Associate Director of Finance

About Us

Peptone is building a Product Engine to generate small-molecule drug candidates against intrinsically disordered proteins. Our Product Engine reads the physics of disordered proteins and models it with AI, combining measured ensemble biology with experimental physics, computation and translational work. We use those insights to design small-molecule drug candidates for hard-to-treat cancers, with a shared evidence loop which can span multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology and inflammation, and CNS.

Our interdisciplinary team spans academic science and pharmaceutical research, connecting measured protein dynamics with experimentally grounded models, candidate design and biological validation. We are growing across Switzerland, the UK and the US as our programs move toward IND-enabling work and the clinic.

Peptone is backed by F-Prime Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Hoxton Ventures, Walden Catalyst, the Banga Family Trust and Taplow Blue Capital.

Our Mission

Delivering first-in-class medicines for better patient outcomes is our obsession. Translating biophysics of intrinsic protein disorder to generate de novo therapeutics is our passion.

The Role

We are hiring our first US finance leader to own our US accounting and compliance, and to produce our monthly group consolidation and month-end pack. Your initial priorities will be to establish a reliable US close, deliver the group consolidation on schedule, and build a consistent approach to R&D accruals and budget-versus-actual reporting.

You will be hands-on in the US close and own the total consolidation, with support from the outsourced US accounting firm on selected activities. You will also work with our US tax advisers and auditors, and bring R&D and clinical trial accruals in-house as our programs move toward the clinic.

Alongside the core role, you will help our Executive Director of Finance with budget-versus-actual reporting, discussing variances with budget owners and supporting routine forecast updates. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in other projects as Peptone grows, including (but not limited to) system implementations, AI use within the finance function, and Swiss and UK audits and accounting.

What You'll Do

US outsourced accounting firm

• Own the relationship with our outsourced US accounting firm: setting scope and deadlines, reviewing their work, and holding them to quality and timeliness
• Own the quality of the US books and month-end, with the firm processing and you reviewing and approving
• Assess whether the firm remains the right fit as we grow, and lead a change of provider if needed

US tax and R&D tax credits

• Work with our US tax advisers on all required federal and state filings, maintaining a US tax compliance calendar
• Coordinate with tax advisers to identify, document and support applicable R&D tax credit claims

Audit

• Prepare for and manage audits as and when they are required, and keep the US books audit-ready with clear schedules, policies and controls

Group consolidation and month-end pack

• Produce the monthly group consolidation across our US, UK, Swiss and Italian entities under US GAAP, including intercompany eliminations and currency translation
• Deliver a month-end pack for review by our Executive Director of Finance, to an agreed timetable
• Bring R&D and clinical trial accruals in-house: milestone- and enrollment-based accruals, CRO and investigator invoice recognition, and pass-through cost tracking, working directly with program leads
• Own project-level accounting so program costs are tracked accurately and consistently

Budgeting and business partnering

• Act as the local finance contact for US budget holders, running budget-versus-actual conversations and challenging spend that doesn't hold up
• Help with the global budget and forecast: US inputs, analysis and variance commentary
• Take on ad hoc projects to streamline FP&A and reporting, using AI and advanced Excel to cut manual work and error risk, and contribute to systems decisions

What You Bring

Required

• A recognized accounting qualification (CPA preferred)
• 8+ years of finance and accounting experience, including significant time in a biotech company – ideally pre-revenue, IND-enabling or clinical-stage
• Strong US GAAP knowledge, including ASC 730 (research and development costs) and ASC 842 (leases)
• Hands-on consolidation experience – you have personally built group consolidations and month-end packs, including intercompany eliminations and currency translation
• Experience of booking R&D accruals
• A track record of managing outsourced accounting firms and external advisers, including changing provider where needed
• Experience working with US tax advisers on federal and state compliance
• Proven ability to work autonomously as the senior finance person in a location, with the wider finance team in a different time zone, in a fully remote role
• Willingness to travel occasionally to San Francisco and Switzerland

Nice to have

• Clinical trial accounting: milestone- and enrollment-based accrual methodology, CRO and site invoice review, and pass-through cost tracking
• Experience in a global business, working across multiple countries, currencies and statutory regimes, and within a US parent or holding company structure
• Experience identifying and claiming US R&D tax credits
• FP&A experience, including supporting budget cycles and partnering with non-finance budget holders
• Experience of working outside the US, or embedded with non-US teams

How We Work

Working across time zones. The Executive Director of Finance is based in the UK, so for part of your day you'll be the only finance person online. We're looking for someone who enjoys that autonomy – making and standing behind day-to-day decisions, and escalating what genuinely matters.

Remote, with purposeful travel. The role is fully remote. You'll build relationships with budget holders through structured video reviews and, where required, in-person time in San Francisco (where a US site is to be built) and at our Swiss site in Bellinzona. At this time, it is unclear what the travel frequency will be and there is no current office in San Francisco. It is unlikely that there will be more than 2 trips to Switzerland a year. A quarterly trip to San Francisco is anticipated once the office is opened. Candidates must be able to travel to both locations as required.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary of $190,000 – $250,000 per year. The range reflects what we reasonably and in good faith expect to pay; the final offer will depend on skills and experience.
• Annual bonus and equity, commensurate with experience
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States and must be able to maintain that authorization without employer sponsorship.

What We Bring

• A non-hierarchical environment where everyone has a voice to influence and shape the company's future direction
• A highly dynamic environment with plenty of opportunities for career development
• A highly skilled and interdisciplinary team that is passionate about proteins, science and business
• A unique company giving you the opportunity to push the boundaries of biopharmaceutical drug development
• A flexible working setup to ensure a work-life balance

Our Culture

Rigorous science, done with kindness, for the patients waiting on it. We do our work in the open, with each other and for the people waiting on the other end of it.

Honest science. We report what the data say. When an experiment disagrees with a model, the model changes. Integrity is the point, not a slogan.

Kindness and good spirit. We assume good intent, share openly, and help each other through the work that does not go to plan. Talent matters. How you treat people matters more.

Compassion for patients. Every disordered target traces back to someone waiting for a therapy. That is why the standard is this high.

Balance. Good science needs rested, curious people, and we protect the balance between deep work and life outside it.

Equal Opportunity

Committed to a culture that embraces diversity, Peptone and its affiliates are Equal Opportunity employers building a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender, gender identity or expression; sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status; genetic information; or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.