Senior Staff Accountant

Remote (United States)

Job Details

Location: United States

Workplace: Remote

Employment Type: Full-time

Experience: 5-7+ years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 2 years in CRO, biotech, or pharmaceutical sectors

Core Areas: Revenue Recognition, ASC 606 Compliance, NetSuite Advanced Revenue Management (ARM), General Ledger Accounting, Month-End Close, Accounts Payable and Receivable, Financial Statement Audits, Internal Controls

Compensation: $130,000–$150,000 annually, plus equity

About the Role

This Senior Staff Accountant opportunity focuses on maintaining accurate financial records, managing complex revenue recognition processes, and supporting financial reporting and audit readiness. The position owns day-to-day revenue accounting, applies ASC 606 to multi-element clinical trial contracts, manages revenue arrangements and schedules in NetSuite Advanced Revenue Management (ARM), and performs hands-on general ledger accounting, reconciliations, and month-end close activities.

Reporting to the VP of Financial Operations, this individual-contributor role requires substantial accounting experience in Contract Research Organization (CRO), biotechnology, or pharmaceutical environments. Responsibilities include accounting for clinical trial milestones, coordinating independent financial statement audits, managing accounts payable and receivable, and improving financial controls and accounting workflows. The role involves direct collaboration with Project Management, Clinical Operations, Commercial, FP&A, Legal, and external audit professionals.

What You'll Do

Revenue Accounting & ASC 606 Compliance

• Manage revenue recognition configurations, rules, and arrangements within NetSuite Advanced Revenue Management (ARM), including revenue arrangement setup, allocation, and schedule maintenance.
• Apply ASC 606 revenue recognition requirements to complex, multi-element contracts in CRO and pharmaceutical environments, including milestone payments, pass-through costs, and upfront fees.
• Manage revenue recognition across clinical trial service configurations, including planning, recruitment, study conduct/eSource, and Phase 4 services.
• Review customer contracts and work orders to determine appropriate accounting treatment, revenue allocation, and recognition schedules.
• Ensure new contracts, amendments, pricing changes, and service configurations are accurately reflected in accounting records.
• Monitor project progress, units of service, investigator fees, and clinical trial milestones to align monthly revenue recognition with actual project activity.

Financial Reporting & Month-End Close

• Prepare and post month-end journal entries for deferred revenue, accrued revenue, unbilled receivables, and other closing activities, maintaining supporting accounting schedules.
• Reconcile complex balance sheet accounts, including deferred revenue, unbilled receivables, and accounts receivable.
• Investigate variances between NetSuite ARM output and the general ledger, identify discrepancies, and resolve reconciliation issues.
• Perform monthly flux and variance analysis for revenue and cost of goods sold (COGS) to support management reporting.
• Manage accounts receivable, customer billing, and collections analysis, including monitoring outstanding balances against billing schedules and standard days sales outstanding (DSO) terms.
• Oversee accounts payable workflows and vendor payments through RAMP, ensuring compliance with procurement requirements and appropriate transaction coding, approvals, and documentation.

Financial Statement Audits & Internal Controls

• Serve as a primary accounting contact for independent financial statement audits, coordinating audit planning, timelines, and deliverables with the CFO, Associate Director of Finance and Accounting, and external auditors.
• Prepare audit-ready accounting schedules, prepared-by-client (PBC) documentation, financial records, and system reports for quarterly and year-end audits.
• Support the design, documentation, implementation, and ongoing operation of internal controls over financial reporting.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen accounting processes, financial controls, and documentation as the finance function scales.
• Use RAMP to administer accounts payable processes, procurement approvals, and spending controls while ensuring transactions are properly authorized and supported.
• Contribute to financial statement preparation, footnote disclosures, and supporting audit workpapers.

Accounting Systems, Process Improvement & Collaboration

• Work with NetSuite administrators and third-party implementation partners to optimize Advanced Revenue Management functionality and automated accounting workflows.
• Investigate accounting system errors, troubleshoot NetSuite ARM issues, and improve the reliability of revenue recognition processes.
• Collaborate with Project Management, Clinical Operations, Commercial, FP&A, and Legal teams to track contract modifications, change orders, and project timelines affecting accounting treatment.
• Complete ad hoc accounting assignments and process improvement initiatives as financial systems, controls, and business operations evolve.
• Maintain direct ownership of accounting deliverables through hands-on execution rather than delegation or supervisory review.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 5–7+ years of progressive professional accounting experience, including at least 2 years in Contract Research Organization (CRO), biotechnology, or pharmaceutical environments.
• Advanced hands-on experience with NetSuite, including direct operational experience using the NetSuite Advanced Revenue Management (ARM) module.
• Practical experience applying ASC 606 revenue recognition requirements to complex service contracts, including milestone payments, pass-through costs, upfront fees, and multi-element revenue arrangements.
• Experience with RAMP or a comparable spend management or accounts payable automation platform.
• Direct experience supporting or managing year-end financial statement audits conducted by an independent audit firm.
• Experience with complex revenue arrangements in life sciences, clinical research, healthcare services, or other services-based business environments.
• Experience working in a scaling or high-growth organization with evolving accounting systems, processes, and financial controls.

Required Skills

• Strong technical accounting expertise in ASC 606, revenue recognition, contract accounting, and financial reporting for complex service arrangements.
• Advanced proficiency in NetSuite ARM revenue arrangements, recognition rules, allocations, schedules, and reconciliation with the general ledger.
• Ability to prepare and review journal entries, reconcile complex balance sheet accounts, and manage month-end accounting activities accurately.
• Strong analytical capabilities, including reconciliation of large datasets across accounting systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms.
• Ability to manage accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing, collections analysis, and related financial processes.
• Knowledge of financial statement audit requirements, audit documentation, supporting schedules, and internal controls over financial reporting.
• Exceptional attention to detail, critical analysis, and problem-solving skills when identifying and resolving accounting discrepancies.
• Ability to independently execute complex accounting responsibilities in a hands-on individual-contributor role.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical accounting concepts to non-accounting stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across finance, project management, clinical operations, commercial, and legal functions.

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license required.