Associate Director, Cost & Inventory Accounting #5009

GRAIL; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 168,000 - 223,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible time off

401(k) match

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Well-being programs

Job summary

GRAIL is seeking an experienced Associate Director, Cost & Inventory Accounting to lead cost and inventory accounting operations, drive close processes, and develop a high-performing team. The role collaborates with Lab Operations, Supply Chain, IT, and FP&A to ensure accurate financial reporting and strong internal controls.

The position is based in Sunnyvale, CA or Durham, NC with a hybrid, flexible work arrangement requiring at least 60% on-site.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance.
• 8+ years accounting experience in a SOX-compliant environment.
• 3+ years people management or leadership experience.
• Strong US GAAP knowledge, inventory accounting, and financial close processes.
• Experience reviewing analyses, reconciliations, and audit support requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead monthly and quarterly cost and inventory close with timelines and ownership.
• Review key accounting deliverables, reconciliations, and cost calculations.
• Explain variances with clear, data-driven explanations.
• Ensure workpapers and reports are audit-ready.
• Oversee SOX controls and coordinate with internal audit.
• Develop Lab Operations, Supply Chain, Warehouse understanding for accounting impact.
• Coach and develop team, ensuring deadlines and quality.

Skills

SOX compliance

US GAAP

Financial close

ERP NetSuite

People management

Inventory accounting

Auditing support

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

CPA preferred

Tools

NetSuite

Excel

Job description

Our mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. We are working to change the trajectory of cancer mortality and bring stakeholders together to adopt innovative, safe, and effective technologies that can transform cancer care.

We are a healthcare company, pioneering new technologies to advance early cancer detection. We have built a multi-disciplinary organization of scientists, engineers, and physicians and we are using the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS), population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art computer science and data science to overcome one of medicine’s greatest challenges.

GRAIL is headquartered in the Bay Area of California, with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. It is supported by leading global investors and pharmaceutical, technology, and healthcare companies.

For more information, please visit grail.com

GRAIL is seeking an experienced Associate Director, Cost & Inventory Accounting to lead our cost and inventory accounting operations, ensuring accurate financial reporting, strong internal controls, and efficient accounting processes. This role will oversee the financial close process, drive process improvements, develop a high-performing team, and collaborate cross-functionally with Lab Operations, Supply Chain, IT, and FP&A. The ideal candidate brings strong technical accounting expertise, a hands‑on leadership approach, and the ability to drive operational excellence in a dynamic, growing organization

This role is based at our Durham, North Carolina or Sunnyvale, California, office. It offers a flexible work arrangement, with the ability to work from GRAIL's office or from home. Our current flexible work arrangement policy requires that a minimum of 60%, or 24 hours, of your total work week be on‑site. Your specific schedule, determined in collaboration with your manager, will align with team and business needs and may change over time.

Responsibilities

• Lead the monthly and quarterly cost and inventory close, establishing clear priorities, schedules, responsibilities, and checkpoints to meet reporting deadlines.
• Provide thoughtful and thorough reviews of key accounting deliverables, including reconciliations, journal entries, inventory rollforwards, E&O reserve, and cost calculations, with the ability to independently validate or reperform work as appropriate.
• Investigate significant fluctuations and changes to standards, understand underlying business drivers, and provide clear, well‑supported explanations of financial variances.
• Ensure accounting workpapers and supporting reports are accurate, complete, well documented, and ready for internal and external audit review.
• Serve as a key contact for auditors, overseeing execution of cost and inventory SOX controls, identifying potential control gaps, and working with internal audit and cross‑functional partners to implement improvements and address findings.
• Build a practical understanding of Lab Operations, Supply Chain, Warehouse, and inventory processes to evaluate accounting impacts, challenge assumptions, and identify opportunities to improve accuracy and efficiency.
• Coach and develop the team through clear expectations, timely feedback, technical guidance, appropriate delegation, and accountability for quality and deadlines.
• Partner with Lab Operations, Supply Chain, Lab, IT, and FP&A to resolve data and process issues and coordinate changes that affect accounting and reporting.
• Lead improvements to processes, reporting, controls and systems, recommending solutions, coordinating action plans, and following through to resolution.
• Partner with the Technical Accounting team to understand new accounting standards and regulatory requirements, assess their operational impact, and lead the implementation of necessary changes to accounting processes, policies, systems, and internal controls

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance.
• 8+ years of accounting experience, including work in a SOX-compliant environment, with a strong understanding of audit documentation, control execution, and identifying and resolving accounting for control deficiencies.
• 3+ years of people management or team leadership experience, with demonstrated ability to review work effectively, coach staff, and deliver against deadlines.
• Strong understanding of US GAAP, inventory accounting, financial close processes, internal controls, and audit support requirements.
• Experience reviewing accounting analyses and reconciliations, identifying exceptions, and working with others to resolve issues.
• Sound analytical judgment, attention to detail, and ability to connect financial results with underlying transactions and business processes.
• Effective planning, prioritization, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Advanced spreadsheet skills and experience with ERP systems such as NetSuite.
• 10% Travel requirements

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA and/or public accounting experience preferred
• Experience in diagnostics, genomics, life sciences, or another inventory-intensive environment.

The expected, full-time, annual base pay scale for this position is $168k-$223k in Sunnyvale, CA, or $146k-$194k in Durham, NC.

At GRAIL, we invest in the health, well‑being, and future of our employees and their families. Employees in this role are eligible for a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support what matters most, including flexible time off or vacation, a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, medical, dental, and vision coverage, and thoughtfully selected well‑being programs. Benefits are offered in accordance with applicable plans and policies.

GRAIL is an equal employment opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a workplace where every individual can thrive, contribute, and grow. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws. Additionally, GRAIL will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with applicable law and provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact us at [e-mail] if you require an accommodation to apply for an open position.

GRAIL maintains a drug‑free workplace. We welcome job‑seekers from all backgrounds to join us!

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.