Associate Director/Director, Accounting (Controller)

Agenus; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 186,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision

401(k) Match

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Education Assistance

Flexible Vacation

Job summary

Agenus, a public biotechnology company in Lexington, is seeking an Associate Director/Director, Accounting (Controller) to join onsite. You will partner across Finance, HR, Legal and external advisors to ensure the integrity of our financial reporting while supporting the growth of the organization.

Lead the monthly, quarterly and annual close, oversee general ledger, equity and complex financial instruments, and manage R&D costs, CRO/CMO expenses, license deals and milestones.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• CPA required; 10+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience.
• Public-company accounting and SEC reporting experience required, preferably with a Big Four or national firm.
• Experience as Controller, Assistant Controller, Director of Accounting or similar senior role.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, SEC reporting, SOX compliance, and internal controls.
• Experience with external auditors and managing quarterly reviews and annual audits.
• Experience with complex accounting areas such as equity, stock-based compensation, warrants, debt, leases, revenue recognition, and collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the monthly, quarterly, and annual accounting close processes, ensuring timely and accurate preparation of financial statements.
• Oversee general ledger accounting, journal entries, account reconciliations, consolidations, accruals, and financial statement analysis.
• Manage accounting for R&D expenses, clinical trial accruals, CRO/CMO costs, manufacturing-related costs, collaborations, licensing, milestones, royalties, grants, and cost-sharing arrangements.
• Oversee accounting for equity, stock-based compensation, debt, warrants, leases, restructurings, and other complex financial instruments.
• Ensure appropriate accounting treatment for significant corporate transactions, including financing arrangements, licensing agreements, strategic collaborations, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, and BD transactions.
• Maintain and improve accounting policies, close calendars, and documentation standards to support efficiency and scalability.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Team collaboration

Education

CPA certification

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Oracle

SAP

Job description

We are a dedicated group of scientists, physicians, and businesspeople working together toward one goal: to discover and develop therapies that can unleash the power of the body’s immune system to treat and potentially cure cancer. We are passionate about the work we do every day at Agenus to deliver on the promise of immuno-oncology. If you’re looking for an inspired environment, passionate colleagues, and a culture that nurtures learning, innovation and team success, we invite you to join us.

At Agenus, we are advancing innovative immunotherapies to improve outcomes for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers. We are seeking a hands-on Associate Director/Director, Accounting (Controller) to support our growing public biotechnology organization. Reporting to the Vice President of Global Financial Operations, this role will partner across Finance, HR, Legal, and external advisors to help ensure the integrity of our financial reporting while supporting the continued growth of the organization

.
This role is required to be onsite in Lexington 5 days a we

ek
In The Role You W

ill
Accounting Operations and Close Pro

• cess
  Lead the monthly, quarterly, and annual accounting close processes, ensuring timely and accurate preparation of financial statem
• ents.Oversee general ledger accounting, journal entries, account reconciliations, consolidations, accruals, and financial statement anal
• ysis.Manage accounting for key biotechnology-related areas, including R&D expenses, clinical trial accruals, CRO and CMO costs, manufacturing-related costs, collaboration agreements, licensing arrangements, milestones, royalties, grants, and cost-sharing arrangem
• ents.Oversee accounting for equity, stock-based compensation, debt, warrants, leases, restructuring activities, and other complex financial instrum
• ents.Ensure appropriate accounting treatment for significant corporate transactions, including financing arrangements, licensing agreements, strategic collaborations, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, and other business development transact
• ions.Maintain and improve accounting policies, procedures, close calendars, and documentation standards to support operational efficiency, accuracy, and scalabi

lity.
SEC Reporting And Public Company Comp

• liance
  Lead or support the preparation and review of SEC filings, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, proxy statements, registration statements, earnings releases, and other investor-facing financial disclosures. Agenus maintains public SEC filings, quarterly reports, annual reports, current reports, proxy filings, and registration statements through its investor relations reporting pl
• atform.Ensure financial statements and disclosures comply with U.S. GAAP, SEC rules, Nasdaq requirements, and company po
• licies.Partner with Legal, Investor Relations, FP&A, external counsel, and external auditors on financial disclosures, MD&A, risk factors, non-GAAP measures, subsequent events, and other reporting m
• atters.Prepare and review technical accounting memos supporting significant accounting conclusions, including revenue recognition, collaboration accounting, debt and warrant accounting, equity transactions, leases, impairment analyses, going-concern considerations, restructuring charges, and fair-value measur
• ements.Monitor new accounting standards and SEC developments, assess their impact on Agenus, and lead implementation as

needed.
Internal Controls and SOX Co

• mpliance
  Lead or support Agenus’ Sarbanes-Oxley compliance program, including control design, documentation, testing, remediation, and ongoing mo
• nitoring.Maintain an effective internal control environment over financial r
• eporting.Identify process gaps, control deficiencies, and opportunities to strengthen financial go
• vernance.Partner with internal and external auditors to support control testing, audit requirements, and remediation ac
• tivities.Promote a culture of accountability, accuracy, compliance, and continuous improvement across the finance orga

nization.
Audit, Tax, Treasury, and Externa

• l Advisors
  Serve as a primary contact for external auditors and manage audit timelines, deliverables, requests, and issue
• resolution.Coordinate with tax advisors on income tax provision, tax compliance, R&D tax credits, transfer pricing, state and local tax matters, and other tax-related
• activities.Support treasury activities, including cash management, investment accounting, debt compliance, covenant reporting, and financing transacti
• on support.Partner with valuation specialists and technical accounting advisors on complex areas such as warrants, convertible or structured debt, equity instruments, fair-value measurements, collaboration arrangements, and impairmen
• t analyses.Support board and audit committee materials,

as needed.
Qualification

• s: About you
  Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or r
• elated field.
• CPA required.10+ years of progressive accounting and financ
• e experience.Public-company accounting and SEC reporting experience required, preferably with a Big Four or national acc
• ounting firm.Prior experience as a Controller, Assistant Controller, Director of Accounting or similar senior acc
• ounting role.Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, SEC reporting, SOX compliance, and internal controls over financi
• al reporting.Experience working with external auditors and managing quarterly reviews and a
• nnual audits.Experience with complex accounting areas such as equity, stock-based compensation, warrants, debt, leases, revenue recognition, collaboration agreements, clinical trial accruals, and restructurin
• g activities.Strong technical accounting skills and ability to prepare and review accounting pos
• ition papers.Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage competing priorities, and meet tig
• ht deadlines.Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex accounting matters to non-accounting

stakeholders.
Preferred

• Qualifications
  Biotechnology, pharmaceutical, life sciences, or healthcare industry experience stro
• ngly preferred.Experience in a clinical-stage or commercial-stage public biotech
• nology company.Prior experience in public accounting, preferably with a Big Four or national a
• ccounting firm.Experience with collaboration, licensing, royalty, milestone, grant, manufacturing, or cost-sharin
• g arrangements.Experience supporting capital markets transactions, debt financings, warrant issuances, strategic collaborations, or business developmen
• t transactions.Familiarity with ERP systems such as
• Oracle and SAPExperience with equity administration platforms and SEC r
• eporting tools.Experience supporting audit committee materials and executive-level finan

cial reporting.
The targeted salary range for this position is $145,000 - $186,000 per year. Agenus is making a good faith effort to be transparent and accurate around our hiring ranges. The salary offered is commensurate with Agenus’s compensation philosophy and considers factors including, but not limited to, education, training, experience, external market conditions, critical needs of the role, and i

nternal equity.
Learn

More About Agenus
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Why You’ll Lov

e Workin

g at Agenus
Benefits
We're proud to offer a comprehensive and inclusive benefits program designed to support your well-being, growth, and

• life outside of work:
  Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage – Competitive options for both
• US & UK employeesFlexible Spending Accounts – For healthcare and depend
• ent care expenses (US)Flexible Vacation Plan – We believe time away leads to better th
• inking and innovation.Care.com Memberships – Suppor
• t for family care (US)Education Assistance Program – Invest in your learnin
• g and develo
• pment (US)401(k) MatchEmploy
• ee Stock Purchase PlanEmployee Assistance Program (EAP) – Resources for mental health, well-b
• eing, and life supportReward & Recognition Program – Celebrate contributions that mo

ve the mission

• forward
  What We Believe
  Patients First. We’re here to make a difference—f
• or every cancer patient.Bold & United. Big goa
• ls require strong teams.Integrity Always. Respect and honesty
• guide everything we do.Own It. We take responsibility—for results
• and how we achieve them.Always Learning. Curi