Financial Planning and Analysis Manager

Function / Department : R&D (Vaccine Business)

Position Title / Role :

Qualification & Experience :

Unit / Location :

Main purpose of the Job:

To partner with the R&D leadership team and drive financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and performance analysis for ongoing and new research programs. The role ensures robust financial governance, strategic decision support, and accurate insight generation for all R&D investments within the biotech/pharmaceutical domain.

Job responsibilities:

Financial Planning & Budgeting

Lead annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and long-range financial planning for all R&D programs.

Work closely with scientific program leads to understand project timelines, resource requirements, and milestones.

Track capital and operational expenditure (CapEx/Opex) for labs, equipment, and scientific initiatives.

R&D Program Costing & Analysis:

Develop and maintain program-level cost models including manpower, consumables, equipment, CRO spend, preclinical/clinical costs, and external collaborations.

Ability to provide high level estimates of costs of new programs based on limited information and iteratively refine estimates over time.

Analyze variances vs. budget and highlight key risks/opportunities.

Support go/no-go decisions with financial models and scenario planning.

Portfolio Management:

Provide financial insight for portfolio prioritization, R&D pipeline valuation and investment trade-offs.

Track spend burn rates, productivity metrics and ROI.

Business Partnering:

Act as a strategic finance partner to R&D leadership, scientific teams, and cross-functional stakeholders (Regulatory, Clinical, Procurement, BD).

Participate in R&D governance forums and provide data-driven recommendations.

Support external partnership evaluations, licensing deals, and grant funding opportunities.

Compliance, Controls & Reporting:

Ensure adherence to internal controls, accounting policies, and compliance standards related to R&D spend.

Manage monthly MIS, KPIs, and executive-level reporting.

Coordinate with auditors, corporate finance, and procurement for R&D-related documentation.

Tools, Systems & Process Improvement”

Design and optimize financial tracking mechanisms for R&D cost monitoring.

Drive automation, digital dashboards, and analytics for better visibility.

Implement systems (ERP, budgeting tools, lab costing tools) to strengthen R&D financial governance.

Candidate desired skills:

6–12+ years’ experience in FP&A, preferably in biotech, pharma, CDMO or life sciences R&D organizations.

Exposure to R&D finance, program costing and portfolio management is strongly preferred.

Key Skills & Competencies Required:

Strong analytical, modelling, and forecasting skills.

Deep understanding of R&D processes in biotech/pharma (preclinical, clinical, discovery).

Experience with Capex planning, project costing, and multi-year program tracking.

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Ability to work in highly dynamic environments with evolving scientific priorities.

About Biological E.:

Founded in 1953 in Hyderabad, Biological E is one of India’s first private biological product manufacturers

Today the company develops, makes, and supplies vaccines and therapeutics used in 100+ countries, with a portfolio that includes multiple WHO prequalified vaccines and USFDA approved generic injectables.

For more details, visit us www.biologicale.com