Senior Director, Financial Planning and Analysis

Be a hero for our rare disease patients. At Ultragenyx, we fundamentally believe that taking real impactful action to care for the needs of patients and our people is always the right thing to do. To achieve this goal, our vision is to lead the future of rare disease medicine. For us, this means going where other biopharma companies won’t go – challenging the status quo and creating a new model that advances our field so more patients and caregivers can benefit from life‑changing treatments.

We do this by following the science, applying a novel rapid development approach, making innovative medicines at fair and reasonable prices, and creating a collaborative ecosystem to reach patients in ways that are most meaningful for them.

ultra dedicated – Your biggest challenges yield rare possibilities. The Senior Director, FP&A will be a key business partner to Ultragenyx’s Development organization, with primary responsibility for strengthening financial governance, budget transparency, and accrual rigor across development activities. The position supports the Chief Medical Officer and senior Development leadership by enabling a clear, consistent understanding of spend to date, remaining budget, and forward‑looking financial exposure across clinical and non‑clinical functions.

The role combines hands‑on analytical execution with executive‑level financial storytelling to improve confidence, decision‑making, and stewardship across the development portfolio.

Flex:
This role will typically require onsite work 2-3 days each week, or more depending on business needs. In many locations, the business will set certain days each week that Flex employees are required to be onsite.

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with Development leadership and operational stakeholders, serving as a trusted finance partner embedded in clinical study governance, financial oversight, and execution forums.
• Provide hands‑on financial support to Program Teams and Development functions by reviewing invoices, tracking actual spend, and identifying total and remaining budget at the study, program, and functional levels.
• Lead clinical trial cost modeling, including scenario planning and sensitivity analyses, clearly explaining cost drivers related to study design, timelines, enrollment assumptions, and execution strategies.
• Perform regular budget‑to‑actual analyses across clinical and non‑clinical Development activities, synthesizing account‑level, vendor‑level, and study‑level variances into concise, decision‑oriented insights.
• Deliver clear, actionable financial updates on spend, forecast changes, risks, and opportunities to minimize surprises and strengthen confidence in Development financial outlooks.
• Partner with Accounting and operational teams to support Development accrual processes, ensuring assumptions are timely, well‑documented, and aligned with underlying operational activity.
• Lead financial communications related to clinical trials and broader Development spend, including inputs to executive‑level readouts, portfolio reviews, and CMO‑level presentations.
• Support annual planning and in‑year reforecasting cycles by reviewing business‑generated forecasts, assessing reasonableness, and providing Development‑wide financial context and challenge.
• Design, implement, and continuously improve financial tools, reporting, and processes that enhance budget visibility, accrual understanding, and financial fluency across Development teams.
• Balance near‑term execution and stewardship of existing processes with a longer‑term focus on strengthening governance frameworks, standardization, and transparency across Development financial management.

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related discipline; MBA, CPA, or advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in FP&A, finance, or financial management supporting R&D or development organizations within the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or life sciences industry.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with Development teams, including Clinical Operations and non‑clinical functions such as…