Assistant Controller / Director Of Accounting

About Cambrian Biopharma

Cambrian Bio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on treating and preventing chronic diseases of aging, is building the medicines that will redefine healthcare in the 21st century – therapeutics to extend healthspan, the period of life spent in good health.

By partnering with leading academic institutions and biotech entrepreneurs worldwide, we are advancing a diversified pipeline of novel therapeutics, each targeting a biological driver of aging. Our approach is to develop interventions that treat specific diseases first, then deploy them as preventative medicines to improve the overall quality of life as we age.

Cambrian is a Distributed Development Company (or DisCo) that combines the advantages of a venture capital firm and a big pharmaceutical company with the nimbleness of a biotech startup. Cambrian's sourcing and development engine allows us to identify promising science, deploy capital and teams of drug development experts, and provide stewardship to advance new medicines. By leveraging established expertise and repeatable functional models, we achieve vast efficiencies in execution speed and resource utilization.

With decades of experience in the space, our diverse team possesses a deep collective understanding of age-related diseases and the future of therapeutics. You will have the unique opportunity to shape Cambrian at an early stage and play a role in potentially the most impactful new area of medicine – therapies that slow and reverse the damage of aging.

To date, we have more than a dozen novel therapeutics in development and have closed a Series C financing round in October 2021, which raised $100 million.

Position Overview

Cambrian Biopharma is seeking an Assistant Controller / Director of Accounting to join our growing finance function. Reporting to and serving as the right hand to the Controller, this role will provide leadership and support across all accounting operations: financial close process and SEC filings, R&D accounting, cash and AR management, general ledger activities, technical accounting, payroll, SOX/internal controls, financial consolidations, and audit and tax oversight and support. Additionally, this role will be identifying gaps and areas for growth within the function and building financial best practices to be implemented across Cambrian and our portfolio of pipeline companies. The ideal candidate is a proactive and hands-on finance professional who enjoys building and implementing processes and procedures to meet the needs of a high growth biotech. They will be well rounded in their accounting experience, with previous exposure including but not limited to audit management, R&D accounting, multi-entity holdings and public accounting/reporting.

Responsibilities

• Build control systems, transaction-processing operations, and policies and procedures
• Oversee the accounting operations of subsidiary corporations, including but not limited to:
• Manage specific projects and initiatives unique to a fast-growing biotechnology start-up, such as creating effective business processes and systems, and coordinating and oversee activities in accordance with established control
• Work closely with subsidiary team on subsidiary clinical trial management, from contract/site budget preparation to payment of clinical invoices, to quarterly accounting accrual
• Manage compliance with local, state, and federal government reporting requirements and tax filings
• Support Cambrian budgeting process with deep understanding of budgeting and the relationships between budget formulation, budget execution, and accounting.
• Respond to investor inquiries and provide appropriate reports and documents in timely fashion
• Manage cash, A/R, A/P, payroll, fixed assets and accruals
• Audit – support all required activity for the quarterly and annual SOX and financial statement audit, preparing schedules as requested by internal and external auditors, coordinating timing of year-end financial statement audit, and responding to auditor inquiries
• Responsible for all external reporting, tax return preparation and special tax analyses conducted by external advisors
• Other duties as assigned
• Manage R&D accounting including but not limited to consolidation of accounts, R&D fluctuation analysis by segments (e.g. subsidiaries, programs, phases, etc.), as well as R&D related general ledger account fluctuation analysis
• Manage finance approval of clinical trial site budgets, with a focus on cost effective budgets that accommodate efficient accrual and payment processes
• Support the management of leases, contracts, consulting agreements, venture debt financing arrangements and other financial commitments
• Financial Close – support Controller with all processes, prepare and analyze the financial statements, department reports and supporting calculations in accordance with US GAAP, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis, and account reconciliations in accordance with close calendar timelines
• Complete and support accuracy review of all General Ledger activities - post monthly journal entries, perform or review account reconciliations, and variance analysis; maintain chart of accounts
• License milestone accounting and tracking, including working with third-party specialists

Requirements

• Experience with SEC reporting, including preparation of Forms 10-Q, 10-K, 8-K, proxy statement and related disclosures and MD&A, including XBRL compliance, preferred
• Effective communication skills with the ability to clearly and informatively communicate both verbally and in writing
• Ability to think through complex problems, determine proper processes, and derive accounting conclusions and present results to the team.
• Experience managing Gross-to-Net calculations and performing validation and recalculation of inputs and outputs; coordinate with external financial auditors in their GTN audit procedures and process preferred
• Strong technical accounting and research skills - ability to research and conclude on complex accounting issues, including revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, contingencies and debt agreements and amendments with a thorough knowledge of U.S. GAAP, SOX, and SEC reporting standards
• Experience using Netsuite and budgeting tools required
• Financial systems and process improvement experience
• 7-10 years experience required, ideally with a minimum of 2+ years in biotech
• Strong leadership, problem-solving and interpersonal skills
• Oracle financials and PBCS experience preferred
• Proven experience working in a team under pressure to meet deadlines
• Experience and familiarity with R&D accounting preferred
• Expertise in spreadsheets, pivot tables and data analysis
• Big Four public accounting experience preferred
• BA/BS degree and CPA required; advanced degree preferred
• Experience managing relationships with external auditors

Cambrian Offers

Compensation

Cambrian offers competitive compensation packages that are made up of base salary, bonus and equity:

• Bonus: up to 15% based on performance
• Equity: Employee stock options vesting over 4 years with 1-year cliff
• Salary: $150,000 - $199,000 commensurate with relevant experience; salary range may vary depending on state of residence

Benefits

In addition to being part of a brilliant team of collaborative innovators, you will also enjoy the following benefits as a member of the Cambrian team:

• 16 Company holidays and unlimited vacation policy
• Adoption assistance
• Short & long term disability
• Flexible spending accounts and health savings account
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance with fully employer paid coverage options for employees
• Basic life & AD&D insurance, as well as voluntary life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program to provide free, confidential support for all employees and their dependents through Optum’s Life and Work Well
• 401K with pre-tax and Roth contribution options

Cambrian BioPharma is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative action employer. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training