Staff Accountant

We’re a little biotech in Northbrook, Illinois that’s been running at a full sprint for the last few years. Wow, do we need an accountant that can help us keep up. 

Opportunities like this never come up. This is an opportunity to apply everything you’ve ever learned all at the same time. Our company is at a key inflection point and we’re excited to build our accounting team to support these changes.

There’s a delicious tension inside a biotech. Part of the company runs on a steady diet of scientific vision and part of it runs on a steady diet of back-office execution. Our science is groundbreaking and exceptional, and our accounting needs to be the same. We need someone with broad and honed accounting skills and a great interest in learning new skills that will help an exciting business excel in its operations. A resource that will derive deep satisfaction from creating and tightening processes and become passionate about being on a team that’s developing drugs that improve patient lives. 

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain accurate financial records including general ledger entries, A/P and A/R, assets and liabilities, accruals, and bank reconciliations.
• Perform monthly, quarterly, and year-end close activities, including journal entries, reconciliations, and variance analyses.
• Collaborate with project teams to ensure accurate financial reporting of G&A and R&D-related expenditures with proper application of accounting rules to operations and evolving business needs.
• Research, document, and resolve discrepancies in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Build and sustain strong working relationships with outsourced business partners and external vendors.
• Support audit readiness by preparing schedules, reconciliations, and documentation; respond to auditor inquiries and implement recommendations.
• Contribute to the ERP SAP S/4HANA implementation, including process design, master data migration, and system testing.
• Develop and maintain accounting schedules with emphasis on automation, accuracy, and consistency. 
• Provide support for budgeting, forecasting, and capital expenditure tracking.
• Apply advanced Excel skills for data analysis, financial modeling, and process automation.
• Develop, improve, and document new accounting processes and internal controls to enhance scalability.
• Assist with ad-hoc projects, analyses, and other duties as assigned by the Director of Finance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA or MBA strongly preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive accounting experience; biotech, life sciences, or high-growth startup experience a plus.
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP with ability to apply and expand understanding as the business evolves.
• Experience with large-scale ERP systems (SAP, NetSuite, Oracle, or similar); ERP implementation experience strongly preferred.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, modeling, and automation.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving abilities with a data-driven approach to decision-making.
• High attention to detail with a focus on accuracy, completeness, and compliance.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to build effective relationships with internal teams and external partners.
• Proactive, adaptable, and resourceful, with a growth mindset and eagerness to learn.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain accounting concepts to non-finance colleagues.

Practically speaking, this is a full-time, in-the-office job. We’re just moving way too fast to telecommute. Plus, we’re reasonably fun people (well-read, well-degreed, interested in science, mediocre at fantasy football) and we enjoy learning from our colleagues full-time.

Compensation commensurate with experience, as we are willing to entertain a variety of experience levels for this position. Please send details on your qualifications without delay; this is a new position and we’ll begin interviewing shortly.