The Senior Internal Audit Manager plays a key role in strengthening Sweetgreen’s internal control environment, risk management practices, and governance processes. This role will be the head of the company’s SOX compliance program and will lead the execution of a risk-based internal audit plan that supports strong controls, operational resilience, and strategic decision-making. The position partners closely with Finance, Legal, IT, Operations, and external stakeholders to ensure Sweetgreen maintains a scalable and effective control environment. This role is based four days per week in our Los Angeles Support Center.
Lead Sweetgreen’s SOX compliance program, including annual planning, scoping, risk assessment, testing, documentation, and reporting.
Coordinate with internal teams, co-sourced providers, and external auditors to ensure an efficient, well-managed program.
Review testing workpapers to confirm quality, completeness, and alignment with SOX and PCAOB expectations.
Monitor, track, and validate remediation efforts, working with process owners to address root causes and enhance long-term control effectiveness.
Contribute to and help develop the annual internal audit plan based on enterprise risk assessments, operational priorities, and emerging trends.
Plan and execute financial, operational, IT, and compliance audits in accordance with professional standards and internal methodologies.
Provide meaningful insights and updates for Audit Committee materials, including audit results, trends, and emerging risks.
Partner with senior leaders to evaluate risks, enhance processes, and strengthen internal controls.
Identify opportunities to modernize and improve the control environment using automation, analytics, workflow tools, and AI-enabled solutions.
Support enterprise risk management activities and other special projects as business needs evolve.
Advise leadership on regulatory changes, emerging cybersecurity risks, and internal control best practices.
Communicate audit findings, recommendations, and progress updates to senior leadership and the Audit Committee.
Build strong, collaborative relationships across Finance, Legal, IT, and Operations to ensure alignment and timely issue resolution.
Coordinate with external auditors to facilitate effective and transparent information sharing.
5+ years of experience in Big Four public accounting.
BA/BS degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.
CPA, CIA, CISA, or similar certification required (only listed once for clarity).
Strong knowledge of COSO, SOX, PCAOB standards, and governance and internal control regulations.
Working understanding of entity-level controls, process-level controls, IT general controls, and application controls.
Experience with ERP or enterprise system implementations and familiarity with data analytics or automation tools.
Ability to manage multiple audits and projects independently in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders without direct authority.
Come join the sweetlife!
About sweetgreen
sweetgreen is on a mission to build healthier communities by connecting people to real food. We passionately believe that real food should be convenient and accessible to everyone. Every day in each sweetgreen, our 3,500 team members make food from scratch, using fresh ingredients and produce delivered that morning. And in our local communities, we’re committed to leaving people better than we found them. We’re in the business of feeding people, and we’re out to change what that means.
sweetgreen provides equal opportunities for everyone that works for us and everyone that applies to join our team, without regard to sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, any service, past, present, or future, in the uniformed services of the United States (military or veteran status), or any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local law.
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Founded in 2007, sweetgreen is a destination for simple, seasonal, healthy food. We believe the choices we make about what we eat, where it comes from and how it’s prepared have a direct and powerful impact on the health of individuals, communities and the environment. That’s why we’re building a transparent supply network, why we cook from scratch, and why we’re building a community of people who support real food.
We’re in the business of feeding people, and we’re out to change what that means.
These six core values embody our culture, spirit and dedication to doing what’s right. They keep us aligned and help us make decisions about everything from the food we serve to the way we design our stores.
create solutions where the company wins, the customer wins, the community wins.
make decisions that last longer than you will.
cultivate authentic food and relationships.
create meaningful connections every day
leave people better than you found them.
celebrate your passion and your purpose.
Our mission is to inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food. We know that sweetgreen is a critical link between growers and consumers, and we feel a responsibility to protect the future of real food. To that end, we’re committed to supporting small and mid-size growers who are farming sustainably, to creating transparency around what’s in your food and where it came from, and to creating more accessibility to healthy, real food for more people. Because here at sweetgreen, impact is not an arm of our business, it is our business, and it permeates everything we do, from what we source to who we hire and how we support local communities. We want to make an impact and leave people better than we found them, and we tailor our approach in each market to reflect the needs of the community.