Chief Financial Officer

THE ROLE

Kumquat Biosciences is a San Diego biotech company focused on translating breakthrough science into novel therapeutics. Kumquat is led by a team of pioneers with decades of success in developing cutting-edge cancer therapeutics, including the first to successfully demonstrate that KRAS is druggable. Since its founding in 2019, Kumquat has built a diverse pipeline of high-value assets across oncology and immunology/inflammation. 

Bayer, Takeda, and Eli Lilly have all partnered with us. The pipeline is built deliberately so that no single candidate carries the company.

We are hiring our Chief Financial Officer. You will inherit a capable finance and accounting team, and you will shape everything around them: the capital strategy, the planning discipline, the control environment, and how investors come to understand our science.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

• Capital strategy and financing. Design and execute the financing roadmap across private and public markets: equity, structured and non-dilutive capital, and partnership-derived funding. Build the relationships that make those transactions possible well before we need them.
• Planning and capital allocation. Own the long-range plan, the operating budget, and the runway analysis that drive program prioritization. Bring rigor to the portfolio trade-offs so decisions rest on defensible numbers.
• Accounting, controls, and reporting. Oversee accounting, tax, treasury, and financial reporting under US GAAP. Maintain audit-ready records meeting PCAOB standards, and build the systems, controls, and documentation the Company will need as its reporting obligations grow.
• Team and organization. Lead, grow, and develop the finance organization. Partner closely with the Controller already in place, hire ahead of need, set clear objectives and standards, and build the kind of team strong finance people want to join.
• Investors and the Board. Serve as a principal voice to institutional investors, research analysts, and banking partners. Prepare and present to the Board and Audit Committee and help evolve governance practices as the Company scales.
• Business development. Lead financial structuring, diligence, and negotiation support on licensing, collaboration, and acquisition opportunities.
• People, IT, and facilities. Provide executive oversight of human resources, information technology, and facilities. Each function is led by an experienced specialist. You set direction, resource them properly, hold them to clear standards, and connect their plans to the Company's. You will not be running them day to day.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THE FIRST 18 MONTHS

• A long-range plan and operating model the executive team and Board actually use when making portfolio decisions.
• A financing strategy with a clear sequence and funded runway through the next set of Phase 1 data readouts.
• A close process, control environment, and audit posture that would withstand outside scrutiny.
• A finance team structured for where the Company is going, with the critical hires made.
• An established operating cadence with the HR, IT, and facilities functions, including agreed priorities, approved budgets, and defined performance expectations for each.
• Investor and banking relationships established ahead of the moment we need them.

WHAT YOU BRING

• 10+ years across investment banking and the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry, including a senior finance leadership role.
• Investment banking experience in a healthcare or life sciences coverage group, with a track record of executed equity and/or debt transactions.
• Operating experience inside a biotechnology company, ideally clinical-stage. You know what drug development costs, how long it takes, and how often the plan has to change.
• Demonstrated success leading financings from strategy through close.
• Understanding  of US GAAP, the audit process, and SEC reporting requirements.
• Experience building and leading finance and accounting teams.
• Experience overseeing functions outside of finance, such as HR, IT, or facilities, through capable functional leads.
• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, economics, or a related field. MBA and/or CPA preferred.

ALSO VALUABLE

• Prior participation in an initial public offering, reverse merger, or comparable transaction.
• Prior participation in a successful M & A transaction.
• Experience preparing a private company to meet public company reporting, control, and governance standards, including Sarbanes-Oxley readiness.
• Experience building or running an investor relations function.
• Established relationships with institutional healthcare investors and equity research analysts.
• Familiarity with oncology and/or immunology & inflammation.

HOW YOU WORK

• Collaborative. You work alongside the research and clinical teams. Scientists trust your numbers because you took the time to understand their programs.
• Candid. You give the CEO and the Board a clear, honest read of the numbers, so they always know where things stand and can act early.
• Comfortable with uncertainty. Clinical timelines move and financing windows open and close. You plan in ranges and scenarios, not single points.
• Hands-on. At our size, the CFO builds the model as well as presents it.

COMPENSATION AND LOCATION

This position is based in San Diego, California.

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $375k – $ 450k, plus annual bonus and equity. Final compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

Kumquat Biosciences is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities; please contact [email protected] to request accommodation.