed environments with cross-functional stakeholders including Risk, Compliance, Internal Audit, Finance, Operations, and Technology.
• Proven experience identifying control gaps, driving remediation efforts, and ensuring sustainable resolution of audit findings and regulatory issues.

You’ll Stand Out If You Have

• 7 years of previous compliance or audit experience, preferably in education or nonprofit industries.
• Experience in highly regulated environments such as financial services, healthcare, education, government, or similarly complex operational settings strongly preferred.
• Experience developing program reporting, dashboards, and executive-level visibility into control performance and risk indicators.

Key Competencies

• Demonstrates critical Transformation and Leadership skills and abilities: True Collaboration; Focusing on Outcomes; Owning and effectively solving problems for today and the future; Empathetic Leadership; Adaptability and Resilience; Emotional Intelligence/CEM skills and Continuous Development/Continuous Improvement Mindsets.
• Ability to design, implement, and evolve a scalable enterprise controls framework that includes control standards, governance structures, and lifecycle management practices to ensure consistency, transparency, and regulatory alignment across the organization.
• Strong capability to embed controls directly into business processes, system design, and transformation initiatives in a way that strengthens compliance and risk management while supporting operational efficiency and scalability.
• Ability to assess control environments holistically, identify systemic control gaps, prioritize risk exposure, and develop practical, sustainable remediation strategies that improve overall control effectiveness.
• Proven ability to advise and influence senior leadership and governance bodies on control effectiveness, enterprise risk posture, and control maturity in a clear, credible, and solution-oriented manner.
• Demonstrated ability in leading the design, build-out, and maturity of an enterprise controls framework, including control standards, governance models, and control lifecycle management.

Interview Process

• Veriff Identity Verification
• Recruiter Video Interview
• Hiring Manager Video Interview
• Panel Video Interview
• Final Video Interview with Chief Risk Officer

Benefits

• Enjoy medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus HSA, FSA, and Lifestyle Spending Accounts.
• Competitive 401(k) with company match to help you plan for the future.
• Remote work options and unique time-off programs—including 14 paid holidays, Care and Parental Leave, and our Flexible Leave policy.
• From mentorship programs to management training and professional development opportunities, we invest in your career journey every step of the way.
• Our dedicated coaching team is here to help you succeed, and employee-led committees give you a voice in shaping our workplace.

Working Conditions and Equipment Use

• Work is performed indoors in a typical office environment - not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.
• Valid driver’s license and proof of insurance may be required, depending on role responsibilities.
• Must be able to lift up to fifteen (15) pounds.
• Frequent use of office machines to include telephone, computer, and printer.

Step Up For Students is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity & inclusion in the workplace.