Role

The Senior Director of R&D FP&A will be instrumental in building Tarsus’s decision support capability to enable efficient operations and effective capital allocation across R&D and Operations functions at Tarsus. They will also contribute to the development of the Company’s financial and corporate strategy, specifically as it relates to Research & Development and Operations (R&D and Ops). Core responsibilities for the role will include generation of the annual budget and short-range forecasts for the R&D and Operations function, assisting with the long-range plan (LRP) as it relates to programs, and monthly and quarterly close analysis and reporting. The Senior Director of FP&A will act as the Finance lead for the R&D and Operations functions at Tarsus.

Let’s talk about some of the key responsibilities of the role

Build and maintain strong cross-functional business partnerships to budget/forecast and track activities by embedding finance into decision-making processes.
Lead annual budget and quarterly forecasting processes for R&D & Operations, specifically with the Program Team Leads (PTLs).
Develop and prepare monthly internal financial management reporting packages; spearhead monthly variance analysis of actuals to budget, investigate any major discrepancies, and articulate key business drivers.
Drive strategic planning for the R&D and Operations part of the annual long-range plan (LRP) exercise to enable investment decisions across a portfolio of internal programs and opportunities.
Provide financial direction to key stakeholders with proactive recommendations, supported by robust financial analysis and insightful delivery.
Support clinical trial accruals, including review of Contract Research Organization (CRO) reports, patient costs, and site payments.
Review clinical and supply chain contracts and amendments to analyze and determine various financial impacts.
Support ad hoc analyses and special projects, providing timely and accurate financial insights to support organizational initiatives.
Help drive process improvements and efficiencies in areas of financial planning, financial analysis, and production of reporting packages.
Hire, coach, and mentor direct reports and adjacent team members, promoting a culture of high engagement, high performance, collaboration and continuous improvement that values learning and continuous improvement.
Present analysis and strategic insights to the Executive Team to support effective financial decision making.

Factors for Success

Required

Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Accounting
12+ years of progressive financial planning and analysis experience, including significant time within publicly traded life sciences companies
Hands-on experience with clinical trial forecasting, modeling, and the R&D forecast and accruals process, including late-stage (Phase 3) programs
In-house experience owning budget and forecasting processes and partnering directly with the business
Track record of collaboration, stakeholder relationship management, and influencing key decision-makers, including the confidence to challenge and advise VP- and C-level leaders

Desired

CPA or MBA
15+ years of FP&A experience
Pharmaceutical industry experience with late stage clinical trial experience strongly preferred
Working knowledge of GAAP
Experience with Adaptive Insights / Adaptive Planning (Workday) or a comparable planning tool (e.g., Anaplan, Hyperion), and with NetSuite
Experience scaling finance processes within a rapidly growing biotech company
Global or international exposure

What You’ll Bring

Well-developed analytical skills that demonstrate the ability to drive from data to analysis to insight.
Self-motivated with the strong work ethic and sense of urgency required for success in a rapidly growing biotech company and an equally critical ability to solve problems in high pressure situations.
Process-oriented thinker with experience in process design, implementation, and improvement.
Strong financial modeling skills and proficiency in Excel.