Senior Accountant

About Formation Bio

Formation Bio is a tech and AI driven pharma company differentiated by radically more efficient drug development.

Advancements in AI and drug discovery are creating more candidate drugs than the industry can progress because of the high cost and time of clinical trials. Recognizing that this development bottleneck may ultimately limit the number of new medicines that can reach patients, Formation Bio, founded in 2016 as TrialSpark Inc., has built technology platforms, processes, and capabilities to accelerate all aspects of drug development and clinical trials. Formation Bio partners, acquires, or in-licenses drugs from pharma companies, research organizations, and biotechs to develop programs past clinical proof of concept and beyond, ultimately helping to bring new medicines to patients. The company is backed by investors across pharma and tech, including a16z, Sequoia, Sanofi, Thrive Capital, Sam Altman, John Doerr, Spark Capital, SV Angel Growth, and others.

You can read more at the following links:

At Formation Bio, our values are the driving force behind our mission to revolutionize the pharma industry. Every team and individual at the company shares these same values, and every team and individual plays a key part in our mission to bring new treatments to patients faster and more efficiently.

About the role

Formation Bio is seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Senior Accountant to join our Finance team. This role is designed for someone who thrives in a lean, fast-paced environment and is motivated by the opportunity to take ownership of several critical finance functions. It is unique in that it combines core accounting responsibilities with payroll and equity management, providing exposure across multiple high-impact areas of Finance.

The Senior Accountant will be responsible for owning payroll operations and equity administration while also contributing to the accounting close processes. The ideal candidate is excited by the opportunity to manage both the precision required in payroll and equity and the analytical rigor of accounting and treasury. This individual will play a key role in maintaining accurate financial records, preparing audit-ready schedules, and driving process improvements that enhance scalability and compliance.

This is a full-time role that blends the reliability and structure of payroll and equity administration with the expertise needed in accounting, audit readiness, and treasury. The Senior Accountant will help ensure Formation Bio’s Finance function continues to scale effectively, providing critical support for the company’s growth.

Responsibilities

Payroll Ownership

• Own and manage semi-monthly U.S. payroll processing via ADP Workforce Now.


• Partner with the People team and ADP to ensure accurate setup, onboarding/offboarding, tax compliance, and jurisdiction registrations and filings.


• Perform reconciliations, compliance checks, and year-end reporting (e.g., W-2s, 941s).


• Independently resolve complex or novel payroll issues (e.g., multi-state nexus, imputed income, fringe benefits), documenting processes for scalability.

Equity Administration

• Administer the company’s equity program in Carta, including grants, exercises, and terminations.


• Maintain an accurate cap table and support stock-based compensation accounting.


• Partner with Legal and external advisors to ensure compliance with equity plans and related reporting.

Accounting & Audit Preparation

• Prepare audit-ready schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documentation.


• Contribute to the accounting close process, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.


• Collaborate cross-functionally to support accurate financial reporting and strengthen internal controls.

Treasury & Cash Reporting

• Maintain cash reporting and forecasting to provide leadership with visibility into liquidity.


• Support treasury activities, including monitoring balances and bank reconciliations.


• Identify and implement process and system improvements to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability across Finance.

About You

• 4–6+ years of progressive accounting experience, preferably in a mix of public accounting and in-house roles.


• 3+ years of U.S. payroll management experience, ideally in multi-state environments.


• Proficiency with ADP Workforce Now (required).


• Deep understanding of payroll taxes, benefit deductions, and fringe items.


• Ability to independently resolve complex payroll issues and propose scalable solutions.


• Experience with equity administration (Carta strongly preferred).


• Strong technical accounting knowledge (GAAP) and experience with month-end close.


• Proficiency with other finance systems such as ERP/workflow tools (e.g., NetSuite, FloQast, Zip, Navan).


• Strong Excel/Google Sheets skills; comfort with reconciliations and complex data analysis.


• Experience working in a startup or fast-paced environment.


• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and self-directed, with excellent communication skills.

This role is based in our New York City office. Please only apply if you reside in a commutable distance or are willing to relocate.

Compensation:

The target salary range for this role is: $100,000 - $125,000.

Salary ranges are informed by a number of factors including geographic location. The range provided includes base salary only. In addition to base salary, we offer equity, comprehensive benefits, generous perks, hybrid flexibility, and more. If this range doesn't match your expectations, please still apply because we may have something else for you.

You will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

#LI-hybrid