Associate Director/Director International Accounting and Government Compliance

Who We Are

Flagship Pioneering is a biotechnology company that invents and builds platform companies that change the world. We bring together the greatest scientific minds with entrepreneurial company builders and assemble capital to allow them to take courageous leaps. Those big leaps in human health and sustainability exponentially accelerate scientific progress in areas ranging from cancer detection and treatment to nature-positive agriculture.  

What sets Flagship apart is our ability to advance biotechnology by uniting life science innovation, company creation, and capital investment under one roof in a way that is largely without precedent. Our scientific founders, entrepreneurial leaders, and professional capital managers are each aligned around an institutionalized process that enables us to innovate and transform for the benefit of people and planet.  

Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture. 

Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies.

Position Summary

The Associate Director / Director, International Accounting & Government Compliance will own accounting, compliance, and financial close for Flagship Pioneering’s international subsidiaries, partnering closely with Flagship’s outsourced international service provider, Vistra, to ensure accurate and timely local and consolidated reporting. The role supports Flagship’s continued international expansion, coordinating with outsourced providers, Legal, and HR as new entities and jurisdictions come online, and serves as a key finance partner on international billing and allocations and UK-based equity and compensation matters. The role also has oversight of Flagship’s government contracting entity, acting as the primary financial bridge between Flagship, the portfolio companies performing work under the government contract, and the third-party partners that help facilitate and support that relationship with the government.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on accounting and compliance professional with experience managing multi-entity, multi-jurisdiction financial operations, coordinating outsourced service providers, and partnering cross-functionally across finance, legal, HR, and compensation teams.

Key Responsibilities

Operating Model, Governance & UK Playbook

• Establish the operating playbook for Flagship’s international operations, partnering cross-functionally with Legal, HR, Treasury, Tax, and Compensation on entity structure and setup
• Own accounting and administration for UK-based equity and compensation programs, partnering with the US Compensation team on program design, reporting, and compliance
• Define governance oversight at the Flagship level for international entities, effectively replicating Flagship’s operating and company-creation engine in the UK

International Accounting, Compliance & Financial Close

• Own accounting and compliance for Flagship Pioneering’s international subsidiaries, including financial close, review of local reporting packages, journal entries, and intercompany eliminations
• Ensure accurate and timely recording of transactions in local statutory books and in the parent company’s consolidated financial statements, including proper accounting for foreign currency translation and transactions (CTA, FX gains/losses)
• Own the annual compliance and financial audit process, serving as primary point of contact for external auditors, local statutory advisors, and tax authorities
• Coordinate local statutory audits and tax return filings, and monitor regulatory and compliance requirements across jurisdictions to ensure timely filings
• Maintain internal controls and compliance with Flagship’s accounting policies across international entities
• Own the day-to-day relationship with Vistra, Flagship’s international outsourced support provider, including evaluation and onboarding of new outsourced providers as the international footprint expands
• Partner with Legal and HR on entity setup, registrations, and compliance requirements as new international entities and jurisdictions come online

International Billing & Allocations

• Support international billing and cost allocation processes across Flagship entities
• Partner with Finance Operations team on international billing and allocations, ensuring accuracy and timeliness of intercompany charges

Government Contracting Financial Reporting

• Partner with heads of finance and operational teams at portfolio companies on matters related to Flagship’s government contracting entity
• Develop and maintain aggregated budget-to-actual reports for senior leadership
• Perform close activities for Flagship’s government contracting entity
• Partner with third-party advisors supporting the government contracting relationship, helping facilitate coordination between Flagship and the government

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Legal, HR, Treasury, Tax, and the US Compensation team to support international operations
• Provide ad hoc reporting and analysis to finance leadership on international entity performance and compliance status

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA preferred
• 8+ years of progressive accounting/finance experience, including multi-entity, multi-jurisdiction accounting
• Experience supporting international expansion and new entity setup
• Experience managing outsourced service providers (e.g., Vistra or similar) across multiple countries
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP, with working knowledge of IFRS and local statutory GAAP frameworks
• Experience managing statutory financial audits and tax compliance across international entities
• Experience with foreign currency accounting, consolidations, and intercompany transactions
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration and communication skills; ability to work with both scientists and management
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple entity obligations and deadlines across time zones

Preferred

• Experience in life sciences, biotechnology, venture capital, or a similarly fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
• Experience partnering with compensation teams on the design, reporting, and compliance of UK equity compensation programs (e.g., EMI option schemes)
• Experience with NetSuite or a similar ERP system
• MBA and/or additional international tax or treasury experience a plus

 Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies:  Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates.  The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team.   Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto

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The salary range for this role is $148,000 - $236,500. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Flagship Pioneering currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on Flagship Pioneering's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.