Senior Director, Finance & Operations

Sr. Director, Finance & Operations
Location: Greater New York City Metropolitan Area / Jersey City, NJ
About Character Biosciences

Character Biosciences is a precision medicine company pioneering targeted therapies for polygenic diseases, with an initial focus on ophthalmology. Our patient data platform integrates genomics with deep, longitudinal clinical and imaging data, enabling us to uncover genetic drivers of disease progression, advance novel therapeutics, and define patient stratification strategies that improve clinical success.

Our interdisciplinary team spans human genetics, clinical science, data science and engineering, and drug discovery and development. We are advancing two programs for Dry Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) into the clinic, with additional discovery-stage programs underway.

Founded in 2018, Character has raised capital from leading investors at the intersection of healthcare and technology, including an oversubscribed $93 million Series B in March 2025 co-led by aMoon and Luma Group, with participation from Bausch + Lomb, Innovation Endeavors, Catalio Capital Management, S32, KdT Ventures, and Jefferson Life Sciences. We also maintain a multi-target drug discovery collaboration with Bausch + Lomb to develop innovative precision medicines for AMD.

The Opportunity

We’re looking for a hands-on, execution-focused leader of the Finance & Operations team to drive the company’s financial strategy and operational excellence. You’ll oversee core finance functions, operational processes, and cross-departmental initiatives, ensuring Character scales effectively through its next phase of growth. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a lean, fast-moving environment and enjoys leading a small, high-impact team.
This is a hybrid role based at our Jersey City, NJ headquarters.

Financial Leadership

• Financial Planning & Forecasting: Lead company-wide budgeting and forecasting in collaboration with department heads.

• Finance Operations: Maintain visibility into spend, cash flow, and burn; flag variances and ensure fiscal discipline.

• External Coordination: Serve as the internal liaison to our external accounting firm, ensuring seamless handling of AP, invoicing, and monthly close.

• Reporting: Create and maintain clear dashboards and materials to support the executive team and Board reporting.

Operational Leadership

• Operational Excellence: Develop and refine SOPs while improving processes and systems to make workflows scalable, without adding unnecessary complexity.

• Administrative Infrastructure: Oversee company-wide administrative and office management functions across day-to-day operations.

• IT Oversight: Manage IT personnel ensuring systems run smoothly, vendors are coordinated, and employees have the tools and support they need to work effectively.

About You
You lead with clarity, foresight, and adaptability as a proven team builder and people manager. You move fluidly between shaping high-level financial and operational strategy and executing the day-to-day work that keeps the organization running smoothly. You are equally comfortable addressing complex, time-sensitive issues related to budgets, systems, or cross-departmental processes, and in designing scalable structures for future growth. You bring credibility, business acumen, and strong communication skills to serve as a trusted partner to the executive team, translating organizational needs into sound financial plans, efficient operations, and strong governance.

You are confident, pragmatic, and energized by the opportunity to build in a dynamic startup setting. You have the humility to listen, the conviction to make informed decisions, and the stamina to drive initiatives forward while balancing competing priorities in a lean environment. Like us, you value integrity, individual accountability, team camaraderie, open communication, and a commitment to continuous learning and operational excellence.
Required Skills/ Experience

• 6–10+ years of experience in finance or accounting roles, ideally combining FP&A, budgeting, and controller-level exposure.

• Hands-on experience managing financial processes at a lean or growth-stage company.

• Ability to model, plan, and problem-solve without relying on layers of support.

• Strong communication and organizational skills; able to interface across functions and with external partners.

• Comfort with ambiguity and evolving infrastructure; you build systems that are right-sized and practical.

• High integrity, high reliability, low ego.

• Strong people management experience

Compensation & Benefits

The annual pay range for this full-time position is $230,000-$260,000 + equity + benefits
Benefits include a competitive salary, strong equity incentives, medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and a flexible paid time off policy. Character is committed to recruiting, developing, and supporting colleagues from all backgrounds. We embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion as an integral part of our culture.