Controller

Salary: $130,000 – $170,000 + equity + PTO (3 weeks + 1 week personal)About Bio Sapien Bio Sapien is a clinical-stage biotech company based in San Diego with operations in Abu Dhabi. We develop Medi Chip, our drug delivery platform, and we are running clinical programs in the UAE and the U.S. We are a lean team at an important point: we're moving from bridge financing toward a Series A. We need finance to be accurate, fast, and ready for investors.

The Role: You will own finance and accounting end to end: the books, payroll, reporting, and the board package. You report directly to the CEO. You are the single source of truth on cash, burn, and runway. This is a hands-on role, and there is no team underneath you yet. You will build the function. What You'll Own Accounting & Close Full-Cycle Accounting: Quick Books Online, including AP, AR, bank and credit card reconciliations, and monthly close by the 10th business day Financial Statements: GAAP-compliant monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements Clinical & R&D Accruals: CRO, site, CMC/manufacturing, and vendor obligations, tracked against contracts and SOWsEquity & Financing: Accounting for SAFEs, bridge financing, and future priced rounds Chart of Accounts: Structured to track spend by program and clinical milestone Intercompany & Foreign Entity Accounting: UAE operations and related intercompany activity Operations Vendor Management: Maintain vendor contracts, track SOWs and change orders, monitor spend against budget, and flag overruns early Purchasing & Approvals: Manage purchase approval and AP workflows that are efficient while maintaining appropriate controls Contractors: Manage consultant payments, contract tracking outside ADP, and year-end 1099sBusiness Systems: Administer and maintain the company’s finance, HR, and operational tools Corporate Records & Insurance: Maintain corporate records and filings for U.S. and UAE entities, and manage insurance renewals and certificates Payroll & Contractors Semi-monthly payroll through ADP, including benefits, deductions, and state and federal filings Contractor and consultant payments, 1099s, and contract tracking outside ADPPayroll tax compliance and year-end W-2 and 1099 processing Cash, Budget & Reporting Cash Forecasting: 13-week cash forecast and monthly runway model Budgeting & Variance Reporting: Operating and clinical budgets, including budget-vs-actual (BvA) variance reporting Committed Costs & Vendor Payments: Track committed costs vs. estimates and the timing of major vendor payments Cross-Functional Budget Management: Work with Clinical, Regulatory, and CMC leads to keep the budget aligned with the development timeline Management Reporting: Monthly financial reporting for the CEOBoard Reporting: Quarterly board materials for the CEO covering financials, burn, runway, BvA, and key financial risks Board & Investor Reporting Quarterly board slides covering financials, burn, runway, budget vs. actuals, and key financial risks Monthly management reporting for the CEOReconciliation of the cap table in Carta against bank activity and Quick Books Data-room financials and diligence support for the Series ACompliance & Controls Audit Readiness: Prepare for the first-year audit and coordinate with external auditors Tax Compliance: Coordinate with the outside CPA on federal and state tax filings, sales/use tax, and the R&D tax credit Internal Controls & Policies: Establish and maintain financial policies and internal controls appropriate for a venture-backed company

What You Bring: Must be based in San DiegoBS in Accounting or Finance. CPA strongly preferred.6+ years of progressive accounting experience, with at least 2 years as a Controller or Assistant Controller Strong command of US GAAPAdvanced Quick Books Online and ADP Workforce Now/Run experience Experience in biotech, pharma, or life sciences, including clinical trial accruals and CRO contracts Venture-backed startup experience, ideally through a financing round and an audit Ability to build board-quality slides and explain the numbers clearly to non-finance leaders Comfort operating without a team: you both do the work and design the system

Nice to have: Big 4 or public accounting background, Carta experience, multi-entity or international accounting (UAE a plus), experience with R&D tax credits. Why Join Direct partnership with the CEO and board exposure from day one Ownership of the finance function at a company approaching its Series AMeaningful equityA chance to help bring a new cancer therapy platform to patients Bio Sapien is an equal opportunity employer.