Senior Manager, Operational Accounting

Company: Lyell Immunopharma

Using living cells to treat – and sometimes even cure – cancer is one of the most dramatic advances in modern medicine. Patients with hematologic malignancies have been successfully treated with cell therapies. However, these profound results have not yet been achieved in patients with solid tumors, representing approximately 90% of all cancers. And for patients with hematologic malignancies, there is a need for next-generation cell therapies that can deliver increased response rates and longer duration of response. We are a clinical-stage company advancing a pipeline of next-generation CAR T-cell therapies for patients with solid tumors or hematologic malignancies. Lyell’s product candidates are enhanced with novel technology designed to generate T cells that resist exhaustion and have qualities of durable stemness in order to drive durable tumor cytotoxicity and achieve consistent and long-lasting clinical response. We were founded by cell therapy pioneers whose decades of research elevated the broader understanding of T-cell biology and its interaction with cancer. In our quest to advance next-generation CAR T-cell therapies, we have built a fully integrated company capable of discovering new technologies, translating science into therapies, manufacturing cell therapy products, and clinically evaluating them in patients. Our culture is based on Science, Respect, Collaboration, and Courage and reflects who we are, the environment we create, and our mission's urgency. This role is a hybrid role and is based out of our South San Francisco, California office.

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Operational Accounting is a senior-level individual contributor role within the accounting organization. This position requires an experienced accounting professional who can independently manage various areas of the accounting cycle, apply solid understanding of accounting and technical knowledge, and ensure accuracy and completeness across critical accounting processes. Reporting to the Sr. Director of Accounting, this role partners with cross-functional teams and external service providers while taking full ownership of assigned responsibilities. The ideal candidate combines a hands-on approach with senior-level expertise, consistently delivering work that is complete and accurate, reliable and audit-ready. While the current scope is that of an independent contributor, the role may expand in the future to include new areas and oversight of others as the organization grows.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the day-to-day accounting and monthly close activities for assigned areas (e.g., prepaid expenses, fixed assets, accruals, international subsidiaries, and other complex accounts).
• Prepare and review journal entries, reconciliations, and supporting workpapers, ensuring they are complete, accurate, and compliant with audit standards.
• Oversee end-to-end accounting for international subsidiaries, coordinating with external service providers and internal stakeholders, to ensure complete, accurate and timely close, intercompany transactions and eliminations, consolidation, preparation or review of account reconciliations, support for audits and tax filings.
• Assist with coordination and review of year-end tax provisions, R&D tax credit studies, federal and state tax returns.
• Lead compliance with statutory requirements, including sales and use, property taxes, business license renewals and various other state and local requirements.
• Review vendor contracts and purchase orders to determine appropriate accounting treatment for expense recognition, accruals and prepayments.
• Serve as the trusted reviewer and subject-matter expert, identifying issues, catching errors, and ensuring deliverables are high quality, audit-ready, and reliable.
• Support external audits, providing PBC schedules and timely, accurate responses to inquiries.
• Ensure SOX compliance by maintaining and executing strong controls and documentation across all assigned areas.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with FP&A, Clinical Operations, Legal, Tax advisors, and other teams to ensure alignment on accounting matters and proactively resolve issues.
• Drive process improvements and efficiency initiatives across accounting and close processes.
• Contribute to special projects and initiatives as assigned by the Sr. Director of Accounting.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting required; CPA license required; Public accounting experience (Big 4 or similar) required
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive accounting experience, preferably in the biotech or life sciences industry.
• Solid understanding of US GAAP and SOX/internal control requirements.
• Track record of producing accurate, high-quality work without the need for re-performance, and of identifying errors/issues others may miss.
• Proficiency with ERP systems (e.g., Oracle Fusion), advanced Excel skills and strong analytical capabilities.
• Hands-on, detail-oriented, and able to function at a high level of independence while engaging collaboratively across the organization.

Lyell offers its employees a range of compensation and benefits. To assist you with your decision to apply for this role, the following information and links to our site highlight our competitive market position and support to our employees and their dependents.

The salary range for this position is $168,000 to $200,000, annually, with the opportunity to earn an annual bonus. The salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on Lyell’s compensation practices and an applicant’s qualifications and experience. Employees are also eligible to participate in Lyell’s Equity Incentive Plan.

Our Employee Benefits program is extensive and includes subsidized medical, dental and vision plans from your first day of employment, FSA, Company provided Life and AD&D Insurance as well as STD and LTD Insurance, ESPP, a 401(k) Plan with Company match, mass transit commuter benefits, cell phone reimbursement and a range of supplemental benefits that you may choose to elect. Our paid time-off benefits currently include 18 days’ vacation, 9 day’s sick leave, 8 observed holidays as well as a floating holiday. We also have a summer and a winter office shutdown.

At Lyell, we believe that highest performing teams include people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences who respectfully challenge each other. We are committed to building an open, diverse and inclusive culture for all employees. Lyell is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.

We’ve learned from experience that some of the best people don’t always match our requirements perfectly - if you’re interested and think you could fit, please don’t hesitate to apply.