Senior Director, Controller

Join BigHat Biosciences, a fast-growing biotech company, as a Senior Director and Controller. In this pivotal role, you will be responsible for the full accounting function, including financial reporting, technical accounting, equity, tax, and compliance. You will also design and improve systems, controls, and processes for a future public-company operating environment. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in accounting, particularly in the biotech or life sciences industry, and a strong command of US GAAP and technical accounting standards.

• Own the full accounting function, from close and financial reporting to technical accounting, equity, tax and compliance.
• Design and implement systems, controls, and processes required for a future public-company operating environment, including SOX compliance.
• Lead audit readiness; drive clean, timely delivery of annual financial statement audits in accordance with GAAP.

• The right candidate brings accounting experience from a high-growth biotech, pharma or life sciences company (with exposure to CRO accruals and R&D program cost tracking), hands-on NetSuite (or similar) implementation or migration experience, and the technical rigor to independently research and document complex GAAP positions
• You are comfortable serving as the primary interface with external auditors, capable of building an internal Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Compliance control framework from the ground up, and ready to lead the company's transition off QuickBooks as we scale
• Comfort with uncertainty and demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment under tight timelines and independently determine appropriate action where precedent may not exist
• Hands-on public company reporting experience; have personally prepared or reviewed Forms 10-Q and 10-K at a public company
• Prior Controller or Assistant Controller experience at a venture-backed biotech or life sciences company strongly preferred
• Bachelor's or Master's in Finance, Accounting or Business preferred. Active CPA license
• Detail-oriented and results-driven with bias for action and sense of urgency
• Strong command of US GAAP and technical accounting standards
• 10+ years of professional experience in accounting, including 3+ years of experience in a public biotech company
• Big 4 audit experience
• Strong project management skills and experience managing multiple vendors and external partners
• Familiarity with SOX/ICFR build-out in a pre-IPO environment
• Hands-on experience with NetSuite or a comparable ERP, including comfort operating through a system migration
• Experience managing and transitioning outsourced accounting or consultant relationships in-house
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with high expectations and ability to effectively manage multiple competing priorities effectively
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to influence, collaborate, resolve conflicts, and build consensus with diverse stakeholders
• Experience with CRO/CDMO contract accounting and accrual estimation
• A track record of embedding AI tools to accounting and finance workflows
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to convey complex information to diverse audiences
• Demonstrated success in building and managing teams to achieve financial and business goals