Vice President, Finance

GEMMA Biotherapeutics; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

GEMMA Biotherapeutics is seeking a Vice President of Finance to lead the finance function, drive planning and governance, and serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and CBO. You will oversee budgeting, forecasting, accounting operations, treasury, and financial systems while guiding risk management and internal controls.

The role requires senior finance leadership experience, strong GAAP knowledge, and the ability to translate strategy into integrated financial plans.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive finance experience with senior leadership.
• Strong US GAAP knowledge and financial governance.
• Experience building financial models and forecasts.
• Ability to lead finance staff and work with executives.
• Experience in life sciences preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead all Finance staff and oversee accounting operations.
• Drive budgeting, long-range planning, and forecasting processes.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and board materials.
• Develop and maintain a robust internal control environment and audit readiness.
• Provide strategic financial partnership to the CEO and CBO with modeling and analyses.
• Support business development, licensing, and partnerships with financial due diligence.
• Partner with COO to align resources with priorities and manage risks.
• Oversee treasury functions: cash forecasting, liquidity, banking, and investments.
• Develop scalable finance systems, reporting tools, and data standards.
• Manage relations with auditors, tax advisors, banks, and consultants.
• Support board reporting and financing diligence; no independent capital authority.

Skills

Finance leadership

Financial planning

GAAP knowledge

Budgeting & forecasting

Internal controls

Team leadership

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance or related field

CPA or MBA preferred

Tools

NetSuite

ERP systems

Job description

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Vice President, Finance is a senior member of the Leadership Team responsible for leading the company’s Finance function and supporting its financial health, operating priorities, and growth objectives. The Vice President, Finance serves as a strategic financial partner to the President/CEO and Chief Business Officer and is responsible for financial planning and analysis, accounting operations, financial reporting, treasury, internal controls, financial systems, and financial governance.

• Lead all Finance staff and oversee accounting operations, including the general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll accounting, financial close, and tax and audit coordination.
• Lead the annual budgeting, long-range planning, and forecasting processes, translating corporate strategy, development plans, headcount, contractual commitments, and operating priorities into integrated financial forecasts and cash requirements.
• Oversee the preparation of timely and accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements, management reports, program-cost reporting, cash forecasts, and Board financial materials.
• Develop and maintain a robust financial control environment, including Finance policies, approval authorities, segregation of duties, related-party controls, financial systems governance, and audit-ready documentation.
• Serve as a strategic financial partner to the CEO, providing financial modeling, scenario analysis, and recommendations to support organizational priorities, investment decisions, financing readiness, and long-range planning.
• Serve as the primary Finance partner to the CBO for business development, licensing, collaboration, and partnership opportunities, including financial modeling, valuation support, deal‑economics analysis, financial due diligence, and monitoring of obligations under executed agreements.
• Partner with the COO to align financial resources with operating priorities, monitor company and program spending, identify financial and operational risks, and support enterprise risk management and insurance activities.
• Oversee treasury operations, including cash forecasting, liquidity reporting, banking administration, investment administration, payment controls, and authorized access to company funds.
• Lead the development of scalable Finance systems, processes, reporting tools, and data standards that improve financial visibility, control effectiveness, organizational accountability, and decision‑making.
• Manage relationships with the company’s auditors, tax advisors, banks, valuation providers, and other external financial service providers.
• Support Board reporting, investor and financing diligence, capital‑raising analyses, and strategic transactions under the direction of the COO and CEO, without independent responsibility for capital strategy, investor relations, legal oversight, or final transaction authority.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
• More than 10 years of progressive finance experience, including senior financial leadership in life sciences or a similarly complex industry.
• Demonstrated experience in financial planning and analysis, accounting and reporting, budgeting, forecasting, treasury, internal controls, audit, and tax compliance.
• Experience developing financial models and translating corporate, program, and operating plans into forecasts and cash requirements.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, financial governance, and scalable Finance processes and systems.
• Proven ability to lead Finance staff, manage external service providers, advise senior executives, and communicate effectively with financial and non‑financial stakeholders.
• Strong judgment, integrity, analytical ability, attention to detail, and cross‑functional leadership skills.

Preferred

• CPA, MBA, CFA, or another relevant advanced degree or professional credential.
• Experience in a privately held, venture‑backed, or pre‑commercial life‑sciences company.
• Experience supporting financing diligence, business development, licensing, or strategic collaborations.
• Experience with NetSuite, program finance, R&D accounting, cost allocation, related‑party transactions, and collaboration accounting.

**GEMMABio does not accept resumes or CVs from external staffing agencies, recruiters, or consulting firms. We do not accept unsolicited submissions, and we will not engage with any third‑party vendors that send unsolicited candidate profiles. No fees will be paid for unsolicited resumes received under any circumstances.**