Senior Director, Assistant Corporate Controller

City Therapeutics•Cambridge, MA

3d•$250,000 - $285,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director, Assistant Corporate Controller will report to the Vice President Finance and play a key leadership role in overseeing the Company's accounting operations, financial reporting, and internal controls environment. This individual will be responsible for ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting, maintaining compliance with U.S. GAAP and SEC requirements. Candidates should possess public company experience and the ability to transition systems and processes to support City’s growth.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance
CPA required
10+ years of experience, including a mix of public accounting experience, ideally with a Big Four or national firm, followed by accounting leadership in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, or life sciences.
Experience navigating and operating within a recently publicly listed life sciences environment.
Experience with NetSuite or a comparable ERP, and familiarity with close-management, equity-administration, and SEC-reporting tools.
Prior management experience with demonstrated ability to lead and develop accounting professionals
Exceptional executive presence with the ability to clearly explain complex financial outcomes to non-financial scientific leaders.
High attention to detail while managing multiple projects.
Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

Lead all day-to-day accounting operations, including payroll, accounts payable, cash, and equity administration.
Deliver accurate, timely, and U.S. GAAP-compliant financial reporting by executing the end-to-end monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes.
Oversee and own clinical and R&D accruals to ensure audit-ready estimates, alongside leases, fixed assets, and stock-based compensation.
Coordinate the income tax provision and compliance activities with external advisors, and maintain appropriate support for tax, statutory, and other regulatory requirements.
Develop and mentor members of the accounting team, fostering a culture consistent with City’s core values.
Lead the continuous optimization and scaling of financial systems (e.g., NetSuite), ensuring robust automated workflows, segregation of duties, and configuration controls.
Serve as primary resource for technical accounting guidance, including leases and stock-based compensation.
Oversee the technical evaluation and operational accounting for complex business development arrangements, licensing agreements, and co-development partnerships.
Establish and maintain accounting policies, procedures, and documentation, and ensure that technical conclusions are consistently implemented in the close.
Preparation and review of SEC filings (e.g. 10-K, 10-Q, DEF 14A), ensuring accuracy, completeness, and compliance with disclosure requirements.
Own the review and accuracy of XBRL data tagging and selections for all applicable SEC filings.
Serve as liaison with external auditors, coordinating audit timelines and managing deliverables.
Design, document, and maintain internal controls over financial reporting, including process narratives, control matrices, evidence standards, and SOX testing support to ensure compliance with SOX 404.
Partner with IT and system owners to establish and maintain strong IT general controls, system interface monitors, and security access reviews across financial platforms.