Director, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)

Superluminal Medicines•Boston, MA

About The Position

Superluminal Medicines is a generative biology and chemistry company revolutionizing the speed and accuracy of how small molecule medicines are created. The Company’s platform aims to create candidate-ready compounds with unprecedented speed using a combination of deep biology, computational and medicinal chemistry, machine learning, and proprietary big data infrastructure. We are expanding the team of talented scientists who seek to build the future of small molecule drug discovery with creativity and innovation. Position Summary We are seeking an experienced and strategic Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) to build and lead FP&A capabilities for a growing clinical-stage biotechnology company. This role will serve as a key finance partner to executive leadership and cross-functional teams, providing insights that support strategic decision-making, resource allocation, and long-term growth. The Director, FP&A will own financial planning, forecasting, business modeling, and performance analysis, with a focus on translating complex clinical development programs into actionable financial insights. This individual will partner closely with Research & Development, Clinical Operations, Corporate Operations, and Finance leadership to evaluate investment decisions, optimize resource allocation, and provide visibility into financial performance and future opportunities. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative business partner who builds strong relationships across the organization, particularly with scientific and clinical teams. This individual will help translate complex financial concepts into meaningful insights, allowing our scientists and operators to focus on advancing our programs while ensuring they have the financial visibility and support needed to make informed decisions. This is a highly visible role for a finance leader who enjoys building processes, developing scalable models, and partnering with scientific and operational leaders in a dynamic biotech environment. Who Would Love This Role? A finance leader who enjoys operating at the intersection of science, strategy, and finance. Someone who is energized by building processes from the ground up, partnering with senior leaders, and helping a growing biotech company make thoughtful decisions about where and how to invest resources. A natural relationship builder who enjoys working closely with scientists and operational teams, getting into the details of their programs, and helping translate complex financial concepts into meaningful insights. Someone who sees Finance as a service organization and takes pride in being a trusted business partner, enabling our scientific teams to focus on advancing science while providing the financial perspective needed to make thoughtful decisions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
10+ years of progressive FP&A, corporate finance, or strategic finance experience, preferably within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or life sciences organizations.
Experience building and maintaining complex financial models, including long-range planning, scenario analysis, and cash forecasting.
Experience in biotech operating models, including preclinical and clinical development timelines, R&D investment drivers, and program-level financial planning.
Experience preparing executive-level presentations and communicating complex financial concepts clearly.
Experience with advanced Excel modeling skills and financial planning tools
Experience identifying business drivers, trends, and opportunities.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Finance, Accounting, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
Experience in a clinical-stage biotech or pharmaceutical company.
Experience supporting company growth, financing activities, or strategic transactions.
Experience implementing or enhancing FP&A systems (Adaptive Planning, Anaplan, NetSuite Planning & Budgeting, or similar).
Familiarity with ERP systems such as NetSuite, Sage Intacct, or similar platforms.
Experience developing Board-level financial materials.
Experience with equity compensation modeling and workforce planning.
Exposure to public company reporting requirements and SEC processes.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain comprehensive financial models incorporating clinical development timelines, program costs, operating assumptions, and strategic scenarios.
Develop long-range financial plans and forecasts that support business objectives and capital allocation decisions.
Analyze program-level investment requirements, clinical development costs, and resource needs across the pipeline.
Develop scenario analyses to evaluate strategic alternatives, including clinical development strategies, partnership opportunities, and other business initiatives.
Provide insights into cash runway, capital requirements, and financial trade-offs.
Lead the annual budgeting process and ongoing forecasting cycles, including quarterly updates and long-range planning.
Partner with functional leaders across R&D, Clinical Operations, and Corporate Operations to develop realistic financial plans aligned with business priorities.
Analyze actual results against budget and forecast, identifying trends, risks, opportunities, and recommended actions.
Establish meaningful financial and operational metrics to measure business performance and support decision-making.
Develop processes to improve financial visibility and accountability across the organization.
Prepare executive-level financial analyses, presentations, and insights for senior leadership and Board discussions.
Translate complex financial, operational, and clinical information into clear recommendations for decision-makers.
Support investor-facing analyses, diligence requests, and strategic financial materials.
Develop reporting frameworks that highlight key business drivers, capital efficiency, and pipeline progress.
Serve as a trusted finance partner to scientific and operational leaders by developing strong relationships, understanding their goals and challenges, and providing thoughtful financial guidance that enables teams to focus on advancing our science.
Act as an educator and translator, simplifying financial concepts and removing administrative burdens while ensuring teams have the information needed to make effective business decisions.
Partner with Accounting to ensure accurate financial reporting, forecasting inputs, and alignment between actual results and financial models.
Develop scalable FP&A processes, tools, and reporting infrastructure to support company growth.
Support implementation and optimization of financial systems and planning tools.
Build program-level financial tracking methodologies to improve visibility into clinical development investments.
Build and develop FP&A capabilities as the organization grows.
Mentor and coach finance team members in financial modeling, forecasting, and business partnership.
Establish best practices for financial analysis, reporting, and strategic planning.