Internal Control, Audit & Process Specialist

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a globally leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protection in the building sector and industrial manufacturing. Sika has subsidiaries in 103 countries around the world and, in over 400 factories, produces innovative technologies for customers worldwide. In doing so, it plays a crucial role in enabling the transformation of the construction and transportation sector toward greater environmental compatibility. With more than 33,000 employees, the company generated sales of CHF 11.20 billion in 2025.

Are you interested in developing hands-on experience in internal control and audit remediation and at the same time gaining regional exposure and working closely with senior management? Then this role, which is based in Madrid is an attractive opportunity.

Position Objective

• Provide regional governance, coordination, and technical guidance to EMEA entities on internal control (SICS) and Corporate Internal Audit-related topics.
• The role supports countries before the Corporate Internal Audits and controls the follow-up and closure of audit findings, ensuring consistent improvements in both, internal audit performance and remediation of findings.
• The role supports countries before the Corporate Internal Audits and controls the follow-up and closure of audit findings, ensuring timely, effective, and sustainable remediation and continuous improvement of the internal audit readiness across EMEA.
• This role does not perform internal audits, does not participate in audit fieldwork, and does not interact with external auditors.

Main Responsibilities / Key Accountabilities

1. Internal Control & SICS Governance

• Act as the EMEA reference for internal control (SICS) and audit-related governance topics.
• Drive consistent understanding and application of SICS requirements across EMEA entities through hands-on guidance and review of implementation quality.
• Translate Corporate governance expectations into pragmatic regional guidance, considering scale and complexity of the region, and actively review whether controls are designed and operating as intended.

2. Audit Readiness & Preventive Support

• Analyze recurrent findings and common weaknesses identified in Corporate Internal Audits.
• Proactively support countries scheduled for upcoming Corporate Internal Audits through preparation guidance and clarification of expectations.
• Strengthen audit readiness without replacing, diluting, or taking over local management accountability.

3. Follow-up and Closure of Audit Findings (Critical Responsibility)

• Own regional tracking, monitoring, and escalation of findings resulting from Corporate Internal Audits.
• Ensure action plans are clearly defined, responsibilities assigned (GM-owned), deadlines respected, and remediation evidence properly documented.
• Ensure audit findings are closed in substance, not only formally closed in systems.
• Escalate overdue or critical findings to Area and Regional management as required.

4. Governance Frameworks & Policies

• Establish and maintain regional governance frameworks for selected topics (e.g. Manual of Authority - MoA), with a focus on practical application and effectiveness.
• Ensure alignment between Corporate requirements, regional standards, and local implementation.

5. Process Improvement & Best Practices

• Identify structural control or process weaknesses observed across multiple countries.
• Propose pragmatic improvements and share best practices across EMEA, avoiding unnecessary complexity and bureaucracy.

Authority & Decision Rights

• No authority to perform, influence, or interfere with Corporate Internal Audits.
• No involvement during internal audit execution or fieldwork.
• Authority to define regional governance standards within Corporate frameworks.
• Authority to challenge and escalate issues related to internal control, SICS implementation, and audit findings.

Key Stakeholders

• Local Finance Managers and Controllers
• Country and Area General Managers
• Area / Regional Finance Leadership
• Corporate Internal Audit
• Corporate SICS teams

Scope & Complexity

• EMEA region with ~65 countries and highly diverse regulatory environments.
• Strong coordination and governance role with limited operational depth per country.
• Impact-based prioritization is required to ensure scalability and effectiveness.
• No direct reports.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Audit, or a related field is a must
• Fluent English, both written and verbal; additional languages - especially Spanish - are an advantage in a diverse EMEA environment
• Proven experience and minimum 5 years in internal control, governance, audit readiness, risk management, or a comparable corporate assurance function
• Solid understanding of internal control frameworks (e.g., SICS or similar) and how to assess control design and operational effectiveness
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively and collaborate across countries and seniorities
• Highly structured, organized, and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage complex follow-up processes and monitor multiple audit findings simultaneously
• Strong analytical mindset, able to spot patterns, identify structural weaknesses, and translate them into practical, scalable improvements
• A proactive, solutions-oriented working style, comfortable balancing governance expectations with pragmatic business realities in a multinational context

• We offer intensive training and interesting perspectives for anyone who wants to build a career
• Sika is like a global SME: With subsidiaries in more than 100 countries around the world. This begins in Switzerland and breaks down borders allowing exciting prospects all around the world
• The chance to bring new ideas, interesting areas for development, and taking responsibility early on are some of the key factors that drive Sika's pioneering spirit

We look forward to your application. For this position visa sponsorship is not offered and only direct applications will be considered. For any further information please reach us at [email protected]

We offer competitive salaries, aligned with local market benchmarks and the specific scope and responsibilities of each role. Compensation is determined based skills relevant to the position, education and/or training. We are committed to fair and equitable pay practices in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.