Senior Director, Accounting

About the Company

Uniquity Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to putting science and patients first. We develop transformative new medicines for immune-mediated diseases. Our lead asset, solrikitug, is a highly-potent TSLP inhibitor now in Phase 2 clinical trials for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) indications. Join us in building an organization where people and science thrive together.

About the Role

The Senior Director, Accounting is the senior-most accounting leader in the company and owns the accounting close, external audit, technical accounting, and the buildout of the control environment required of a public company. This is a hands-on role for a leader who is comfortable both setting policy and preparing the schedules that support it.

Responsibilities

• Financial close and reporting
  • Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close, including consolidation, account reconciliations, and the reporting calendar.
  • Prepare GAAP financial statements and supporting footnotes for the board, the audit committee, and investors.
  • Establish close metrics and drive continuous reduction in cycle time without loss of accuracy.
• Clinical and R&D accounting
  • Own the clinical trial accrual process in partnership with Clinical Operations, including CRO and site-level cost tracking, enrollment-based estimates, and prepaid and accrued research balances.
  • Review vendor contracts, work orders, and change orders for accounting implications and cost recognition.
  • Partner with FP&A to reconcile program spend to budget and to explain variances at the study level.
• Technical accounting and policy
  • Research and document positions on stock-based compensation, equity and preferred stock instruments, leases, revenue and collaboration arrangements, and going concern.
  • Maintain the accounting policy manual and the technical memoranda file that supports the audit.
  • Serve as the internal authority on new accounting standards and their impact on the company.
• Audit and public company readiness
  • Manage the annual audit and any interim reviews, serving as primary contact for the external auditors.
  • Lead preparation of financial statements suitable for a registration statement, including any required carve-out, predecessor, or comparative periods.
  • Design and implement the internal control framework, documentation, and remediation plan necessary to support Section 404 compliance on the applicable timeline.
• Operations and team
  • Own accounts payable, procurement support, payroll accounting, equity administration, and treasury operations.
  • Coordinate income tax provision, compliance, and R&D credit studies with external tax advisors.
  • Build and lead the accounting team, and manage outsourced service providers and consultants.
  • Own the ERP and related finance systems, including selection, implementation, and process automation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance.
• Active CPA.
• Twelve or more years of progressive accounting experience, including public accounting and a controllership or assistant controller role in industry.
• Direct experience with clinical-stage life sciences accounting, including R&D accruals and CRO cost estimation.
• Demonstrated command of US GAAP and SEC reporting requirements.
• Experience building processes and controls in a company without an established accounting infrastructure.

Preferred Qualifications

• Big Four audit background serving life sciences clients.
• Experience supporting an initial public offering, a reverse merger, or another significant capital markets transaction.
• Experience with a private equity or venture-backed sponsor and its reporting expectations.
• Hands-on ERP implementation experience.

Skills

• Comfort operating in a small team where the senior leader also builds the schedule.
• Clear written communication, particularly in technical memoranda and board materials.
• Sound judgment under estimation uncertainty, which is the daily condition of clinical accounting.
• Credibility with auditors, the audit committee, and cross-functional partners in clinical, regulatory, and legal.

Work Environment

At Uniquity Bio, we believe every team member has an impact on the patients we aim to serve. We are a nimble team with a rigorous approach to drug development that requires collaboration and transparency. We are looking for self-starters who enjoy working in a complex, collaborative environment and are motivated to bring critical new medicines to people around the world.

This is a U.S.-based position. Team members who live within commuting distance of our Malvern, PA office location are expected to spend time in the office, and remote employees are expected to travel to an office on a regular basis. Specific details for both local and remote staff will be discussed and agreed upon on a case-by-case basis with the employee’s manager. Business travel may be required depending upon the specific needs of the position.