Controller

Overview

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing public biotech company focused on developing important therapies for patients with unmet medical needs. We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Controller to lead our accounting operations as we transition from a clinical-stage biotech company to a commercial organization. This is a high-impact leadership role for an accounting professional who thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and enjoys building scalable processes while maintaining a strong control environment.

 

The Controller is a key finance leader, responsible for overseeing the Company’s accounting operations, leading and developing the accounting team, ensuring accuracy and compliance with U.S. GAAP and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), and delivering accurate and timely financial reporting. The Controller will lead the financial close process, drive optimization of accounting processes and systems, and implement scalable solutions to enhance efficiency and support the Company’s continued growth. The ideal candidate combines strong accounting expertise, public company experience, commercial life sciences experience, operational leadership and a continuous improvement mindset.

 

This strategic, yet hands-on role, will report to the Vice President of Finance, and will work closely with the CFO, executive leadership, cross-functional leads and external third parties.

Responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the accounting department to support the needs of a publicly traded commercial-stage life sciences company, including timely and accurate month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes.
• Establish and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting and ensure compliance with SOX requirements.
• Lead, mentor and develop members of the accounting team, including Accounts Payable and other accounting personnel.
• Perform detailed review and oversight of accounting analyses, reconciliations, journal entries, and supporting schedules prepared by Finance team members, ensuring accuracy, completeness, appropriate documentation, and compliance with U.S. GAAP and Company policies.
• Support the preparation of SEC filings, including Forms 10-Q, 10-K, proxy statements and other required SEC filings.
• Coordinate with external auditors and support quarterly reviews, annual audits, and other external reporting requirements.
• Oversee accounting for a broad range of areas, including accounts payable, fixed assets and capital expenditures, prepaids, accruals, payroll, equity administration, employee stock options, and Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) activities.
• Partner cross-functionally to develop and scale accounting processes to support commercialization, including revenue recognition, gross-to-net accounting, sales deductions, rebates, chargebacks and other commercial accounting requirements.
• Establish priorities, allocate resources, and ensure the accounting organization is positioned to support company growth and commercialization readiness.
• Drive process improvement by evaluating existing processes and controls, identifying opportunities for automation and increased efficiency, and implementing scalable workflows and system enhancements.
• Partner with Finance leadership and cross-functional teams to support business initiatives and accounting and financial processes.
• Collaborate with Human Resources on payroll processing, equity-related activities and other employee compensation processes.
• Assist with special projects, system implementations and strategic initiatives, as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in Accounting.
• 15+ years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 5 years of experience in a leadership role.
• Public company experience required; commercial-stage biotech or life sciences industry experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP, SEC reporting requirements, and SOX compliance.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing accounting teams.
• Proven ability to assess, improve, automate, and scale accounting processes while maintaining strong internal controls.
• Experience with financial systems, such as Business Central or similar ERP platforms, including system implementations, integrations, and process enhancements preferred.
• Excellent leadership, communication and organizational skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, decision-making and collaboration skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment and manage multiple priorities.

Compensation Statement

The expected base salary for this position is: $233631.00 to $303417.00. We are committed to compensating employees equitably based on several factors including experience, education, licensure/certifications, skill level, location of the position, and availability of similar talent in a competitive market. Compensation for this role includes base salary, annual discretionary bonus, long term incentive, 401(K) plan with employer contribution, health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), paid holidays, vacation, and sick days. A summary of our benefits can be found on our careers page Celldex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that strives to foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to promoting a diverse environment through development, recruiting and community outreach.