Senior Director, Financial Planning and Analysis

Ultragenyx; Novato (CA); Hybrid; USD 234,800 - 290,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous vacation time

Volunteer days

Employee stock purchase plans

Fitness reimbursement

Tuition sponsoring

Professional development plans

Job summary

Ultragenyx in Novato, California is seeking a Senior Director, FP&A to strengthen financial governance and budget management for development projects. This role involves close collaboration with the Chief Medical Officer and senior leadership to track expenditures and provide actionable insights on budget performance. Ideal candidates should have a strong finance background, especially in R&D contexts, along with 12 years of progressive experience. The position supports a flexible work model with onsite requirements 2-3 days weekly.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in FP&A or finance.
• Experience in R&D or development organizations within biotech or pharmaceuticals.
• Strong background in financial governance and variance analysis.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with Development leadership.
• Lead financial communications related to clinical trials.
• Support annual planning and reforecasting cycles.

Skills

Financial governance

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Clinical trial financial modeling

Budget oversight

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics

MBA, CPA, or advanced degree preferred

Tools

Excel

Adaptive Insights

Job description

Be a hero for our rare disease patients. At Ultragenyx, we fundamentally believe that taking real impactful action to care for the needs of patients and our people is always the right thing to do. To achieve this goal, our vision is to lead the future of rare disease medicine. For us, this means going where other biopharma companies won’t go – challenging the status quo and creating a new model that advances our field so more patients and caregivers can benefit from life‑changing treatments. We do this by following the science, applying a novel rapid development approach, making innovative medicines at fair and reasonable prices, and creating a collaborative ecosystem to reach patients in ways that are most meaningful for them.

Position Summary

ultra dedicated – Your biggest challenges yield rare possibilities. The Senior Director, FP&A will be a key business partner to Ultragenyx’s Development organization, with primary responsibility for strengthening financial governance, budget transparency, and accrual rigor across development activities. The position supports the Chief Medical Officer and senior Development leadership by enabling a clear, consistent understanding of spend to date, remaining budget, and forward‑looking financial exposure across clinical and non‑clinical functions. The role combines hands‑on analytical execution with executive‑level financial storytelling to improve confidence, decision‑making, and stewardship across the development portfolio.

Work Model

Flex: This role will typically require onsite work 2-3 days each week, or more depending on business needs. In many locations, the business will set certain days each week that Flex employees are required to be onsite.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with Development leadership and operational stakeholders, serving as a trusted finance partner embedded in clinical study governance, financial oversight, and execution forums.
• Provide hands‑on financial support to Program Teams and Development functions by reviewing invoices, tracking actual spend, and identifying total and remaining budget at the study, program, and functional levels.
• Lead clinical trial cost modeling, including scenario planning and sensitivity analyses, clearly explaining cost drivers related to study design, timelines, enrollment assumptions, and execution strategies.
• Perform regular budget‑to‑actual analyses across clinical and non‑clinical Development activities, synthesizing account‑level, vendor‑level, and study‑level variances into concise, decision‑oriented insights.
• Deliver clear, actionable financial updates on spend, forecast changes, risks, and opportunities to minimize surprises and strengthen confidence in Development financial outlooks.
• Partner with Accounting and operational teams to support Development accrual processes, ensuring assumptions are timely, well‑documented, and aligned with underlying operational activity.
• Lead financial communications related to clinical trials and broader Development spend, including inputs to executive‑level readouts, portfolio reviews, and CMO‑level presentations.
• Support annual planning and in‑year reforecasting cycles by reviewing business‑generated forecasts, assessing reasonableness, and providing Development‑wide financial context and challenge.
• Design, implement, and continuously improve financial tools, reporting, and processes that enhance budget visibility, accrual understanding, and financial fluency across Development teams.
• Balance near‑term execution and stewardship of existing processes with a longer‑term focus on strengthening governance frameworks, standardization, and transparency across Development financial management.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related discipline; MBA, CPA, or advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in FP&A, finance, or financial management supporting R&D or development organizations within the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or life sciences industry.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with Development teams, including Clinical Operations and non‑clinical functions such as Regulatory, Pharmacovigilance, Biostatistics, and Statistical Programming.
• Deep expertise in clinical trial financial modeling, including cost drivers, scenario planning, and sensitivity analysis, with the ability to translate operational assumptions into credible forecasts.
• Strong background in financial governance, including budget oversight, variance analysis, accrual support, and spend‑to‑date transparency.
• Proven ability to influence without formal authority and partner effectively with senior leaders, program teams, and functional stakeholders.
• Ability to operate seamlessly between strategic and detailed perspectives, including hands‑on engagement with invoices, actuals, and accrual drivers, as well as executive‑level synthesis.
• Demonstrated success leading process improvement initiatives that improve budget visibility, accrual rigor, and financial fluency within business teams.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to deliver clear, concise summaries of variances, forecast changes, and drivers to audiences ranging from study teams to executives.
• Advanced proficiency in financial modeling, forecasting, and analytics tools (e.g., Excel, Adaptive Insights, and enterprise planning systems).

Pay Range: $234,800 USD - $290,000 USD

Benefits

• Generous vacation time and public holidays observed by the company
• Volunteer days
• Long term incentive and Employee stock purchase plans or equivalent offerings
• Employee wellbeing benefits
• Fitness reimbursement
• Tuition sponsoring
• Professional development plans
• Benefits vary by region and country

Equal Opportunity Employer

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin/ancestry, age, disability, marital and veteran status, and any other status or classification protected by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Reasonable accommodation will be provided for all protected statuses or classifications protected by applicable law, including individuals with disabilities, disabled veterans, for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, and based on sincerely held religious beliefs. Applicants can request an accommodation prior to accepting a job offer. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, or in any part of the recruitment process, you may contact Talent Acquisition by emailing us at [e-mail].

Legal Disclosures

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.