Associate Director, Finance

About Ardena

Ardena is a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and Contract Research Organization (CRO) specializing in precision medicine development. Ardena supports pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in bringing innovative, complex molecules from discovery to market.

Ardena is a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and Contract Research Organization (CRO) specializing in precision medicine development. Ardena supports pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in bringing innovative, complex molecules from discovery to market.

The Ardena Group operates from five sites across Europe and the United States, employing more than 750 professionals. Ardena European sites are located in Oss and Assen (the Netherlands), Ghent (Belgium), and Pamplona (Spain). Ardena US facility is based in Somerset, New Jersey.

Ardena provides integrated services spanning drug substance development, drug product formulation, GMP manufacturing, bioanalytical services, clinical logistics, fill and finish, and CMC regulatory support.

Ardena is hiring an Associate Director, Finance to join the Finance team at our Somerset, NJ site. This role supports pharmaceutical development and manufacturing activities within a GMP-regulated environment.

As an Associate Director, Finance at Ardena, you will contribute to pharmaceutical development projects by performing scientific, technical, or operational activities within the [Department]. You will work in a regulated pharmaceutical environment, ensuring that all work meets GMP, GxP, and applicable ISO standards.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams including Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Project Management, Production, and other departments across Ardena’s European and US sites.

The Associate Director, Finance provides accounting leadership and strategic financial support for a client-focused contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO). The role oversees financial reporting, planning, P&L performance, project economics, cost accounting, inventory, internal controls, and financial systems. This position partners with site and functional leaders to translate financial and operational data into actionable insights that support compliant execution, profitable growth, and reliable client delivery.

• Lead or oversee monthly, quarterly, and annual close activities, including journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, intercompany transactions, provisions, and management reporting.
• Prepare, review, and analyze financial statements, including the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows.
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of the general ledger and compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), company policies, and internal controls.
• Coordinate audit support, control documentation, and timely resolution of accounting issues and audit requests.
• Oversee applicable accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed asset, treasury, and working capital activities.

• Own or support site and functional P&L analysis, including revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, EBITDA drivers, and performance against plan.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, long-range planning, scenario modeling, and variance analysis.
• Provide clear financial recommendations to senior leaders and explain performance drivers to non-financial stakeholders.
• Partner with Operations, Program Management, Commercial, Supply Chain, Quality, and other functions to improve decision-making, accountability, and financial performance.
• Support capital expenditure proposals, return-on-investment analysis, capacity decisions, and strategic business initiatives.

• Analyze the financial performance of development, analytical, manufacturing, and other client programs, including contract value, revenue, cost, margin, and forecast-to-complete.
• Support project accounting and revenue recognition based on contract terms, deliverables, milestones, and applicable accounting guidance.
• Assess project profitability and financial risk, including scope changes, delays, material usage, external costs, labor utilization, and unbilled or deferred balances.
• Monitor and report relevant CDMO operating indicators, such as backlog conversion, capacity utilization, labor recovery, throughput, project margin, inventory exposure, and working capital.
• Partner with Commercial and Program Management teams on pricing models, proposals, contract economics, change orders, and customer financial reviews.
• Support financial analysis for technology transfers, scale-up activities, new service offerings, equipment investments, and site expansion.

• Oversee or support standard costing, job and project costing, inventory valuation,…