Vice President, Finance

Lund, Sweden

BRIEF COMPANY PROFILE
Our client is a pioneering commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company on a mission to develop and commercialize innovative and life-altering treatments for patients with rare diseases. The company’s ambition is to become a leading player in the rare disease space by expertly leveraging their unique and proprietary antibody technology. The evolution to a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company rests on a strong technology platform – the growth engine of the current and future pipeline. From discovery and development to commercialization, the intention is to retain strategic control and capture much of the economic upside generated. With a workforce of 160+ employees engulfing over 30 different nationalities, our client is determined to unfold the richness of cultural and ethnic diversity ensuring that the company can bring a rich variety of perspectives, approaches, and solutions to any problem they encounter. The company also values and promotes equality and inclusion in their workforce and across their global leadership.

THE POSITION
As the company is continuing to expand their global presence, our client is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Vice President, Finance to join their team. The Vice President, Finance will play a critical role in the organization, overseeing financial operations, reporting, and strategic planning. This role requires a deep understanding of both IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) and U.S. GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) reporting standards, as well as the ability to effectively lead a team primarily located in Sweden. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in the strategic growth and success of a commercial-stage biotech company as it transitions to the public markets.

POSITION PROFILE
Position title:	Vice President, Finance.

Reporting line:	CFO.

Reporting to the position:	7 (of which 2 are dotted line)

Location:	Lund, Sweden

Traveling:	The company offers a hybrid way of working; the position requires close collaboration and networking; preferably on-site 3 - 4 days per week.

Responsibilities & Tasks:	Financial Reporting: Leading the preparation and analysis of financial statements in accordance with both IFRS and U.S. GAAP standards. Ensuring accuracy, completeness, and compliance with regulatory requirement. Strategic Planning: Collaborating with executive leadership to develop financial strategies and forecasts to support business objectives and long-term growth initiative. Budgeting & Forecasting: Overseeing the budgeting process and monitoring performance against financial targets. Providing insights and recommendations to optimize financial performance and resource allocation. Risk Management: Identifying and assessing financial risks and opportunities. Developing strategies to mitigate risks and capitalize on opportunities to enhance shareholder value. Compliance: Ensuring compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and accounting principles. Staying informed of changes in regulatory requirements and industry standards. Team Leadership: Leading and mentoring a team of finance professionals, in adherence to our client’s leadership behaviors. Providing guidance, support, and professional development opportunities to foster a high-performing and empowered team in a collaborative work environment. Cross-functional Collaboration: Partnering with other departments, including legal, tax, and operations, to drive cross-functional initiatives and achieve business objectives. Financial Systems and Processes: Evaluating and optimizing financial systems, processes, and controls to streamline operations and improve efficiency. Initial Public Offering (IPO) Readiness: Leading the financial planning and preparation for the company's Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the U.S. This includes coordinating with external auditors, legal counsel, and investment bankers to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and maximize valuation. SEC Reporting: Overseeing the preparation and filing of required documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including registration statements, periodic reports (e.g., Form 10-K, Form 10-Q), and other disclosures. Ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with SEC regulations. Biotech Industry Expertise: Leveraging specialized knowledge of the biotech industry to provide financial insights and guidance specific to commercial-stage biotech companies. Understanding the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in the biotech sector and developing strategies to drive sustainable growth and value creation.

Key success criteria:	Ensuring an efficient financial operations-, reporting-, and strategic planning- set-up with metrics tied to it and continuously developing and monitoring control systems that are designed to preserve company assets and report accurate financial results. Successfully leading and coordinating high-quality communication and reporting through robust controlling, reporting, planning and risk management processes. Living up to our client’s leadership competencies: Lead by example. Be empathic. Be brave. Ensuring continuous compliance to the Group’s corporate strategies. Building and sustaining excellent relationships at multiple levels throughout the organization and the external stakeholder landscape – hereunder with investors etc.

CANDIDATE PROFILE
Educational background:	Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Language:	Fluency in English (verbally and written)

Ideal experience:	Multiple years of experience with leading a finance function in a biotechnology/ biopharma setting. Extensive experience (10+ years) in financial management, with a focus on external reporting and analysis. Proven expertise in both IFRS and U.S. (and Swedish) GAAP reporting standards including quarterly and annual U.S. SEC reporting standards. Experience working in a publicly listed company. Proven experience leading financial activities for companies undergoing IPOs or other public offerings in the U.S. Preferably big four (PWC, KPMG, D&T, EY) experience in Public Accounting or equivalent professional certification. SEC quarterly and annual filings experience in the U.S. or Europe (ADRs/ADS) which includes: PCAOB (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Standards) European filings under American Depository Receipts (ADR)/Shares (ADS) quarterly and annual reports European IFRS filing experience (Sweden would be good) IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) IAS (International Accounting Standards) Sweden would be good but not necessary

Personal & leadership competencies:	Strategic Defines a clear vision. Strategic mindset with a track record of driving results and implementing process improvements. Looks beyond the immediate difficulties and focuses on the far-reaching consequences; sees things in a broad perspective; takes tendencies in the environment into account when planning and developing strategies. Communication Has solid communication skills both towards colleagues and external collaborators. Excellent technical writing and verbal communication skills with a high level of proficiency in English. Produces written material that is clear, fluent, engaging, and easy to understand. Has excellent cross-cultural communication and presentation skills and communicates the central issues in a discussion in a clear, fluent, and precise manner. Stakeholder management Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with internal and external stakeholders. Possesses a proactive mindset and navigates smoothly across multiple organizational layers of stakeholders. Is able to establish and maintain relations with people at all levels – internally and externally – and makes people feel at ease. Inspiration and motivation Self-motivated do-er who inspires others, encourages the achievement of set goals by promoting a sense of purpose, provides inspiration for a positive work attitude, and prompts a strong wish to succeed in the team. Take control/responsibility Makes sure employees/co-workers have a clear understanding of the direction of the tasks; takes action; organizes resources and directs others toward successful execution of the tasks; drives projects forward to reach pivotal objectives; makes things happen and follows through. Judgment Makes rational, realistic, and sound decisions based on the involvement of available facts and possibilities. Is able to make the right decisions. Intercultural understanding  Able to communicate with people from other cultures, notices and relates to problems as seen from other cultures' perspective. Team player Collaborates; works well with others with a view to obtain the team's objectives; shares information; supports others. Analysis Excellent analytical skills and an understanding of data structure. Divides problems into relevant parts; integrates the analytical output into the given context; differentiates between key areas and irrelevant and less important areas; has a logical mindset; makes sensible decisions based on the available information. Structure Works systematically; organizes work and effort; is methodical in one's performance; holds on to commenced tasks and projects. Inspiration and motivation Self-motivated do-er who inspires others, encourages the achievement of set goals by promoting a sense of purpose, provides inspiration for a positive work attitude, and prompts a strong wish to succeed in the team. Take control/responsibility Makes sure employees/co-workers have a clear understanding of the direction of the tasks; takes action; organizes resources and directs others toward successful execution of the tasks; drives projects forward to reach pivotal objectives; makes things happen and follows through. Judgment Makes rational, realistic, and sound decisions based on the involvement of available facts and possibilities. Is able to make the right decisions. Intercultural understanding  Able to communicate with people from other cultures, notices and relates to problems as seen from other cultures' perspective. Team player Collaborates; works well with others with a view to obtain the team's objectives; shares information; supports others. Analysis Excellent analytical skills and an understanding of data structure. Divides problems into relevant parts; integrates the analytical output into the given context; differentiates between key areas and irrelevant and less important areas; has a logical mindset; makes sensible decisions based on the available information. Structure Works systematically; organizes work and effort; is methodical in one's performance; holds on to commenced tasks and projects.

Vice President, Finance

BRIEF COMPANY PROFILE

THE POSITION

POSITION PROFILE

CANDIDATE PROFILE

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