VP Finance at T-knife in Berlin, Berlin, DE

VP Finance

Location: Belgium or Germany

Reports to: Managing Director

Employment Type: Full-time

Company Overview

We are a privately held, pre-revenue biotech/life sciences company structured as a US Inc. (Delaware C-Corp) with two wholly owned foreign subsidiaries: a German GmbH (development operations) and a Belgian SRL (research operations, held as a subsidiary of the GmbH). The company currently has approximately 34 employees across three entities.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced finance leader based in Europe to serve as VP Finance. This individual will own financial operations, including FP&A and accounting, across our three-entity, three-country corporate structure, reporting directly to one of the company directors in Belgium or Germany and interacting with the Board of Directors. The role will lead a small internal team and manage a group of internal consultants, including AP and US accounting, while also directing external accounting firms in Belgium and Germany that support statutory bookkeeping and compliance in each jurisdiction.

This is a working leader role: the ideal candidate is equally comfortable setting financial strategy and board-level reporting as they are reviewing statutory accounts, managing close timelines, and being the final point of accountability for accurate, timely, audited financials.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & External Consultant Management

• Directly manage and develop a small internal finance team, including an Associate Director FP&A and a Senior Accounting Manager
• Manage internal consultants, including Accounts Payable (AP) and US Finance / Accounting
• Select, manage, and hold accountable external accounting/bookkeeping firms in Belgium and Germany responsible for local statutory bookkeeping, payroll payments, and compliance filings, ensuring their output meets group reporting deadlines and standards
• Maintain processes and controls across the internal team and external consultants/firms so that close, reporting, and audit timelines are consistently met as the organization grows

Multi-Entity Accounting & Consolidation

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close process across all three entities, coordinating internal team members and external consultants/firms to meet close deadlines
• Manage consolidated financial statements in NetSuite, ensuring accurate intercompany eliminations and consistent application of US GAAP and local statutory accounting standards
• Maintain intercompany agreements, cost-sharing arrangements, and transfer pricing documentation between the three entities
• Serve as primary administrator/owner of the NetSuite ERP system, including chart of accounts structure, workflows, and reporting

European R&D Tax Incentives & Grants

• Oversee the company's utilization of Belgian innovation income deduction, partial withholding tax exemption for R&D personnel, and any applicable grants and German R&D tax incentive programs (e.g., German research allowance (Forschungszulage),
• Coordinate with local tax advisors to ensure documentation, timelines, and eligibility criteria are met for ongoing and new incentive claims
• Track and report on incentive-related cash inflows and their impact on the consolidated cash position

Treasury & Cash Management

• Oversee cash flow forecasting and treasury operations across all three entities, including intercompany funding flows from the US Inc. down to the German GmbH and Belgium SRL
• Oversee banking relationships in the Belgium, Germany, and US
• Monitor foreign exchange exposure (USD/EUR) and recommend hedging or mitigation strategies as appropriate

Statutory Compliance & Tax

• Ensure timely statutory filings, VAT/tax compliance, and statutory financial statement preparation for the Belgian SRL and German GmbH, directly managing the external accounting firms responsible for local bookkeeping and statutory reporting in each country
• Review and sign off on statutory accounts prepared by external Belgian and German accounting consultants, ensuring alignment with group consolidated figures under NetSuite
• Manage US Inc. corporate tax compliance and coordinate with US tax advisors (including the US Accounting Director/Manager consultants) on international tax matters (e.g., transfer pricing, GILTI/Subpart F considerations, foreign subsidiary reporting)
• Maintain compliance calendars for all jurisdictions and ensure no filing deadlines are missed

Payroll & HR-Finance Coordination

• Collaborate and oversee finance's roll in the payroll processing and with HR coordination with payroll providers or in-country payroll systems in Germany and Belgium
• Partner with local HR/People functions (or external providers) on benefits administration, employment cost budgeting, and compliance with local labor/social security requirements

FP&A, Budgeting & Reporting

• Oversee the company's financial model, annual budget, and rolling cash runway forecasts, in partnership with FP&A
• Oversee, prepare and present accurate board materials for the CEO and Board of Directors on a regular cadence, including financial statements, variance analysis, cash runway, and key operating metrics
• Support fundraising activities, including data room preparation, investor financial reporting, and due diligence support

Audit & Governance

• Own delivery of timely, audited annual financial statements at the consolidated level and, where required, at the individual entity level for the Belgian SRL and German GmbH
• Serve as the primary point of contact for external auditors (US and/or European, as required), driving the audit timeline and ensuring the internal team and external consultants deliver required schedules and support without delay
• Establish and maintain internal controls appropriate for a company of this size, with an eye toward scalability
• Support corporate governance matters, including board materials and equity/cap table administration (in coordination with legal counsel)

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field; ITAA, IBR-IRE, Wirtschaftspruefer, CPA, ACCA, or equivalent professional qualification strongly preferred
• 12+ years if Director of progressive finance/accounting experience, including experience in a multi-entity, multi-currency environment
• Direct, hands-on experience with Belgian and/or German statutory accounting and reporting requirements, including working knowledge of local filing obligations and how external accounting firms in those jurisdictions operate
• Demonstrated experience working across US and European entity structures (subsidiary accounting, intercompany transactions, transfer pricing basics)
• People management experience, including managing both direct employees and external consultants/outsourced accounting firms
• Track record of delivering timely, audited financial statements and preparing board-level reporting materials
• Hands-on proficiency with NetSuite (required)
• Strong working knowledge of US GAAP
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills

Preferred

• Direct experience managing or claiming European R&D tax incentives (German Forschungszulage, Belgian innovation income deduction, partial withholding tax exemption for researchers, etc.)
• Experience working with a GmbH and/or SRL corporate structure specifically
• Prior experience as the first or founding finance leader at a small/early-stage company
• French and English are required and German would be advantageous. The company operating language is English, with the exception of French being required to perform certain binding instructions
• Experience supporting fundraising rounds and investor reporting

Location & Travel

This role is based in Belgium or Germany.

What We Offer

We offer competitive packages which are benchmarked for the geographical location of the successful candidate, (Belgium or Germany).