(IND) Senior Risk Expert

Position Summary...

What you'll do...

About the Team

As a Manager, Global IT SOX – IT Readiness, you will play a key leadership role within Walmart’s Global Internal Controls organization, partnering with Technology, Finance, Compliance, and Audit teams to strengthen Walmart’s global IT control environment and support compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) requirements.

The IT Readiness Team is responsible for evaluating new technology implementations, significant technology changes, platforms, and existing applications to determine whether appropriate IT General Controls (ITGCs) are designed and implemented before solutions become SOX-relevant or transition into ongoing compliance.

In this role, you will lead a portfolio of complex IT SOX readiness and assessment initiatives while providing leadership and technical direction to associates. You will serve as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert on ITGCs, technology risk, SOX readiness, cloud and technology platforms, application controls, and control remediation.

This role requires a combination of people leadership, technical understanding, risk-based thinking, project management, and executive-level communication. You will work across a highly complex global technology environment and influence stakeholders to ensure risks are understood, decisions are appropriately documented, and control gaps are addressed in a timely manner.

What You'll Do

Lead IT SOX Readiness and Assessment

• Lead end-to-end SOX ITGC readiness and assessment engagements  for new technology implementations, significant changes, platforms, and existing applications across Walmart.

• Evaluate technology architecture, business processes, data flows, system interfaces, and dependencies to identify relevant SOX risks and determine appropriate control requirements.

• Assess the design and implementation effectiveness  of ITGCs, including logical access, change management, program development, computer operations, interfaces, and other relevant technology controls.

• Apply risk-based judgment to determine whether controls appropriately address identified financial reporting and technology risks rather than relying solely on checklist-based compliance.

• Identify control design gaps and work with Technology and business stakeholders to develop practical and sustainable remediation plans before implementation or SOX transition.

• Evaluate technology platforms, databases, cloud environments, applications, and supporting tools against Walmart's IT control requirements.

• Ensure assessment conclusions are supported by appropriate evidence, documentation, and clearly articulated risk rationale.

Lead Complex Technology Risk Discussions

• Develop an understanding of application and platform architecture sufficient to identify technology risks, dependencies, interfaces, and potential impacts to financial reporting.

• Lead discussions involving modern technology environments, including cloud platforms, SaaS solutions, databases, APIs, automated interfaces, DevOps/CI-CD environments, identity and access management, and emerging technologies .

• Translate complex technical concepts into clear business and control risks that can be understood by Technology, Finance, Compliance, and leadership stakeholders.

• Challenge existing processes and control designs when appropriate and help stakeholders develop controls that are both effective and operationally sustainable.

Manage a Portfolio of Assessments

• Manage multiple concurrent and highly complex IT SOX readiness and assessment initiatives from planning through completion.

• Establish clear milestones, deliverables, ownership, dependencies, and timelines for assigned engagements.

• Monitor portfolio health and proactively identify risks that could impact implementation timelines, control readiness, or SOX compliance.

• Drive timely resolution of open issues and escalate risks when remediation or stakeholder decisions are not progressing as expected.

• Maintain appropriate visibility of project status, key risks, decisions, and dependencies with leadership.

• Ensure completed assessments are effectively transitioned to the appropriate SOX support and monitoring teams.

Lead and Develop Associates

• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and technical guidance to associates responsible for executing IT SOX readiness and assessment activities.

• Review associates' work and ensure conclusions demonstrate appropriate technical depth, risk-based thinking, professional judgment, and documentation quality .

• Develop associates' ability to move beyond task execution and understand the underlying risk, control objective, architecture, and business impact.

• Establish clear expectations and accountability for deliverables, quality, stakeholder engagement, and timelines.

• Provide timely and actionable feedback and create opportunities for associates to develop their technical, leadership, and stakeholder-management capabilities.

• Foster a collaborative environment that encourages ownership, continuous learning, constructive challenge, and accountability.

Partner and Influence

• Build strong relationships with Technology, Engineering, Product, Finance, Compliance, Internal Audit, External Audit, and other stakeholders across Walmart.

• Influence application and technology teams to implement necessary control and process improvements before solutions transition into the SOX environment.

• Facilitate discussions where stakeholders may have differing perspectives on risk, scope, control requirements, or remediation approaches.

• Partner with internal and external audit teams to provide clarity on assessment conclusions, control designs, evidence, and remediation activities.

• Communicate complex issues clearly and concisely to senior leadership, including the risk, business impact, available options, recommended actions, and decisions required .

Drive Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve Walmart's IT SOX readiness and assessment methodology, processes, documentation, and governance.

• Promote consistency and scalability in how IT risks and controls are evaluated across applications, platforms, and markets.

• Identify opportunities to leverage automation, data analytics, and artificial intelligence  to improve assessment quality, efficiency, monitoring, and risk identification.

• Stay current with evolving technology risks, regulatory expectations, industry practices, and emerging technologies that could impact Walmart's control environment.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.

• 5+ years of experience in IT SOX, technology risk, IT audit, cybersecurity risk, internal controls, or a related discipline.

• Strong practical knowledge of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), IT General Controls (ITGCs), COSO, COBIT, and technology risk management principles.

• Demonstrated experience evaluating, designing, implementing, testing, or validating IT controls.

• Experience identifying technology control gaps and partnering with stakeholders to develop and execute remediation plans.

• Strong understanding of business processes, technology risks, internal controls, and financial reporting dependencies.

• Experience managing multiple complex initiatives with competing priorities and stakeholders.

• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical and risk concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and professional judgment skills with an ability to develop practical, risk-based solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certification such as CISA, CISSP, CIA, CPA/CA, CRISC, or equivalent.

• Previous experience in internal audit, external audit, technology risk, cybersecurity, SOX c