Vice President, Finance

Frontier Medicines•San Francisco, CA

14h•$250,000 - $310,000

About The Position

Frontier is looking for a VP of Finance to serve as a strategic finance partner to the CFO and executive leadership team. This is a broad finance leadership role that combines strong FP&A leadership with genuine fluency in technical accounting and SEC reporting — the ideal candidate is as comfortable leading the annual budget cycle as they are working through a complex accounting memo or registration statement disclosure. The VP of Finance will work in conjunction with the Controller, providing senior-level financial oversight and support, including direct ownership of SEC reporting readiness and technical accounting matters as the company scales toward and through a public company structure.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Finance or Accounting required; CPA strongly preferred given the technical accounting and SEC reporting scope of this role. MBA a plus.
15+ years of progressive finance experience, with a genuine dual fluency: strong FP&A/financial modeling skills AND hands-on technical accounting and SEC reporting experience — not just exposure to one side.
Big Four public accounting background strongly preferred, ideally followed by industry experience at a biotech/life sciences company that scaled through significant growth (clinical-stage to commercial, or private to public).
Direct, hands-on experience with SEC reporting cycles (10-K/10-Q), registration statements, and/or public company financial operations required.
Experience with capital markets transactions and working alongside underwriters, external auditors, and outside counsel strongly preferred.
Comfortable working in conjunction with a Controller and accounting team as part of a broader finance leadership structure — this role adds senior technical depth, not a duplicate accounting function.
Clinical trial accounting and biotech/therapeutics industry experience preferred.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate financial and accounting detail into clear guidance for non-finance executives.

Nice To Haves

CPA strongly preferred
MBA a plus
Big Four public accounting background strongly preferred
Industry experience at a biotech/life sciences company that scaled through significant growth (clinical-stage to commercial, or private to public)
Experience with capital markets transactions and working alongside underwriters, external auditors, and outside counsel strongly preferred.
Clinical trial accounting and biotech/therapeutics industry experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Own SEC reporting readiness and capital markets workstreams, drawing on prior experience with registration statements, periodic reporting (10-K/10-Q), or public company financial operations.
Serve as a senior technical accounting resource in conjunction with the Controller, researching and documenting positions on complex or judgment-heavy accounting matters (revenue recognition, equity, leases, etc.).
Lead SOX 404(a)/(b) readiness from a planning and controls-design perspective, partnering with the Controller to build out the control environment ahead of public company requirements.
Build out investor-facing financial materials, messaging, and disclosure language in close coordination with the CFO.
Support capital markets transactions (equity/debt offerings, registration statements) as they arise, including coordination with underwriters, auditors, and outside counsel.
Lead annual budgeting, long-range planning, monthly forecasting, and variance analysis across all departments, with strong financial modeling as a core skill.
Serve as a strategic financial business partner to R&D, Clinical, Regulatory, Medical, and G&A leaders, translating program and headcount plans into financial models.
Build and maintain financial models supporting capital planning, cash runway analysis, and scenario planning for the Board and investors.
Lead clinical trial and R&D accrual forecasting in partnership with the Controller and Clinical Development teams.
Partner closely with the CFO on Board presentations, investor materials, and strategic planning; prepare Board-level financial reporting packages and actual-to-budget analyses.
Drive finance systems and process improvements (planning tools, reporting automation) to scale the finance organization as the company grows.
Provide ad hoc financial analysis and special project support to the CFO.