Senior Director, Controller (UK Remote) in Leeds

Company Description

When you join Turnitin, you'll be welcomed into a company that is a recognized innovator in global education. For over 25 years, Turnitin has partnered with educators and institutions to develop learning integrity solutions that recognize the enduring value of critical thinking in a rapidly changing world. Over 16,000 academic institutions, publishers, and corporations use our services in more than 185 countries around the world: Turnitin Feedback Studio, Clarity, Originality, Gradescope, ExamSoft, Similarity, and iThenticate. Protecting the value of an authentic education is at the heart of who we are.

Experience a remote-first culture that empowers you to work with purpose and accountability in a way that best suits you, supported by a comprehensive package that prioritises your overall well-being. Our diverse community of colleagues are all unified by a shared desire to make a difference in education. Turnitin is a global organization with team members in over 35 countries including the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, India, and the Philippines.

Job Description

As Global Controller, this role is responsible for delivering a highly effective and efficient global Accounting service spanning all geographies and verticals. Acting as a key collaborator with the CLT, VP of FP&A, and business partners, this post leads core accounting functions, including financial operations, reporting, tax, treasury, compliance, and internal control, to ensure financial operations support strategic goals through best-in-class systems, process innovation, and a high-performance team culture.

Key Responsibilities and Outputs:

• Provides strategic leadership and visionary direction to elevate the Global Accounting function into a forward-thinking, value-add center of excellence.
• Architects organizational design and capacity models, ensuring agile, scalable finance capability to drive long-term business growth while serving as an executive mentor and escalation lead.
• Cultivates high-performing, empowered teams across all core accounting and operational pillars through continuous capability building.
• Drives end-to-end global accounting strategy and execution across Statutory Reporting, Audit, Payroll, Treasury, Compliance, and Tax operations.
• Partners with the CLT to establish robust corporate governance frameworks, deploying industry best practices to streamline global controls.
• Champions global compliance strategy, standardizing SOPs, policies, and internal controls to mitigate operational risk across diverse markets.
• Directs risk management audits in close collaboration with the Advance Risk Advisory group to proactively address vulnerability areas.
• Oversees external and internal financial audit engagements with KPMG and Advance Accounting to maintain clean audit outcomes and reporting integrity.
• Enforces dynamic compliance frameworks, ensuring seamless alignment with all global financial regulations.
• Delivers timely, data-informed financial insights and board-level reporting to support strategic decisions by Advance Finance, executive leadership, and the Board.
• Innovates and optimizes internal control frameworks, safeguarding organizational assets while leveraging automation and modern finance tools.
• Spearheads M&A integration across regional finance ops, banking networks, and enterprise system architectures for seamless scaling.
• Leads continuous improvement initiatives that modernize processes, leveraging data and employee feedback to champion a modern, high-engagement culture.
• Drives operational rigor and team compliance across global workflows and standard operating procedures.
• Fosters an agile performance management framework, utilizing real-time feedback, recognition, and targeted coaching to drive results.
• Accelerates individual and collective talent development through structured mentorship and continuous learning pathways.
• Aligns team goals with enterprise-wide strategy using transparent communication strategies that promote cross-functional alignment and employee engagement.
• Optimizes resource allocation and operational efficiency through workload balancing and strategic capacity planning.
• Manages global departmental budgets efficiently, maximizing ROI on finance investments and technology tools.
• Serves as a trusted strategic thought partner to the CFO, steering key transformational initiatives and enterprise financial strategy.
• Actively advances executive leadership capabilities through continuous personal and professional development.
• Evaluates and implements AI tools and emerging technologies to drive operational efficiencies, automation, and continuous innovation across global finance processes.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Strategic Finance Vision & Digital Transformation: Proven track record in spearheading finance system modernization, automation, and agile operational workflows to support long-term enterprise growth.
• Progressive Executive Leadership: 10+ years of progressive finance leadership, cultivating high-performing, agile global teams with specific experience navigating US business operations.
• Foundational Credentials: Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance (or equivalent) paired with CPA, Chartered Accountant, or equivalent professional credential.
• Technical Mastery: Deep expertise in US/Global GAAP, ASC revenue recognition across multi-jurisdiction environments.
• Global Tax & Treasury Strategy: Strong working knowledge of US domestic and international tax accounting principles to drive effective risk mitigation.
• Agile Execution: Demonstrated capacity to prioritize and deliver high-impact outcomes across complex, multi-threaded priorities under tight timelines.
• Influential Communication: Ability to translate complex financial concepts into actionable business stories for executive leaders (CLT) and non-technical stakeholders.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Sharp business acumen to partner seamlessly with operational leaders, influencing strategic choices and driving business value.
• Strategic Agility: Ability to connect big-picture strategy with tactical execution, leveraging data insights to navigate change effectively.
• Distributed Team Leadership: Demonstrated success leading, mentoring, and inspiring remote and global distributed finance teams.

Desirable:

• Tech & SaaS Sector Acumen: Deep industry familiarity with technology, SaaS, software, or information services business models.

Personal Attributes:

• Strategic Catalyst & Enterprise Influencer: Self-driven leader with executive gravitas, adept at translating complex vision into enterprise alignment and action.
• Agile Change Leader: Thrives in fast-paced, evolving global environments, driving continuous improvement and modernizing financial operations with resilience and purpose.
• High-EQ Collaborator & Communicator: Approachable and empathetic leader with high emotional intelligence and persuasive communication skills that build trust across diverse cross-functional teams.
• Tenacious & Results-Oriented Execution: Demonstrates high operational rigor, personal organization, and steady focus to overcome complex challenges and deliver high-impact results.

Additional Information

Total Rewards @ Turnitin

At Turnitin, we believe Total Rewards go far beyond pay. While salary, bonus, or commission are important, they’re only part of the value you receive in exchange for your work. Beyond compensation, you’ll experience the intrinsic rewards of unleashing your potential and making a positive impact on global education. You’ll also thrive in a culture free of politics, surrounded by humble, inclusive, and collaborative teammates.

In addition, our extrinsic rewards include generous time off and health and wellness programs that provide choice, flexibility, and a safety net for life’s challenges. You’ll also enjoy a remote-first culture that empowers you to work with purpose and accountability in the way that suits you best, all supported by a comprehensive package that prioritises your overall well-being.

Our Mission is to ensure the integrity of global education and meaningfully improve learning outcomes. Our Values underpin everything we do.

• Customer Centric: Our mission is focused on improving learning outcomes; we do this by putting educators and learners at the center of everything we do.
• Passion for Learning: We are committed to our own learning and growth internally. And we support education and learning around the globe.
• Integrity: Integrity is the heartbeat of Turnitin—it is the core of our products, the way we treat each other, and how we work with our customers and vendors.
• Action & Ownership: We have a bias for action. We act like owners. We are willing to change even when it’s hard.
• One Team: We strive to break down silos, collaborate effectively, and celebrate each others' successes.
• Global Mindset: We consider different perspectives and celebrate diversity. We are one team. The work we do has an impact on the world.

Global Benefits

• Remote First Culture
• Health Care Coverage*
• Education Reimbursement*
• Competitive Paid Time Off Self-Care Days
• National Holidays*
• 2 Founder Days + Juneteenth Observed
• Paid Volunteer Time*
• Charitable contribution match*
• Monthly Wellness or Home Office Reimbursement/*
• Access to Modern Health (mental health platform)
• Parental Leave*
• Retirement Plan with match/contribution** varies by country

Seeing Beyond the Job Ad

At Turnitin, we recognize it’s unrealistic for candidates to fulfill 100% of the criteria in a job ad. We encourage you to apply if you meet the majority of the requirements because we know that skills evolve over time. If you’re willing to learn and unleash your potential alongside us, join our team!