At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead financial operations for advanced manufacturing, driving decision-making and optimising performance.
- Company: Join Moderna, a leader in mRNA technology transforming medicine globally.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, wellness resources, generous time off, and family support benefits.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for mentorship and career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a high-growth company at the forefront of medical innovation.
- Qualifications: Bachelor's in finance/accounting and 5+ years in manufacturing finance required.
Joining Moderna means advancing mRNA science to transform medicine. Work with exceptional global teams on a broad pipeline and build a career that makes a real difference for patients. Play a pivotal role in shaping the financial performance of advanced manufacturing operations across the UK, Canada, and external manufacturing partners. As a strategic finance business partner, you will combine operational insight with financial expertise to influence decision-making, optimize manufacturing performance, and support the continued growth of Moderna’s global mRNA platform.
Here’s What You’ll Do
- Provide financial leadership and business partnership across manufacturing operations supporting Harwell (UK), Laval (Canada), and an External Drug Product CMO.
- Deliver financial transparency, operational excellence, and informed decision-making while ensuring efficient, compliant manufacturing operations.
- Lead annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and long-range planning across both manufacturing sites and the External CMO.
- Deliver monthly financial analysis, variance reporting, and operational performance insights to site leadership and Corporate Finance.
- Develop and monitor key performance indicators related to manufacturing efficiency, labor utilization, overhead absorption, and inventory management.
- Support scenario modelling and financial analysis for operational initiatives, capacity expansion, and process improvement projects.
- Oversee standard costing, product costing, inventory valuation, and manufacturing variance analysis.
- Ensure accurate accounting and reporting for raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods inventory.
- Analyze labor, material usage, scrap, yield, and overhead absorption variances while partnering with Operations to identify cost reduction opportunities and improve manufacturing performance.
- Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close activities across both sites.
- Prepare journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, site-level financial reporting packages, and execute month-end process order settlements.
- Coordinate with Corporate Accounting, Internal Audit, and External Auditors to ensure timely, accurate reporting in accordance with company policies and applicable accounting standards.
- Partner with Engineering and Operations to evaluate capital investment proposals, develop business cases, monitor capital project spend, manage capitalization and project close-out activities, and perform NPV, ROI, and payback analysis.
- Support Supply Chain, Warehouse teams, and External CMO operations to improve inventory accuracy, inventory turns, working capital performance, inventory controls, physical inventory programs, cycle counts, inventory reserves, obsolescence management, and supply chain optimization initiatives.
- Maintain strong internal controls across manufacturing finance processes while ensuring compliance with SOX requirements, company policies, and regulatory standards.
- Support audit activities, remediate control findings, and drive process standardization and continuous improvement across both manufacturing sites.
- Act as a trusted advisor to Site Leadership, translating financial data into actionable operational insights, supporting strategic initiatives, operational improvements, and productivity programs.
- Collaborate across international, cross-functional teams while mentoring finance colleagues as appropriate.
The key Moderna Mindsets you’ll need to succeed in the role:
- We behave like owners.
- The solutions we’re building go beyond any job description.
- We act with dynamic range, driving strategy and execution at the same time at every step.
Here’s What You’ll Need (Basic Qualifications)
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance required.
- 5+ years of progressive finance or accounting experience, including significant experience in manufacturing finance.
- Prior experience as a Plant Controller, Operations Finance Lead, or similar manufacturing finance role preferred.
- Strong understanding of cost accounting, inventory accounting, and manufacturing operations.
- Experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, or highly regulated manufacturing environments preferred.
- A desire to be part of a high-growth, transformational company that is Bold, Relentless, Curious and Collaborative.
- Detail-oriented, ensuring accuracy in reporting and data analysis.
- Adaptability and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities.
- Strong collaboration and teamwork skills in a global, cross-functional context.
- High degree of initiative, proactiveness and problem-solving attitude.
- Advanced Excel skills and experience with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, or similar).
Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table (Preferred Qualifications)
- Strong business acumen: proven ability to effectively scrutinize and challenge assumptions and interpret the strategy and priorities of the organization in financial terms.
- Excellent project management / leadership skills with demonstrated track record and ability to engage teams to work together towards common deadlines.
- Strong presentation skills to deliver succinctly and effectively deliver recommendations to senior leaders, frames complex concepts.
- Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities, with proficiency in Excel-based financial modeling.
- Exceptional attitude, diligence, and ability to motivate teams to do the same.
- A desire to make an impact as part of a high-growth, transformational company that is Bold, Relentless, Curious, and Collaborative.
As part of Moderna’s commitment to workplace safety, this role may require an enhanced pre-employment check.
Pay & Benefits
At Moderna, we believe that when you feel your best, you can do your best work. That’s why our benefits and well-being resources are designed to support you—at work, at home, and everywhere in between.
- Competitive healthcare, plus voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needs.
- A holistic approach to well-being with access to fitness, mindfulness, and mental health support.
- Family building benefits, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support.
- Generous paid time off, including vacation, bank holidays, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and a discretionary year-end shutdown.
- Savings and investments to help you plan for the future.
- Location-specific perks and extras.
The benefits offered may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Moderna and the country where you work.
About Moderna
Since our founding in 2010, we have aspired to build the leading mRNA technology platform, the infrastructure to reimagine how medicines are created and delivered, and a world-class team. We believe in giving our people a platform to change medicine and an opportunity to change the world. By living our mission, values, and mindsets every day, our people are the driving force behind our scientific progress and our culture. Together, we are creating a culture of belonging and building an organization that cares deeply for our patients, our employees, the environment, and our communities.
Moderna is committed to equal opportunity in employment and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person’s race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry or citizenship, ethnicity, disability, military or protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, or any other personal characteristic protected under applicable law.
We consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. We’re focused on attracting, retaining, developing, and advancing our employees. By cultivating a workplace that values diverse experiences, backgrounds, and ideas, we create an environment where every employee can contribute their best.
Moderna is committed to offering reasonable accommodation or adjustments to qualified job applicants with disabilities. Any applicant requiring an accommodation or adjustment in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should contact the Accommodations and Adjustments team at leavesandaccommodations@modernatx.com.
Plant Finance Lead in Harwell employer: Moderna
Moderna in Oxford is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration in the field of laboratory automation. Employees benefit from comprehensive growth opportunities, mentorship programs, and the chance to contribute to groundbreaking mRNA science, all while working in a state-of-the-art facility that prioritises efficiency and excellence in clinical development.