Associate Director of Finance

Peptone•Boston, MA

1d•$190,000 - $250,000•Remote

About The Position

Peptone is hiring its first US finance leader to own US accounting and compliance and produce the monthly group consolidation and month-end pack. Initial priorities include establishing a reliable US close, delivering group consolidations on schedule, and developing consistent R&D accrual and budget-versus-actual reporting practices. The role is hands-on in the US close and owns the total consolidation, with selected activities supported by an outsourced US accounting firm. The Associate Director will work with US tax advisers and auditors and bring R&D and clinical trial accruals in-house as programs progress toward the clinic. The role also supports the Executive Director of Finance with budget-versus-actual reporting, discussions with budget owners, and routine forecast updates. Additional projects may include system implementations, AI use in finance, and Swiss and UK audits and accounting. The position is fully remote, with occasional travel to San Francisco and Switzerland. The successful candidate must be authorized to work in the United States and able to maintain that authorization without employer sponsorship. Compensation is a base salary of $190,000–$250,000 per year, plus an annual bonus and equity commensurate with experience.

Requirements

Recognized accounting qualification; CPA preferred.
At least 8 years of finance and accounting experience, including significant experience in a biotech company, ideally pre-revenue, IND-enabling, or clinical-stage.
Strong US GAAP knowledge, including ASC 730 (research and development costs) and ASC 842 (leases).
Hands-on consolidation experience, including personally building group consolidations and month-end packs with intercompany eliminations and currency translation.
Experience booking R&D accruals.
Track record managing outsourced accounting firms and external advisers, including changing providers when needed.
Experience working with US tax advisers on federal and state compliance.
Ability to work autonomously as the senior finance person in a location, with the wider finance team in a different time zone, in a fully remote role.
Willingness and ability to travel to San Francisco and Switzerland as required.
Authorization to work in the United States and ability to maintain that authorization without employer sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Clinical trial accounting experience, including milestone- and enrollment-based accrual methodology, CRO and site invoice review, and pass-through cost tracking.
Experience in a global business across multiple countries, currencies, and statutory regimes, and within a US parent or holding company structure.
Experience identifying and claiming US R&D tax credits.
FP&A experience, including supporting budget cycles and partnering with non-finance budget holders.
Experience working outside the US or embedded with non-US teams.

Responsibilities

Own the relationship with the outsourced US accounting firm, including setting scope and deadlines, reviewing work, and ensuring quality and timeliness.
Own the quality of the US books and month-end close, reviewing and approving work processed by the outsourced accounting firm.
Assess whether the outsourced accounting firm remains suitable as the company grows and lead a provider change if needed.
Work with US tax advisers on required federal and state filings and maintain a US tax compliance calendar.
Coordinate with tax advisers to identify, document, and support applicable US R&D tax credit claims.
Prepare for and manage audits as required, keeping the US books audit-ready with clear schedules, policies, and controls.
Produce the monthly group consolidation across US, UK, Swiss, and Italian entities under US GAAP, including intercompany eliminations and currency translation.
Deliver the month-end pack for review by the Executive Director of Finance according to an agreed timetable.
Bring R&D and clinical trial accruals in-house, including milestone- and enrollment-based accruals, CRO and investigator invoice recognition, and pass-through cost tracking, working directly with program leads.
Own project-level accounting to ensure program costs are tracked accurately and consistently.
Act as the local finance contact for US budget holders, conduct budget-versus-actual discussions, and challenge unsupported spending.
Contribute US inputs, analysis, and variance commentary to the global budget and forecast.
Take on ad hoc projects to streamline FP&A and reporting, using AI and advanced Excel to reduce manual work and error risk, and contribute to systems decisions.
Work autonomously as the senior finance person in the US location while coordinating with the wider finance team in another time zone.
Travel occasionally to San Francisco and Switzerland as required.