Director, Audit, Compliance, and Risk

Director, Audit, Compliance, and Risk

Little Rock, Arkansas

The primary purpose of the Director, Audit, Compliance, and Risk is to oversee the Foundation's external audits, financial statement preparation, payroll administration and processing, payroll compliance and oversight, compliance monitoring, internal controls, risk assessment, and year-end reporting. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), this role serves as the primary liaison with external auditors, tax advisors, consultants, and internal stakeholders to support accurate, timely, and compliant financial reporting, payroll-related reporting, regulatory filings, and audit responses.

The Director prepares the Foundation's annual audited financial statements; develops and reviews audit-ready schedules, work papers, and supporting documentation; reviews annual reconciliations across the Finance Department; oversees payroll-related reconciliations, reporting, and compliance documentation; and supports tax and regulatory reporting, including IRS Form 990 filings. This role helps ensure compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), donor restrictions, grant requirements, Foundation policies, payroll laws and regulations, and applicable federal and state requirements.

The position also leads Finance-related risk assessment, internal control monitoring, compliance activities, policy development, and process improvement initiatives. Working with Finance, Development, Human Resources, Information Technology, Operations, and program leadership, the Director helps strengthen financial stewardship, audit readiness, reporting accuracy, compliance practices, and organizational accountability.

As a member of the leadership team, the Director works with the CFO and Finance leaders to advance financial stewardship, governance, accountability, audit readiness, organizational compliance, sound decision-making, and risk mitigation. The Director also assesses the audit, compliance, risk, and internal control implications of strategic initiatives, organizational changes, major funding arrangements, and system implementations to support effective execution and appropriate governance oversight.

Core Responsibilities

In this role you will:

External Audit, Financial Reporting, Tax Compliance, and Year-End Reporting

• Lead and manage the Foundation's annual financial statement audit, employee benefit plan audit, workers' compensation audit, and other external audit and compliance review engagements while serving as the primary liaison with external auditors, tax advisors, consultants, and internal stakeholders.
• Prepare the Foundation's annual audited financial statements, including required disclosures, footnotes, supplemental schedules, and supporting documentation in accordance with GAAP and nonprofit reporting requirements.
• Develop, maintain, review, and approve audit-ready work papers, schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documentation related to investments, endowments, donor-restricted funds, grants, net assets, payroll, fixed assets, debt activity, and other significant financial statement areas.
• Review monthly and annual reconciliations, accounting analyses, significant transactions, and year-end close documentation prepared by Finance staff to ensure accuracy, completeness, compliance with accounting policies, and readiness for external audit review.
• Review investment, endowment, donor-restricted fund, and donor management system reporting to ensure data integrity, reporting accuracy, and compliance with donor intent and organizational policies.
• Support preparation and review of schedules and documentation required for IRS Form 990, Form 1099 reporting, state registrations, and other tax and regulatory filings.
• Recommend improvements to financial reporting processes, audit readiness, documentation standards, and year-end close procedures.

Payroll Compliance, Reporting, and Oversight

• Provide oversight, review, and approval of payroll processes to ensure accuracy, completeness, compliance with applicable policies and regulations, and appropriate segregation of duties.
• Review payroll-related accounting transactions, reconciliations, accruals, benefit deductions, tax filings, and supporting documentation to support accurate financial reporting and compliance.
• Manage payroll-related audit requests, employee benefit plan audits, year-end reporting, payroll reconciliations, and regulatory compliance activities.
• Monitor compliance with state and federal tax laws; responsible for responding to tax correspondence/notices and distributing tax information to relevant parties. Review payroll software system to ensure limits and thresholds are correct. Notify CFO of significant payroll tax issues.
• Partner with Human Resources, Finance leadership, and third-party providers to support compliance with payroll laws, wage and hour requirements, employee benefit reporting obligations, and other regulatory requirements.
• Evaluate payroll controls, processes, and reporting…