IT Access & Controls Senior Manager

Job Description:

IT Access & Controls Senior Manager

Location: 100VE/Kingston

Scope:
Global

Work Level: WL2C

Reports to: Ritu Nibber, Global Risk & Controls Lead

Join a high‑performing team, explore Unilever’s organisation and strengthen its risk & control environment. Are you up for it?

The Group Chief Accountant’s Department (GCAD) is Unilever’s centre of expertise for accounting, reporting and controls. Within GCAD, the Risk & Controls team stewards Unilever’s global internal control frameworks and compliance obligations (including SOx), partnering across Business Groups, Operations and Functions to ensure robust, future‑fit controls as the organisation continues its digital transformation.
Unilever’s access and IT control landscape is anchored in our Global Access Controls Framework (GACF), IT General Controls (ITGC), Identity & Access Management (IAM) Standard, and the Access Schedule of Authority (SOA) policy—supported by platform‑specific control guides and automation. The IT Access & Controls Senior Manager plays a pivotal role in harmonising these standards globally and embedding ‘controls by design’.

The role is responsible for leading the global strategy, design, rollout, and continuous enhancement of identity, access, and IT general controls across Unilever’s key financial and supporting systems. This includes improving and governing the integrated control framework to ensure it stays aligned with industry’s best practices and emerging technologies. The position drives optimisation initiatives, redesigns control’s where needed, and partners with IT teams to embed new or improved controls effectively.

Because Unilever is subject to U.S. Sarbanes‑Oxley (SOX) regulations, the role must build strong partnerships with external auditors to interpret evolving regulatory changes and translate these into practical implications for Unilever’s IT control environment. The role also supports regulatory‑related changes that influence risk monitoring and reporting.

Success requires deep expertise in technology risk and controls, the ability to understand business requirements, and skill in translating technical control needs into clear, actionable guidance. The role collaborates closely with business transformation programmes to ensure well‑designed controls and appropriate monitoring mechanisms, covering programme, automated, and technology‑based controls.

A major part of the mandate is using technology to enhance the efficiency and automation of control operations. The role participates in implementing technology solutions that strengthen Unilever’s control operating model and partners with Technology, Cyber Security, Data Governance, Process Excellence & Capabilities (PEC), the Control Service Centre (CSC), and Markets to ensure strong risk management, audit readiness, and built‑in compliance.

• Own and evolve Unilever’s Global Access Controls Framework (GACF) and ITGC control sets, ensuring clear control intent, design standards, evidence expectations and risk‑based scoping for in‑scope systems.
• Translate the IAM Standard and Access SOA policy into actionable, system‑specific requirements (JML lifecycle, SoD, approval authorities, emergency access, logging/monitoring).
• Chair cross‑functional governance forums to align priorities, exceptions and remediation paths.
• Support the IT SOX compliance programme end‑to‑end: planning, scoping, risk assessment, controls testing, remediation and reporting.
• Perform annual and ongoing IT risk assessments to identify critical systems impacting financial reporting.
• Ensure change management controls are designed, documented and tested for SOX compliance.
• Embed preventative and detective controls across JML, SoD, periodic reviews, PAM and emergency access.
• Drive automation of SOX controls and evidence collection to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.
• Provide guidance and training to IT and business stakeholders on SOX requirements and control discipline.
• Build capability across Markets, CSC and Tech teams via communities of practice and benchmarking.
• Define and publish KPIs/KRIs and drive control automation and…