Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and with offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Dublin, Ireland, Ionis has been at work for more than three decades discovering medical breakthroughs that have redefined life for people with serious diseases. We are pioneers in RNA-targeted medicines, and our platform continues to revolutionize drug discovery and transform lives for patients with unmet needs. With five currently marketed medicines for serious diseases and an expansive late-stage pipeline, we continue to build upon our groundbreaking innovations in science and technology to provide greater value to patients; and we are well positioned financially to deliver on our strategic goals.
At Ionis, we pride ourselves on cultivating a challenging, motivating and rewarding environment that fosters innovation and scientific excellence. We know our success is a direct result of the exceptional talent and dedication of our employees.
With an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of human health, we look to add diverse individuals, skill sets and perspectives to our exceptional team. We continue to invest time, money, and energy into making our onsite and remote work environments a place where solid and lasting relationships are built and where our culture and employees can thrive.
We are building on our rich history, and believe our greatest achievements are ahead of us. We invite you to apply and join us if you’re passionate about the opportunity to have meaningful impact on patients in need, our employees, and our organization. Experience and contribute to our unique culture while you develop and expand your career!
VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE (FP&A)SummaryThe Vice President, Finance (FP&A) will serve as a member of the senior management team reporting to the CFO. This role requires a forward-thinking, innovative, and strategic leader with a sense of urgency to contribute to the development and execution of Ionis’ current and future financial strategy. S/he will be responsible for developing meaningful financial and operational analyses and metrics that will help drive decision-making across the company, while demonstrating the highest caliber of professional and personal integrity and ethical decision-making.
The Vice President, Finance will successfully implement strategic financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and business decision support analyses while exhibiting a hands-on approach in all aspects of the job. S/he will be responsible for implementing best-in-class financial processes and systems to support continued growth and expansion, in particular pertaining to Ionis’ transition to a commercial stage fully integrated biopharmaceutical company. Initially, s/he will lead a team of 12 people and oversee numerous outside consultants.
S/he will lead the development of, or play a key role in, establishing cross-functional capabilities and processes required as a fully integrated company. The Vice President, Finance is expected to have a hands-on approach in all aspects of the job and demonstrate the highest caliber of professional and personal integrity and ethical decision-making.
ResponsibilitiesLeadership

• Oversees the FP&A organization; partners with the management team to provide insights into the business and establish, implement, and contribute to the achievement of corporate objectives
• Provides financial team leadership, including capability and talent management, team development, coaching, motivation, and retention of staff while actively mentoring team members at all levels as Ionis evolves its business model
• Fosters a team environment of problem solving, efficiency, pro-activity, and improved business practices that helps attract and retain superior talent
• Spearheads pro-active communications within the team and cross-functionally, at all levels, to ensure broad-based understanding of financial objectives and processes relevant to an evolving commercial organization
• Provides critical input and operates as an enterprise leader to drive decision making in cross-functional teams as Ionis establishes new capabilities, processes and systems

Strategy

• Drives the company's long range strategic financial planning process to inform the company’s strategic vision and to ensure its expanding business is on track to deliver its financial objectives
• Leads continuous improvement of financial tools, business decision support, financial planning, and processes that can scale with the company's growth
• Leads business analyses supporting commercial opportunity of potential new products (i.e. NPV analyses) working closely with new product commercial strategy team
• Contributes to the establishment of new partnerships through business decision analyses and contract review
• Serves as a financial advisor and partner to the senior management team, including providing analyses of budgets and financial trends
• Provides strategic guidance aligned with Ionis’ financial health and long-range vision during cross-functional capability build efforts

Technical

• Develops processes that enhance senior management's financial stewardship in support of the company's transition to sustained and growing positive cashflow
• Develops robust, efficient, and effective budgeting and forecasting processes that reflect the complex multinational structure of the company
• Leads the financial planning and analysis team in preparing analyses, commentary, and presentations that ensure strategic messages are effectively and appropriately communicated to other members of senior management, board members, and other constituents, as needed
• Provides proactive recommendations to enhance financial performance
• Provides support for corporate partnering transactions, acquisitions, spin-offs, and other projects
• Supports the company’s investor relations team and outreach efforts through analyst modeling analyses, insights and developing financial messaging for investor events (i.e., earnings, investor conferences, webcasts)

Cultural ExpectationsComplex and Evolving Business Model

• Requires an ability to think ahead, foresee opportunities, develop financial strategy, and enact action plans to evaluate and optimize business and market opportunities
• Requires a hands-on financial professional with demonstrated success in working closely with operations to understand the key levers and where/when appropriate to implement changes to have a positive impact on the business
• Requires ability to proactively work with cross-functional leaders to build new capabilities and processes and support organizational education and change management

Matrix Organization Structure

• Ensures the executive leadership team always has necessary information for effective and timely decision-making, including analysis of options and considerations
• Ionis' leaders at all levels do “real work,” learning, teaching, and advising; successful leaders enjoy rolling up their sleeves and engaging with details as appropriate for day-to-day operations

Science-focused Organization

• All employees must be comfortable in an environment that embraces collaboration and interrogative debate to manage projects, solve problems, and resolve challenging issues
• Requires thorough preparation, critical thinking, and a willingness to have others challenge ideas and thinking to bring medicines to patients in need

Fast-paced, Intense Environment

• The ever-changing business environment with rapid evolution of commercialization capabilities heightens the need for proactive thinking, communication, and decision-making
• Requires comfort working in gray zone vs. black and white and the ability to make timely decisions without necessarily having all information

Requirements

• BS/BA in Accounting, Finance, or related field; MBA strongly preferred
• 15 years in progressively responsible financial leadership roles, in publicly traded life science and/or biotech companies; Vice President experience preferred
• 10 years of team management and leadership skills with experience in developing, motivating, coaching, and retaining talent through organizational change and growth
• Experience in long-range financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting within an evolving commercial organization with global locations
• ERP experience to support growing organization, including cross-functional project team leadership, training, and communication
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, both oral and written, including PowerPoint, with a demonstrated competency in crafting the financial story and clearly communicating complex data to non-financial stakeholders
• Proven ability to build strong partnerships across the organization, influence others, and work collaboratively within a non-hierarchical team-oriented environment
• Able to effectively coordinate efforts across the organization (both internally and externally) to achieve key objectives; demonstrated ability to work effectively in a highly matrixed organization
• Sound understanding of GAAP and ability to apply accounting principles as required to support financial planning activities

Please visit our website, www.ionis.com for more information about Ionis and to apply for this position; reference requisition #IONIS003240
Ionis offers an excellent benefits package! Follow this link for more details: Ionis BenefitsFull Benefits Link: https://www.ionis.com/careers/working-at-ionis/#:~:text=to Applicants »-,Benefits,-Employees are rewardedThe pay scale for this position is $216,690 to $302,392
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Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and all its subsidiaries are proud to be EEO employers.