Associate Director, Strategic Finance

At Real Chemistry, making the world a healthier place isn’t just an aspiration—it’s our everyday reality. Our drive to transform healthcare is informed by our blend of deep scientific expertise, human-centred creativity, and AI-driven insights, fostering a unique environment where innovation thrives and our people are impact-obsessed. As a global agency, we provide a full suite of services across healthcare communications and marketing to our clients, including top players in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Our #LifeatRealChem culture is rooted in our people—we believe we are best together and are committed to excellence for both our clients and colleagues. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your career, if you share our passion for healthcare and connection, we invite you to explore our opportunities.

Discover your purpose. Embrace innovation. Experience #LifeatRealChem.

Associate Director, Strategic Finance

We are seeking an Associate Director, Strategic Finance to own day-to-day program management and execution of Bold Moves, our portfolio of company-wide strategic growth initiatives, while bringing the financial rigor and quantitative judgment to ensure each initiative delivers measurable business value. This highly visible role drives roadmap, execution, and outcomes across multiple workstreams that span functional teams and senior leadership, with a distinct emphasis on quantifying impact, modeling tradeoffs, and tracking value realization. The ideal candidate is a hands-on program leader who pairs strong program management with financial acumen and comfort working in the numbers.

Reporting into the Senior Director of M&A (program owner) and partnering closely with Finance, business, and functional leads, this individual will own Bold Moves end-to-end—setting the cadence, driving prioritization, modeling and tracking financial outcomes, surfacing risks, and preparing executive-ready updates and recommendations grounded in data. This role is the operating and analytical engine of the program, with the program owner setting direction and engaging leadership.

Position is fully remote, though additional consideration will be given to candidates situated near our hubs (New York, SF, Chicago, Carmel, Boston, Lambertville) and who are able to come into our office on an as needed basis.

What You'll Do

Own the Cadence & Drive Accountability:

Run the biweekly cadence and working sessions to unblock progress and maintain momentum.

Drive accountability across follow-ups, owners, and deadlines.

Apply sound judgment to flag risks early and provide data-backed resolution options.

Own Program Execution End-to-End:

Own Bold Moves end-to-end—roadmap, execution, and outcomes—across all initiatives.

Drive prioritization and alignment with business leads, sequencing work to deliver against financial and operational targets.

Maintain a single, clear roadmap with unambiguous owners, status, and dependencies.

Track and monitor deliverables, resolve blockers, and escalate issues to keep initiatives on track.

Financial Analysis & Value Realization:

Build and maintain financial models to quantify initiative impact—cost savings, revenue growth, and operational improvements—and track delivery against targets.

Develop business cases, ROI analyses, and scenario models to inform prioritization and sequencing tradeoffs.

Translate operational progress into financial terms, owning the value-realization view for each Bold Moves initiative.

Partner with Finance to align initiative targets with budget, forecast, and reporting.

Governance & Executive Reporting:

Surface risks, delays, and misalignment with clear, decision-ready resolution options.

Prepare executive-ready updates, financial dashboards, and recommendations for leadership reviews.

Standardize reporting templates and maintain initiative health and value-tracking dashboards.

Provide concise updates, risk assessments, and decision points to senior leadership.

Stakeholder Engagement & Alignment:

Lead structured working sessions with functional owners to drive clarity and execution.

Partner with Bold Moves leads to ensure initiatives meet outcomes and financial targets.

Manage diverse stakeholder needs and keep cross-functional teams aligned.

What We're Looking For

7–10+ years of experience spanning program management and financial analysis in complex, cross-functional environments

Strong financial acumen and quantitative skills, with the ability to build models, interpret financial and operational data, and translate initiatives into measurable business value

Proven track record owning and driving large-scale strategic initiatives end-to-end, with accountability for financial outcomes

Advanced Excel and financial modeling proficiency; experience with FP&A, corporate finance, consulting, or M&A a strong plus

Experience and comfortability working closely with C-level or senior executives and cross-functional teams

Ability to communicate effectively across all levels of the organization, manage diverse stakeholder needs, and exercise sound judgment to drive initiatives forward

Able to work autonomously, push for clarity, and drive accountability without close oversight

Familiarity with managing through ambiguity and balancing strategic thinking with operational execution

CPA, CFA, MBA, or equivalent analytical credential a plus; experience in professional services environments a plus

Pay Range: $160,000-$170,000

This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors including but not limited to work experience, skills, certifications, and geographical location. The Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time

Real Chemistry is proud to be Great Place to Work® certified; check out what our people shared about our culture and workplace on our Great Places to Work Profile here .

We believe we can do our best when feeling our best, which is why we’ve put together a benefits program designed to give you the support you and your family need at every stage of life. Real Chemistry offers a comprehensive benefit program and perks, tailored to your region. Globally, this includes offices in our key markets with free snacks to keep you running all day long, generous holiday and paid time off, options for private medical, dental, and vison plans, and support in saving for the future. Other perks include mental wellness coaching and support and access to more than 13,000 online classes with LinkedIn Learning. Learn more about our great benefits and perks and search specific offerings in your region at: www.realchemistrybenefits.com .

At Real Chemistry, we believe we're at our best when we're connected. Our Real Hybrid and Regional Teams (Real HART) approach is designed to foster collaboration, learning, innovation, and meaningful relationships while providing flexibility where appropriate. Because our workforce spans multiple countries, regions, and client needs, work arrangements may vary by role and location. Some positions offer hybrid or remote flexibility, while others require regular in-office presence. For example, certain teams and regions, including some of our UK operations, have office-based requirements. Your recruiter will discuss the specific expectations for the role you're pursuing during the interview process and keep you informed throughout the hiring journey. For employees located within a one-hour commute of a Real Chemistry office, we require in-person attendance two days per week, either from a Real Chemistry office or when working onsite with clients. Employees in regions without a nearby office may work remotely and come together throughout the year for collaboration, culture-building, learning, and team connection opportunities. While these guidelines reflect our current workplace model, we understand that everyone’s circumstances are unique. If you require additional flexibility, we welcome an open conversation with your recruiter and our HR team to discuss your needs and determine what may be possible.

Real Chemistry is an Equal Opportunity employer. We continually strive to build and sustain an inclusive and equitable work environment where our employees feel empowered to leverage all they bring from their personal lived experience and professional expertise, to make our team the best in the industry. We encourage motivated and qualified applicants to apply without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, ethnic or national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local employment discrimination laws where Real Chemistry operates. Should you require accommodations throughout the interview process please let your recruiter know.

*Notice: Real Chemistry and its affiliates' names are being misused by scammers through messaging services, fake websites, and apps. Do not share personal or financial information or make payments to any unverified sources claiming to be connected to Real Chemistry. We are working to stop these unauthorized activities and protect our community. Read more here .