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Salary: USD 217,000 - 231,000 / annual
insitro is a physical AI company using machine learning and cellular data to decode biology and accelerate drug discovery. The company has raised over $700M and is advancing programs in metabolic disease and neuroscience toward the clinic.
You will be the Director of Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting, a senior individual contributor role reporting to the SVP of Accounting & Financial Operations. This is a hands-on ownership position where you will be the company's technical accounting expert and lead financial reporting as insitro scales toward public markets.
Key responsibilities include:
**Financial Reporting:** Own the annual audit and US GAAP financial statements, serve as primary contact for external auditors, lead the Disclosure Committee, and prepare Executive and Board materials.
**Technical Accounting & Policy:** Lead research on complex transactions including ASC 606/808 pharma collaboration revenue, ASC 842 leases, and equity instruments. Evaluate accounting for preclinical and clinical activities as programs advance. Partner early with Corporate Development and Legal on partnerships and financings. Serve as liaison to tax advisors and develop/maintain US GAAP accounting policies.
**Equity, Valuation & Compliance:** Own ASC 718 stock-based compensation accounting and reporting. Partner with third-party valuation advisors on 409A valuations. Oversee statutory reporting and local compliance for international subsidiaries. Support annual insurance renewals.
**Controls, Scale & AI:** Design processes and internal controls for scale. Lead SOX program planning and implementation. Deploy Claude and other AI tools across reporting and technical accounting workflows. Provide clear accounting guidance to non-accountants. Grow the function toward public-company readiness, including SEC reporting (S-1, 10-Q, 10-K).
You will work onsite three days per week as part of a hybrid model at the South San Francisco headquarters. The finance team is lean, collaborative, and rebuilding workflows with AI tools. You will have visibility across transactions from contract through financial statements and partner closely with Strategic Finance, Corporate Development, and Legal.
**Requirements:**
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
- 8–12+ years of relevant experience, preferably a mix of Big 4 public accounting and public company experience, ideally in biotech or life sciences
- Active CPA license
- Deep, practical command of US GAAP and financial reporting with track record of authoring accounting positions that withstand auditor scrutiny
- Experience with accounting and disclosures for preclinical and clinical-stage biotech activities, including R&D and clinical trial accruals
- Hands-on experience owning audited financial statements and footnote disclosures and working directly with external auditors
- Hands-on experience using Claude and other AI tools to build or improve accounting and reporting workflows
**Preferred Qualifications:**
- Experience accounting for collaboration and licensing agreements with pharma partners (upfront payments, milestones, variable consideration)
- Experience with ASC 718 award modifications and 409A valuations, including working with third-party valuation firms
- Strong familiarity with R&D tax credits, Section 382 analysis, and tax considerations for international equity grants
- Experience with statutory reporting, local compliance, and transfer pricing for foreign subsidiaries
- Private-to-public experience, ideally including taking a company through an IPO, and with SEC reporting or SOX implementation
- Experience with Oracle Cloud ERP, Carta or similar equity systems, Workiva or equivalent reporting tools, advanced Excel and G-Suite skills
