ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Job Description : ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PROJECT FINANCE IRELAND The Associate Director, R&D Project Finance is accountable for the integrated financial management of the R&D project portfolio, providing a single, coherent financial view across the full project lifecycle, including early development, clinical trials, CMC, and enabling activities. The role combines financial control, structured planning, and forward-looking insight, ensuring that R&D project financials are both accurate and governed, while also enabling clear, decision-ready analysis to support portfolio-level investment decisions. Operating at the centre of R&D finance, the role drives alignment, consistency, and quality of financial outputs across project finance activities. This includes delivering robust forecasting, scenario analysis, and financial interpretation to support R&D Leadership, Project Teams, and Global Finance in understanding cost drivers, risks, and trade-offs. This is not a traditional business partnering or reporting role. It focuses on ensuring financial integrity while providing integrated insight to support prioritisation and investment decisions across the R&D portfolio. This position has direct line-management accountability for Clinical Trial Finance and Early Development Project Finance teams. Integrated Project Financial Management Ensure consistent and integrated financial management across R&D projects, spanning early development through clinical execution. Drive alignment and integration of financial planning and reporting across R&D projects into a single, coherent project and portfolio-level financial view Financial Control, Governance & Integrity Provide portfolio-level oversight of financial control across R&D projects, ensuring alignment of spend with contracts, policies, and accounting standards. Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of financial outputs, including oversight of accruals and allocations, actuals reporting and close processes and alignment between actuals, forecast, and budget. Maintain a robust control environment, ensuring consistency, compliance, and audit readiness across R&D Project Finance. Performance Insight & Scenario Analysis Deliver clear, decision-ready financial insights across R&D projects, including forecasts and full lifecycle cost views, key cost drivers and trends, and risks and opportunities. Support scenario modelling and financial analysis by providing accurate, integrated project-level financial data and assumptions. Ensure modelling inputs are robust, consistent, and aligned to underlying financial drivers, enabling effective portfolio-level decision-making by R&I and Finance Business Partnering teams. Contribute to the interpretation of modelling outputs, ensuring alignment with financial actuals, forecasts, and project-level realities. Portfolio & Lifecycle Integration Ensure financial alignment across the full R&D lifecycle, connecting early development, clinical trials, CMC, and enabling activities. Provide a single, integrated financial perspective across the R&D portfolio, supporting consistent planning, prioritisation, and decision-making Systems, Data & Financial Interpretation Act as subject matter expert for R&D Project Finance systems (e.g. Oracle), ensuring effective use of structured financial data as the primary source of truth. Inerpret and challenge system-generated outputs, ensuring alignment between operational activity and financial reporting. Translate system-based planning and reporting into meaningful financial insight and decision support. Process Standardisation & Continuous Improvement Drive standardisation and continuous improvement of project finance processes across the R&D organisation. Enhance consistency, transparency, and scalability of financial management practices, supporting efficient and reliable delivery of outputs. Identify opportunities to improve processes and ways of working, reducing manual effort and increasing consistency across projects and teams. Technology, Analytics & AI-Enabled Insight Support the evolution of R&D project finance through improved use of financial systems, automation, advanced analytics and emerging AI capabilities. Apply these capabilities in practical ways to improve forecasting accuracy and consistency, enhance identification of risks, trends, and anomalies and strengthen the quality and timeliness of financial insight. Ensure that technology and AI are used to support better financial management and decision-making, rather than as standalone initiatives. R&D Project Governance & Leadership Act as senior Finance lead across R&D project governance forums, ensuring financial alignment to portfolio decisions and priorities. Provide leadership across Clinical Trial Finance and Early Development Project Finance teams, ensuring, consistency of approach, visibility of performance, and high-quality financial support across the full project lifecycle. Team Leadership & Capability Development Lead and develop the R&D Project Finance team, ensuring high-quality, consistent, and structured outputs. Ensure alignment to enterprise standards and continuous development of team capability. Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Substantial experience in accounting and/or finance related positions. Experience in pharmaceutical or biotech is essential. Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field. MBA or advanced degree is a plus. Advanced financial modeling and analytical skills. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and applicable financial systems and software applications. Knowledge of Oracle is a plus. In-depth knowledge of accounting principles, financial statement analysis, and management reporting. Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills. Strong stakeholder relationship management skills. Strong attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and a results-driven mindset.

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