Manager, Accounting

Position Title: Manager, Accounting 

Department: Finance & Accounting 

Reports To: Senior Director, Accounting 

Location: Princeton, NJ – On-site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs) 

Job Overview 

Kardigan is seeking a skilled and detail-oriented Manager, Accounting, to manage and oversee the company’s accounting functions. This position primarily focuses on managing and independently executing complex aspects of the company’s accounting operations, ensuring compliance with GAAP, financial reporting accuracy, and efficient financial processes. In addition, the role will also assist in processing payroll and payroll related matters, accounts payable and purchasing. This is an exciting opportunity for a professional with hands-on experience and a strong accounting background to have a meaningful impact on financial operations within a growing organization. The ideal candidate will play a critical role in driving process improvements and working alongside key internal teams to enhance overall business performance. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Accounting Leadership: 
  Manage and oversee the company’s general ledger, ensuring accuracy and compliance with GAAP, internal policies, and regulatory guidelines while leading month-end and year-end close processes, including preparing and reviewing more complex reconciliations, journal entries, and accruals. Own and resolve complex, judgmental balance sheet reconciliations, including R&D and clinical trial expense accruals, prepaid balances, and intercompany accounts, by identifying root causes rather than simply tying out balances. Review and analyze financial data to maintain accuracy and integrity in records, assist in preparing financial statements for business decision-making, and assist with proper accounting treatment, including evaluation of non-routine or judgmental transactions. Research, document, and present the company's position accounting matters (e.g., revenue recognition, leases, R&D cost accrual and capitalization), in clear, well-supported memos. 

• System Integration and Management: 
  Lead collaboration with the IT teams to maintain and optimize accounting and payroll systems. Oversee and improve the integration between GL, payroll data, accounts payables, purchasing and the general ledger, and work to enhance the functionality and efficiency of financial systems such as NetSuite, including supporting enhancements that impact multiple functional areas. 

• Operational Excellence: 
  Lead continuous improvement initiatives to improve processes and accounting workflows to increase efficiency and scalability, particularly as the organization grows in complexity. Being a reliable backup for the payroll, accounts payable and purchasing functions. 

• Audit & Compliance Support: 
  Coordinate accounting and payroll audit activities, ensuring all records and financial reports are accurate, complete, and compliant with applicable laws and regulations. Support the preparation for internal and external audits by providing required documentation and responding to audit inquiries. 

• Business Partnership: 
  Work closely with cross-functional teams (HR, IT, FP&A) to provide insights and recommendations that drive operational efficiency and sound financial decision-making, including advising on accounting implications or cross-functional initiatives. Collaborate with the FP&A team to ensure accuracy and integrity in financial reporting. Assemble and prepare statistics on key areas of company operations and assist in analyzing, interpreting, and communicating this information. Serve as a trusted accounting business partner, providing guidance on accounting implications of operational and strategic initiatives. 

Qualifications and Preferred Skills 

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or a related field; CPA, or relevant advanced degree preferred.
• 8–10+ years of progressive accounting experience, with at least 2–3 years of experience leading accounting processes, projects, or team members.
• Experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or broader life sciences industry, ideally with a pre-commercial or clinical-stage company, is required.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and payroll regulations, with the ability to interpret and apply this knowledge in financial reporting and payroll transactions.
• Proven ability to exercise independent judgement on complex accounting decisions matters and provide recommendations for financial accuracy and compliance.
• Experience with ERP systems (NetSuite required) Proven ability to design, implement, and improve accounting processes in a growing organization.
• Experience reconciling multiple GL accounts including payroll and benefits.
• Hands-on payroll accounting experience, including booking payroll journal entries (wages, taxes, benefits, and related accruals) and reconciling payroll clearing accounts to the general ledger.
• Experience gathering data for financial and tax audits.
• Ensuring all documentation is audit-ready and policy-compliant, setting standards for the team.
• Some experience with P2P process, with the ability to research transactions and assist team with solutions.
• Experience in working with FP&A on clinical accruals. Understanding the accruals flow for CRO, CMO and other stakeholders, critically analyzing these accruals and ensuring that they are reasonable.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret financial data and ensure accuracy in accounting records.
• You are a self-starter who can plan, organize and take the initiative to meet job objectives and deadlines independently. Ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey financial and payroll information to non-financial stakeholders, including complex topics.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including mentoring team members, leading cross-functional initiatives, and driving process improvements across the organization.
• Experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or broader life sciences industry, ideally with a pre-commercial or clinical-stage company, is required.
• Strong fundamental accounting acumen, comfortable working in debits and credits and reasoning through transactions from first principles, with the ability to build or redesign processes rather than simply follow an established one.
• Public accounting experience (e.g., Big 4 or a national/regional firm) and/or experience working within a publicly traded company is a plus.