Finance Business Partner (Biotech/Pharma)

Job Title: Finance Business Partner

Department: Finance
Reports To: Head of Finance / Finance Director
Location: Hybrid

Role Overview

The Finance Business Partner (FBP) will act as a strategic advisor to functional and scientific leaders across the organization, providing financial insight, analysis, and decision support to drive value creation. This role is critical in supporting R&D, Clinical, Manufacturing, and/or Commercial teams in a fast‑paced biotechnology environment, ensuring financial discipline while enabling innovation and growth.

The ideal candidate combines strong financial acumen with the ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for non‑finance stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Business Partnership

• Serve as the primary finance partner to assigned business functions (e.g., R&D, Clinical Development, CMC, Commercial, or G&A).
• Collaborate with functional leaders to support strategic planning, portfolio prioritization, and investment decisions.
• Provide financial guidance on trade‑offs between cost, risk, timelines, and scientific outcomes.
• Challenge assumptions constructively and act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders.

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and long‑range planning processes for supported functions.
• Develop and maintain financial models for programs, projects, and scenarios (e.g., pipeline progression, clinical trials, capacity expansion).
• Analyze variances against budget and forecast, identifying drivers and recommending corrective actions.
• Support annual operating plan (AOP) and multi‑year strategic plans.

Performance Management & Reporting

• Create and deliver insightful management reporting, dashboards, and KPIs tailored to business partners.
• Monitor spend against milestones, headcount, and resource plans, particularly for R&D and clinical programs.
• Ensure transparency and accountability around financial performance.

Decision Support & Analysis

• Perform ad‑hoc analyses to support business cases, licensing deals, partnerships, and capital allocation decisions.
• Support cost optimization initiatives while maintaining alignment with scientific and business priorities.
• Partner with Accounting to ensure accurate accruals, capitalization, and financial close processes.

Process Improvement & Governance

• Improve financial processes, tools, and data quality to enhance forecasting accuracy and decision‑making.
• Ensure compliance with internal financial policies and external regulations.
• Support audit requests and internal controls as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.
• 5-10 years of progressive finance experience, including FP&A or business partnering roles.
• Experience in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, or a highly regulated R&D‑driven environment.
• Strong financial modeling, forecasting, and analytical skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel; experience with financial planning systems (e.g., Anaplan, Adaptive, Hyperion) preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA, CPA, CFA, or equivalent professional certification.
• Experience supporting R&D, Clinical Development, or Manufacturing functions.
• Understanding of drug development lifecycle, clinical trial economics, and portfolio management.
• Experience in high‑growth, pre‑commercial, or publicly traded biotech companies.

Key Competencies & Skills

• Strong business acumen with the ability to influence without authority.
• Excellent communication skills; able to explain financial concepts to non‑finance audiences.
• Strategic thinker with a hands‑on, results‑oriented mindset.
• High attention to detail with the ability to see the big picture.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and a fast‑changing environment.
• Collaborative, proactive, and intellectually curious.