Senior Manager / Associate Director, Cost Accounting at Orca Bio – Menlo Park, California

Senior Manager / Associate Director, Cost Accounting

More than one million people in the United States today are fighting blood cancer. While a traditional allogeneic stem cell transplant has been the best hope for many, the transplant itself can prove fatal or lead to serious conditions, such as graft vs. host disease. Orca Bio is a late-stage biotechnology company redefining the transplant process by developing next-generation cell therapies with the goal of providing significantly better survival rates with dramatically fewer risks. With our purified, high-precision investigational cell therapies we hope to not only replace patients' blood and immune systems with healthy ones, but also restore their lives.
The Senior Manager / Associate Director, Cost Accounting will lead cost accounting activities for manufacturing and operational functions within a biotechnology or pharmaceutical organization. This role is responsible for overseeing product costing, inventory valuation, COGS reporting, and cost-related controls, while supporting business scaling from clinical-stage through commercialization. The position requires strong leadership, cross-functional partnership, and deep expertise in manufacturing cost structures.Essential Duties & Key Responsibilities

• Cost Accounting & Analysis
• Develop, own and oversee standard costing, variance analysis, and cost allocations across manufacturing operations
• Establish and maintain cost accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls
• Lead and review monthly close activities related to inventory, COGS, and manufacturing variances
• Support cost-of-goods-sold (COGS) analysis for clinical and commercial products

• Inventory & Manufacturing Accounting
• Maintain accurate inventory valuation for raw materials, WIP, and finished goods
• Account for complex manufacturing processes, including batch-based and patient-specific production, where applicable
• Partner with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and R&D to understand cost drivers and improve cost accuracy
• Lead physical inventory counts and cycle count programs
• Ensure proper capitalization and expensing of manufacturing-related costs

• Financial Reporting & Compliance
• Support monthly close activities related to inventory, COGS, and manufacturing variances
• Ensure compliance with GAAP, SOX (if applicable), and internal controls
• Assist with audit requests related to inventory, cost accounting, and manufacturing transactions
• Support implementation and maintenance of ERP and cost accounting systems
• Serve as a primary point of contact for auditors on cost accounting and inventory-related matters

• Budgeting & Forecasting
• Assist in manufacturing cost forecasts and annual budgets
• Monitor actual costs versus budget and provide variance analysis
• Support long-range planning related to scale-up, tech transfer, and commercialization

Minimum Experience, Education, Certifications, Licenses

• Bachelors degree in accounting, Finance, or related field
• 5+ years of progressive cost accounting experience in a manufacturing, biotech, or pharmaceutical environment
• Strong understanding of standard costing, inventory accounting, and variance analysis
• Experience working with ERP systems NetSuite is highly desirable
• Strong Excel skills and data analysis capabilities
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work cross-functionally with manufacturing and operations teams
• High attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in cell therapy, gene therapy, or biologics manufacturing
• Knowledge of GMP manufacturing environments
• CPA preferred but not required
• Experience supporting clinical stage to commercial transition

The anticipated annual salary range for this job is based on prior experience in the role/industry, education, location, internal equity, and other job-related factors as permitted by law. For remote-based positions, this range may vary based on your local market. You will also be eligible to receive pre-IPO equity, in addition to competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, PTO, 401(k) plan, life and accidental death and disability coverage, and parental leave benefits. Other perks include subsidized daily lunches and snacks at our on-site locations.
Who we are
We are driven by a passion for science and compassion for patients. We act with urgency to ensure our treatments are one day accessible to all who need them.
We live by our core values of passion, courage, and integrity. Excellence in our work means the chance to unlock a better quality of life for our patients, and with that comes tremendous responsibility.
We innovate on a path that hasnt been paved. We embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and take calculated risks to achieve our mission. We arent afraid to ask why not and challenge the status quo.
We maintain a start-up culture of camaraderie and leadership by example, regardless of title.
Were proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and recognize that celebrating our differences creates stronger, lasting solutions that better serve our team, our patients and their healthcare providers.
Notice to staffing firms
Orca Bio does not accept resumes from staffing agencies with which we do not have a written agreement and specific engagement for a particular opening. Our employment activities, inquiries and offers are managed through our HR/Talent team, and all candidates are presented through this channel only. We do not accept unsolicited resumes, and we rarely outsource recruitment.
$155,000 - $200,000 a year