Director, Strategic Finance (San Diego/Foster City/Hybrid)

Illumina • San Diego, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity? At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients. Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible. Position Title: Director, Strategic Finance Location: San Diego, CA (Hybrid – 2–3 days onsite weekly) Will consider Northern CA / Foster City Reports To: VP, Strategic & Bioinsight Finance Position Summary: The Director, Strategic Finance is a senior finance leader responsible for shaping and advancing Illumina’s enterprise growth agenda through financial leadership across mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, partnerships, alliances, joint ventures, divestitures, licensing arrangements, and new venture formation. The role serves as a trusted advisor to senior Finance and Executive Leadership, bringing rigorous financial analysis, strategic insight, and sound judgment to complex decisions that have meaningful enterprise impact. This role operates in a highly matrixed, global environment and requires strong partnership across Finance, Corporate Development, Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Legal, Commercial, R&D, Operations, and other cross-functional stakeholders. The Director is expected to translate complex financial and strategic issues into clear recommendations, drive alignment among senior leaders, and lead a team responsible for supporting a dynamic portfolio of high-priority corporate initiatives.

Requirements

• Typically requires a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related field and a minimum of 18 years of related experience, with 10+ years of management experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Significant experience in strategic finance, corporate finance, investment banking, management consulting, corporate development, business development, or another closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex financial analyses, valuation work, business case development, and transaction-related activities.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a highly matrixed global environment and influence outcomes across senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor messaging for technical, business, and executive audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex priorities, exercise sound judgment, and deliver high-quality work under tight timelines.

Nice To Haves

• MBA or other advanced business, finance, or scientific degree preferred.
• Relevant knowledge of life science tools, diagnostics, biotechnology, or healthcare industry, including companies, technologies, and market dynamics, strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting or leading mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, partnerships, or venture formation activities in a corporate environment is highly preferred.
• Experience leading and developing teams in a global, matrixed organization preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise-level financial support for inorganic and strategic growth initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions, minority investments, partnerships, alliances, joint ventures, divestitures, licensing arrangements, and new business or venture creation efforts.
• Direct complex financial modeling, valuation, business case development, and scenario analyses to assess opportunities, risks, return profiles, and strategic alternatives.
• Partner closely with the Head of Strategic Finance and senior Finance leadership to evaluate, recommend, and help structure transactions and other strategic initiatives in support of corporate priorities.
• Provide strategic insight on capital-intensive initiatives and enterprise investment decisions, including capital deployment trade-offs, downside risk considerations, and long-term value creation opportunities.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive stakeholders by synthesizing financial, operational, and market information into clear, actionable recommendations and decision-ready materials.
• Lead or coordinate financial diligence workstreams for potential transactions, partnering with Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Legal, M&A, Corporate Development, Commercial, R&D, Operations, and other stakeholders to evaluate risk, synergy assumptions, integration considerations, and financial implications.
• Drive routine assessment, governance, and reporting of active and completed strategic transactions, including tracking performance against investment theses, expected returns, key milestones, and value realization.
• Oversee, prioritize, and manage the active deal pipeline for the Strategic Finance team, ensuring appropriate pacing, resource allocation, issue escalation, and stakeholder communication across concurrent initiatives.
• Partner with Finance leadership to ensure clear line-of-sight to the enterprise, functional, and accounting implications of various proposals, structures, and strategic alternatives.
• Support transaction structuring considerations by providing financial input on key terms, valuation approaches, funding implications, accounting considerations, and potential deal mechanics.
• Develop and improve strategic finance tools, templates, reporting mechanisms, and analytical frameworks to increase rigor, consistency, and speed of evaluation across opportunities.
• Monitor relevant market, competitive, healthcare, life sciences, and diagnostics trends to provide informed perspective on strategic direction, external opportunities, and potential threats.
• Lead the preparation of materials for senior Finance leaders and Executive Leadership, including concise summaries, presentations, board-level inputs, and decision frameworks.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team by providing coaching, prioritization, stretch opportunities, and clear performance expectations in a fast-paced and highly collaborative environment.
• Model strong partnership and matrix leadership by aligning diverse stakeholders, navigating ambiguity, and driving progress across global, cross-functional teams with differing priorities and perspectives.

Benefits

• We offer a wide range of benefits as innovative as our work, including access to genomics sequencing, family planning, health/dental/vision, retirement benefits, and paid time off.
• We are a company deeply rooted in belonging, promoting an inclusive environment where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute to our mission.
• Built on a strong foundation, Illumina has always prioritized openness, collaboration, and seeking alternative perspectives to propel innovation in genomics.
• We are proud to confirm a zero-net gap in pay, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or race.
• We also have several Employee Resource Groups (ERG) that deliver career development experiences, increase cultural awareness, and offer opportunities to engage in social responsibility.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees