Associate Director, Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq ARWR) is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep, and durable knockdown of target genes. RNA interference, or RNAi, is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein. Arrowhead’s RNAi-based therapeutics leverage this natural pathway of gene silencing.

Arrowhead is focused on developing innovative drugs for diseases with a genetic basis, typically characterized by the overproduction of one or more proteins that are involved with disease. The depth and versatility of our RNAi technologies enables us to potentially address conditions in virtually any therapeutic area and pursue disease targets that are not otherwise addressable by small molecules and biologics. Arrowhead is leading the field in bringing the promise of RNAi to address diseases outside of the liver, and our clinical pipeline includes disease targets in the liver and lung with a promising pipeline of preclinical candidates.

Arrowhead’s corporate headquarters is in Pasadena, CA with research and development teams in Madison, WI & San Diego, CA, and a state of the art manufacturing facility in Verona, WI.  Our employees are nimble, science-driven innovators who are collaborating to bring new therapies to patients in need. 

The Position

The Associate Director, Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) will serve as a key member of Arrowhead's Corporate Finance organization, partnering closely with the Senior Director, Head of FP&A, to drive enterprise-wide financial planning, executive reporting, and strategic decision support.

This role serves as the primary finance business partner for Arrowhead's General & Administrative (G&A) functions, including Information Systems & Informatics, Finance, Legal, and People Services & Culture. In addition, the Associate Director will help support company-wide planning processes, including annual budgets, long-range planning, quarterly forecasts, executive presentations, and Board of Directors materials.

Beyond G&A support, this individual will play a highly collaborative role across the broader FP&A organization, providing financial leadership and analytical support across Clinical, Commercial, Partnership, and Operations Finance as business priorities evolve. The position also plays an important role in driving continuous improvement of FP&A systems, processes, and reporting capabilities, including enhancements to Anaplan and other financial planning technologies.

This position offers exceptional visibility across the organization and requires a highly analytical, business-oriented finance professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys solving complex business problems, and can communicate effectively with executive leadership.

This role is based in Pasadena, California or San Diego, California, with an expectation to be in office 5 days a week.

Responsibilities

Corporate FP&A & Executive Support

• Partner closely with the Head of FP&A to support enterprise-wide financial planning and corporate finance initiatives.
• Preparation and consolidation of the annual operating plan, long-range plan, periodic forecasts, and monthly financial outlooks.
• Develop executive-level presentations and financial analyses for Executive Leadership Team meetings, Board of Directors meetings, Investor Relations activities, and other corporate updates.
• Consolidate financial information across all business functions into clear, concise executive reporting.
• Support quarterly close activities including executive variance analyses, financial commentary, accrual reviews, and management reporting.
• Perform enterprise-level scenario analyses, sensitivity modeling, and strategic financial evaluations.

G&A Finance Business Partner

• Serve as the primary finance partner for Information Systems & Informatics, Finance, Legal, and People Services & Culture.
• Responsibilities include annual budgets, quarterly forecasts, long-range planning, headcount planning, capital investment planning, monthly financial reporting, variance analysis, business case development, financial decision support, identification of financial risks and opportunities.

Partnership FP&A

• Serve as a finance partner for strategic partnerships, supporting financial planning, modeling, and decision support.
• Develop partnership forecasts and scenario analyses, including milestone and royalty streams, cost-sharing arrangements, investments, and cash flow impacts.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and reporting for partnership-related revenue and expenses; highlight key drivers, risks, and opportunities.

Process, Systems & Continuous Improvement

• Support for enhancements to FP&A processes, models, and planning tools.
• Support and develop Anaplan FP&A system
• Drive best practices in forecasting, scenario planning, and financial reporting.
• Partner with Accounting and IT on ERP and FP&A system optimization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field
• 10+ years of progressive FP&A experience, including 5+ years in a leadership role.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Excel, with experience building models
• Ability to gather, analyze and interpret information for completeness and accuracy; excellent attention to detail; excellent organizational skills
• Strong communication skills, ability to effectively interact with others at all levels– within and outside of finance. Ability to tailor communication to the audience to achieve desired results
• Self-starter with the demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced atmosphere with minimal supervision
• Experience with FP&A Planning systems
• Working knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP)

Preferred

• CPA/MBA
• Prior experience supporting clinical-stage biotech or pharmaceutical R&D
• Anaplan experience
• Experience with Clinical Trial Software (e.g. Condor, Auxilius)
• Experience with building financial models
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and BI tools (e.g. Tableau, Power BI)