Associate Director, Finance

Ardena is a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and Contract Research Organization (CRO) specializing in precision medicine development. Ardena supports pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in bringing innovative, complex molecules from discovery to market. The Ardena Group operates from five sites across Europe and the United States, employing more than 750 professionals.

About the role

As an Associate Director, Finance at Ardena, you will contribute to pharmaceutical development projects by performing scientific, technical, or operational activities within the Finance department. You will work in a regulated pharmaceutical environment, ensuring that all work meets GMP, GxP, and applicable ISO standards. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams including Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Project Management, Production, and other departments across Ardena’s European and US sites.

The Associate Director, Finance provides accounting leadership and strategic financial support for a client-focused contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO). The role oversees financial reporting, planning, P&L performance, project economics, cost accounting, inventory, internal controls, and financial systems. This position partners with site and functional leaders to translate financial and operational data into actionable insights that support compliant execution, profitable growth, and reliable client delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead or oversee monthly, quarterly, and annual close activities, including journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, intercompany transactions, provisions, and management reporting.
• Prepare, review, and analyze financial statements, including the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows.
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of the general ledger and compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), company policies, and internal controls.
• Coordinate audit support, control documentation, and timely resolution of accounting issues and audit requests.
• Oversee applicable accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed asset, treasury, and working capital activities.
• Own or support site and functional P&L analysis, including revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, EBITDA drivers, and performance against plan.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, long-range planning, scenario modeling, and variance analysis.
• Provide clear financial recommendations to senior leaders and explain performance drivers to non-financial stakeholders.
• Partner with Operations, Program Management, Commercial, Supply Chain, Quality, and other functions to improve decision-making, accountability, and financial performance.
• Support capital expenditure proposals, return-on-investment analysis, capacity decisions, and strategic business initiatives.
• Analyze the financial performance of development, analytical, manufacturing, and other client programs, including contract value, revenue, cost, margin, and forecast-to-complete.
• Support project accounting and revenue recognition based on contract terms, deliverables, milestones, and applicable accounting guidance.
• Assess project profitability and financial risk, including scope changes, delays, material usage, external costs, labor utilization, and unbilled or deferred balances.
• Monitor and report relevant CDMO operating indicators, such as backlog conversion, capacity utilization, labor recovery, throughput, project margin, inventory exposure, and working capital.
• Partner with Commercial and Program Management teams on pricing models, proposals, contract economics, change orders, and customer financial reviews.
• Support financial analysis for technology transfers, scale-up activities, new service offerings, equipment investments, and site expansion.
• Oversee or support standard costing, job and project costing, inventory valuation, overhead allocation, and manufacturing variance analysis.
• Analyze labor, material, subcontractor, and overhead costs to identify margin improvement and cost control opportunities.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Operations on inventory controls, reserves, cycle counts, physical inventories, obsolescence, and excess or slow-moving materials.
• Ensure financial data supports traceable and reliable reporting in a regulated, quality-focused operating environment.
• Optimize ERP, planning, reporting, and analytics tools to improve data quality, close efficiency, forecasting, controls, and management visibility.
• Develop repeatable reports, dashboards, and financial models using advanced Microsoft Excel and, where applicable, business intelligence tools.
• Support finance system implementations, upgrades, integrations, master data governance, testing, and user adoption.
• Identify and implement process improvements, automation opportunities, and scalable finance practices.
• Lead, coach, and develop finance and accounting employees, as assigned.
• Establish clear priorities, service expectations, and ownership across finance activities.
• Maintain a high level of integrity, professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality when handling company, client, and employee information.
• Demonstrate Ardena's WE CARE values in decision-making, collaboration, and delivery.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or a closely related field required.
• Minimum of 9 years of progressive accounting and finance experience required.
• Demonstrated experience with P&L management, budgeting, forecasting, financial statement preparation and analysis, and management reporting required.
• Experience in a CDMO, CRO, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, GMP manufacturing, or other regulated manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
• Experience with project accounting, revenue recognition, inventory accounting, standard costing, and manufacturing finance preferred.
• CPA, CMA, MBA, or other relevant advanced credential preferred.
• Prior team leadership or supervisory experience preferred.

Skills

• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, financial statements, internal controls, and financial reporting.
• Excellent analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to identify root causes and convert data into recommendations.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of the financial drivers of project-based, client-service, and manufacturing operations.
• Ability to communicate complex financial information clearly and influence decisions across functions and leadership levels.
• High attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, accuracy, accountability, and reliable execution.

Systems and Technical Skills

• Required System / Tool: Microsoft Excel
  Application: Advanced proficiency, including pivot tables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, complex formulas, financial modeling, data analysis, and dashboard reporting.
• Preferred System / Tool: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
  Application: ERP experience supporting general ledger, reporting, budgeting, project, purchasing, inventory, or manufacturing-related finance processes.
• Relevant examples: SAP S/4HANA, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, Infor CloudSuite, JD Edwards
  Application: Comparable ERP platforms that may be used in regulated manufacturing or CDMO finance environments.
• Relevant examples: Workday Adaptive Planning, OneStream, Anaplan, Vena
  Application: Financial planning, forecasting, consolidation, and performance management platforms.
• Relevant examples: Microsoft Power BI, Tableau
  Application: Business intelligence, dashboarding, and management reporting tools.
• Relevant examples: ERP project accounting, MRP, inventory, standard cost, capacity planning, and revenue recognition modules
  Application: Operational and financial modules that connect client programs, materials, labor, manufacturing activity, revenue, and margin reporting.

Work Environment

• Ability to sit and work at a desk and computer for extended periods.
• Ability to use standard office equipment, communicate in person and electronically, and maintain focus while performing detailed work.
• Ability to occasionally stand, walk, bend, reach, and lift or move items up to 15 pounds.
• Work is primarily performed in a professional office environment with periodic interaction in laboratory, warehouse, or manufacturing areas, as business needs require and subject to applicable safety and gowning requirements.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and tailored benefits package (adjusted per role and location).
• Flexible working arrangements and paid annual leave (where applicable, depending on role and site).
• International and collaborative work environment across European and US sites.
• Access to professional development and training programs.
• Meaningful work on pharmaceutical development projects that advance patient health.
• A values-driven culture guided by Ardena’s CARE principles: Communicative, Accountable, Reliable, and Excellent.

Pay

Salary Range: $150,000 - $160,000 DOE