Senior Director, Finance Transformation & Technical Accounting

Real is a fast-growing national real estate brokerage powered by technology. Real is currently operating in all U.S. states, Canada, India, and the District of Columbia. Founded in 2014, Real is a trailblazer in the Residential Real Estate industry, as we lead the disruption with our cutting-edge technology platform. We are on a mission to revolutionize the home-buying and selling process, making agents' lives better while creating lucrative financial opportunities for them.

For more information, visit https://www.onereal.com/ Location: US based remote position, candidates outside of the US will not be considered. 

Job Summary

The Senior Director, Finance Transformation  & Technical Accounting is responsible for designing and operationalizing scalable business processes and internal controls and policies across the company to support SOX compliance, audit readiness, and long-term operational excellence. This role serves as the execution arm of the company’s control environment — partnering closely with the Internal Audit team to operationalize control frameworks, address process gaps, and ensure compliance across financial and IT systems, while also serving as the internal authority on technical accounting matters.

The ideal candidate combines strong program management with deep technical accounting knowledge and thrives in a fast-paced, tech-forward public company environment. This position partners closely with the CFO, Internal Audit, Controller, and cross-functional business leaders to build a future-proof finance function.

Duties/Responsibilities

SOX Controls Implementation

• Lead the execution of internal control frameworks and process changes necessary to achieve and sustain SOX compliance.

• Translate Internal Audit’s risk assessments and control recommendations into clear, actionable implementation plans across business functions.

• Partner with process owners in Finance, IT, and Operations to embed effective, auditable controls into day-to-day processes and systems.

• Establish procedures and documentation standards to ensure consistency, audit readiness, and accountability.

Business Process Transformation

• Assess and redesign core financial and operational processes to enhance efficiency, control objectives and eliminate inefficiencies.

• Identify automation and technology opportunities to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy in key business processes.

• Drive adoption of best practices across departments while alignment to control and compliance requirements.

Technical Accounting & Financial Reporting Oversight

• Serve as the internal expert on complex accounting topics, including revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, business combinations, and equity instruments.

• Support the Controller and finance team in preparing financial statements and disclosures aligned with US GAAP and SEC requirements.

• Lead or support the development and documentation of accounting policies, ensuring alignment with current standards and business practices.

• Act as liaison between internal stakeholders and external auditors for all technical accounting matters.

Cross-Functional Program Leadership

• Stand up and lead a SOX Program Office, establishing governance structures, timelines, and reporting.

• Serve as the central coordinator for SOX-related initiatives, ensuring alignment across Internal Audit, Finance, IT, Legal, and business units.

• Track progress on control implementation, testing, and remediation efforts — escalating blockers as needed.

Change Management & Communication

• Promote awareness and ownership of controls across the organization through documentation, training, and communication.

• Support control owners with tools, guidance, and change management strategies to ensure successful implementation and adoption.

• Drive a culture of compliance, transparency, and operational excellence.

• Communicate updates on remediation efforts for audit findings, recommendations, and risk exposures to stakeholders and Audit Committee in a clear and concise manner on an ongoing basis, fostering understanding and collaboration.

Continuous Improvement

• Monitor the effectiveness of implemented controls and accounting policies; recommend updates or automation where beneficial.

• Stay current on SOX, PCAOB and SEC standards, as well as accounting and audit trends.

• Establish continuous feedback loops with Internal Audit and Finance to enhance effectiveness and efficiency over time.

Required Skills

• Strong working knowledge of COSO 2013 internal control 

• Expertise in US GAAP, SEC regulations and PCAOB audit standards

• Hands on experience leading SOX compliance programs in public or late stage private companies. 

• Deep knowledge of internal audit principles, practices, and methodologies, as well as industry best practices and regulatory standards.

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to think strategically and provide practical solutions to complex issues.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

• Proven leadership and team-building capabilities, with a track record of developing and motivating high-performing teams.

• Proven track record of leading cross-functional implementations of SOX controls and scalable business processes

• Strong understanding of internal control frameworks (COSO), SOX requirements, and financial system architecture

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.

• CPA required. Big 4 background strongly preferred. MBA or CISA a plus.

• 10+ years of experience in business transformation, internal controls, audit or technical accounting leadership roles.

Must-Have

• Ability to truly encompass our Company Core Values

  • Work Hard, Be Kind.

  • Tech x Humanity 

  • We are bigger than me.

Real is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.