Associate Director of Finance

Peptone is building a Product Engine to generate small-molecule drug candidates against intrinsically disordered proteins. Our Product Engine reads the physics of disordered proteins and models it with AI, combining measured ensemble biology with experimental physics, computation and translational work. We use those insights to design small-molecule drug candidates for hard-to-treat cancers, with a shared evidence loop which can span multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology and inflammation, and CNS.

Our interdisciplinary team spans academic science and pharmaceutical research, connecting measured protein dynamics with experimentally grounded models, candidate design and biological validation. We are growing across Switzerland, the UK and the US as our programs move toward IND-enabling work and the clinic.

Peptone is backed by F-Prime Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Hoxton Ventures, Walden Catalyst, the Banga Family Trust and Taplow Blue Capital.

Delivering first-in-class medicines for better patient outcomes is our obsession. Translating biophysics of intrinsic protein disorder to generate de novo therapeutics is our passion.

We are hiring our first US finance leader to own our US accounting and compliance, and to produce our monthly group consolidation and month-end pack. Your initial priorities will be to establish a reliable US close, deliver the group consolidation on schedule, and build a consistent approach to R&D accruals and budget-versus-actual reporting.

You will be hands‑on in the US close and own the total consolidation, with support from the outsourced US accounting firm on selected activities. You will also work with our US tax advisers and auditors, and bring R&D and clinical trial accruals in‑house as our programs move toward the clinic.

Alongside the core role, you will help our Executive Director of Finance with budget-versus-actual reporting, discussing variances with budget owners and supporting routine forecast updates. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in other projects as Peptone grows, including (but not limited to) system implementations, AI use within the finance function, and Swiss and UK audits and accounting.

• Own the relationship with our outsourced US accounting firm: setting scope and deadlines, reviewing their work, and holding them to quality and timeliness
• Own the quality of the US books and month‑end, with the firm processing and you reviewing and approving
• Assess whether the firm remains the right fit as we grow, and lead a change of provider if needed

• Work with our US tax advisers on all required federal and state filings, maintaining a US tax compliance calendar
• Coordinate with tax advisers to identify, document and support applicable R&D tax credit claims

• Prepare for and manage audits as and when they are required, and keep the US books audit‑ready with clear schedules, policies and controls

• Produce the monthly group consolidation across our US, UK, Swiss and Italian entities under US GAAP, including intercompany eliminations and currency translation
• Deliver a month‑end pack for review by our Executive Director of Finance, to an agreed timetable
• Bring R&D and clinical trial accruals in‑house: milestone‑ and enrollment‑based accruals, CRO and investigator invoice recognition, and pass‑through cost tracking, working directly with program leads
• Own project‑level accounting so program costs are tracked accurately and consistently

• Act as the local finance contact for US budget holders, running budget‑versus‑actual conversations and challenging spend that…