Finance Manager| Edinburgh

About the Organisation

Carcinotech is a MedTech company based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They specialise in developing advanced 3D-printed living tumour models using patient-derived biopsies, primary cells, immune cells, and cancer stem cells. Their innovative models are designed for rapid, ethical, and accurate drug screening, pre-clinical testing, and personalised medicine.

Carcinotech works with global partners, leading pharma companies, surgeons, pathologists, clinicians and industry leaders, with the goal of accelerating drug screening and enabling the delivery of more effective cancer treatments to market.

The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2030, cancer cases will rise to 22 million globally, highlighting the urgent need for better treatments. Unfortunately, millions of people may miss out on life-saving therapies because drug development still relies on outdated, expensive, and unreliable methods. In 2019, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) reported a staggering 97% failure rate for cancer drug trials, showing just how much improvement is needed in creating effective treatments.

Carcinotech’s CEO, Ishani Malhotra, saw these challenges up close during her early clinical work. While diagnosing a young boy with leukaemia, she realised that it can take over a decade for new treatments to reach patients—too long for many who urgently need them. This experience inspired her to create a faster, more effective way to develop cancer therapies.

Using insights from her Master’s research in Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Ishani secured funding from Scottish Enterprise and won several competitions to launch Carcinotech in 2018. Since then, her team has developed the groundbreaking Carcino3D™ technology, which bioprints 3D tumours derived from patient biopsy tissue, accurately replicating their structure and functionality in a lab setting.

Carcinotech’s innovation has already demonstrated a significant impact. Supported by $2.05 million in seed funding and a major validation project with Cancer Research UK, the company is now enabling pharmaceutical and biotech companies to discover and test cancer drugs more efficiently. In early 2024, Carcinotech raised an additional $5.3 million to expand its operations in Edinburgh and enter the US market.

About the role

This is a brand new and exciting opportunity for a commercially focused candidate to join this expanding business. The successful candidate will approach this opportunity with a can-do attitude across all aspects of finance, from posting invoices to preparing the board reports. The position will be a highly visible role, working closely with the CFO. Given the exposure to the position, the successful individual must be confident in building effective and robust working relationships across all departments.

Measurements of Success:

• Playing a key part in a fundraising round including due diligence
• Ensuring the business is audit-ready with all reporting data, budgeting, forecasting and cash flow up to date and correct
• Stakeholder management is an important aspect of the role and having presented the Finance pack at board meetings will help in establishing success within the first year

Day to Day Responsibilities Include:

• Overseeing financial operations, providing guidance and support to the Finance Assistant
• Preparing financial reports and management accounts with associated analysis for the CFO
• Signing off on account reconciliations, taking responsibility for resolution of issues
• Taking ownership of the financial model and its updates
• Supporting the CFO with annual budgeting, forecasting and cash flow
• Identifying the need for new or evolved processes and taking ownership from ideation to implementation
• Assisting the CFO in ensuring financial accounts and processes are ‘audit ready’
• Ensuring compliance with accounting standards and best practice

About the Individual

Key Candidate Requirements:

• Newly qualified professional accountant (CIMA / CA / ACA)
• Strong Excel and systems skills
• Commercial awareness and the ability to add value
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Forward-thinking mentality
• Ability to manage own workload whilst working to strict deadlines
• An analytical, proactive and problem-solving mindset

Salary and Benefits:

Salary is competitive, healthcare insurance, discretionary bonus, travel insurance, death in service life cover (3x salary), 28 days holiday, plus 4 “closed” days over Christmas and New Year, in addition to one life day every 6 months.

Please note that any direct or third party approaches will be sent to Rutherford Cross for review and assessment.