Sr. Director of Finance

About Brainchild Bio
Brainchild Bio is a clinical-stage biotech developing new therapies for children with brain cancer. Backed by a $116M Series A, we are headquartered in Seattle with a growing presence in Texas. We are building the company that will carry our programs through the clinic, and we need operators who can scale with us.
The Role
The Senior Director of Finance owns Brainchild Bio's day-to-day finance engine and serves as the primary finance partner to R&D, product operations, clinical, and business operations leaders. The role reports to the CFO and will interact with the entire executive team.
This is a hands-on leadership role at a company that is still building its financial infrastructure. You will improve and, in some cases, establish processes, systems, and controls that scale from Series A to later-stage financing and, eventually, public-company readiness.
Key Responsibilities
Financial planning and reporting
Lead the annual budgeting, forecasting and long-range operating planning processes with all business functions, partnering with the executive team to meet established targets
Drive the process for rationalizing department investments (headcount, OPEX spend, and CAPEX) within the established frameworks; maintain visibility into cash runway and other financial goals
Prepare board and investor reporting packages, KPIs, and management dashboards
Support financing and business development activities, including diligence, data rooms, and grant or non-dilutive funding reporting
Business partnering
Serve as the finance business partner to R&D, CMC and product operations, clinical and G&A leaders
Provide and review quarterly budget/forecast-vs-actual analyses with each function and understand key business drivers; give clear, timely insight into trends and variances
Model program costs, clinical trial budgets, and headcount plans to support portfolio and resourcing decisions
Review and support major contracts (CROs, CDMOs, licensing, facilities) for financial terms and business impact such as operational efficiency and cost-savings opportunities
Accounting operations
Provide oversight of all accounting operations (financial close, procure-to-pay, payroll, financial reporting; equity administration); ensure management reports and financial statements are prepared timely and in accordance with U.S. GAAP
Manage cash, treasury, and banking relationships; produce rolling cash and runway forecasts
Oversee R&D and clinical trial accruals in partnership with clinical operations and CRO/CDMO partners
Build and document internal controls appropriate for a growing private company, with a path to SOX readiness
Coordinate 409A valuations, tax compliance, corporate insurance programs and future external audits with outside advisors
Team and systems
Build, lead, and develop a lean finance and accounting team, using outsourced partners where it makes sense
Own the finance tech stack (ERP, AP automation, expense, spend management) and integrations with HRIS and payroll
Establish and improve finance policies, processes, and spend controls across the company that will support organizational growth and increasing complexity
Qualifications
Required
Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field
12+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including 4+ years in a senior leadership role
Experience in venture-backed biotech or life sciences, including clinical trial accruals and R&D cost accounting
Solid foundation of US GAAP, close management, and internal controls
Proven business partnering record: budgets, forecasts, and variance analysis for leaders 
Hands-on with ERP and spend tools and advanced Excel modeling
Experience managing audits and outside advisors
Preferred
CPA (active or inactive)
Experience scaling finance through Series A/B+ financings or IPO readiness
Exposure to grant accounting, licensing deals, or CDMO/CRO contract structures
What Success Looks Like in Year One
First 90 days: Monthly close runs on a documented calendar, cash runway and operating forecast is refreshed monthly and trusted by leadership
6 months: Every budget owner gets a periodic budget-vs-actual review; insight and roadmap to implement more robust financial systems and processes
12 months: The annual budget is built bottoms-up with functional leaders; earn trust of executive team and board, provide clear line of sight into long range planning resource requirements 
 
Location: Remote, with a preference for candidates based in the Seattle area