Associate Director, Accounting

The Finance team is looking for an Associate Director, Accounting.  

As the Associate Director, Accounting, you sit at the center of our company’s financial integrity and operational execution. You’ll lead core accounting operations, including payroll and month-end close, while ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting. With a hands-on mindset, you can balance getting into the details while setting direction, keeping the close moving forward and maintaining financial accuracy through attention to detail. 

You are a key business owner of internal controls, partnering closely with our auditors and cross-functional teams to design, operate, and continuously strengthen a control environment that can scale with our organization. You proactively identify risks, streamline process, and drive thoughtful improvements that enhance efficiency without sacrificing rigor. You develop and lead a high-performing accounting team, bringing clarity, accountability, and curiosity to everything you do, helping the company grow with confidence. 

This position reports to the VP, Corporate Controller. 

• Accounting Operations & Close – oversee day-to-day accounting operations including payroll, general ledger operations, and month-end close activities. Review journal entries, account reconciliations, and supporting schedules. 

• Payroll Oversight – Partner with People Operations, Accounting team, and third-party payroll provider to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely payroll processing. 

• SOX 404 & Internal Controls – Own and maintain internal controls compliance for assigned processes, including documentation, risk assessments, control design, testing, and remediation. Serve as liaison with internal and external auditors for assigned areas. 

• Team Leadership & Collaboration – Manage, mentor, and develop members of the accounting team by providing clear guidance, coaching, and performance feedback. Act as a trusted business partner to cross-functional stakeholders, including FP&A, People Operations, and IT. 

• Process Improvement & Systems – Drive continuous improvement with a focus on scalability, efficiency, and control effectiveness. Support accounting system controls through timely review of user access and change management. Ensure accounting policies, procedures, and process documentation are accurate, current, and scalable for future growth. 

• Communication and Influence 

• • Builds communication channels across Maze for sharing information 

• • Influences Senior Management decisions through persuasive arguments 

• • Respectfully addresses differing opinions leading to support of decision 

• Teamwork and Collaboration 

• • Champions partnerships and connections across Maze 

• • Proactively addresses issues that could result in breakdown of team relationships 

• • Spotlights team and individual contributions in public forums 

• Execution and Results 

• • Addresses gaps and leverages strengths to get best results 

• • Maintains a steadying presence and clarifies priorities during change 

• • Anticipates and removes barriers that put functional/corporate goals at risk 

• Develop Others and Self 

• • Removes barriers to staff development and empowers them to make their own decisions 

• • Stays current on industry trends and keeps direct-reports prepared and responsive 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field, with 10+ years of progressive accounting experience; CPA preferred 

• Proven experience leading payroll operations and the month-end close process 

• People management experience, leading 2+ direct reports 

• Deep experience with SOX404 and internal controls in a public company environment 

• Solid knowledge of US GAAP and public company requirements 

• Experience supporting external audits and working directly with auditors 

• Ability to come on site 2-3x per week 

• Hands on experience with NetSuite and ADP required, Coupa preferred 

• Big 4 public accounting experience preferred 

• Biotech and/or pre-revenue R&D company experience preferred 

Maze Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company harnessing the power of human genetics to develop novel, small molecule precision medicines for patients living with renal, cardiovascular and related metabolic diseases, including obesity. The company is advancing a pipeline using its Compass platform, which allows it to identify and characterize genetic variants in disease and then link those variants to the biological pathways that drive disease in specific patient groups through a process it refers to as variant functionalization. The company’s pipeline is led by two wholly owned lead programs, MZE829 and MZE782, each of which represents a novel precision medicine-based approach for chronic kidney disease.  Maze is based in South San Francisco. 

Maze is comprised of a team of passionate and creative professionals committed to discovering and delivering transformative medicines to patients suffering from both rare and common genetic diseases. We are fostering a culture that encourages vision, initiative, and the development of talent. Our supportive work environment inspires creative thinking and freedom of expression, resulting in a stimulating atmosphere where people enjoy coming to work. While we have a passion for advanced science and pride ourselves on excellence in execution, ultimately, everything we do is about patients.  

Further Together – Our path is paved with challenges, but with resilience and a team-first mentality, we’ll achieve our mission. 

Impact Obsessed – We embrace the bold, take calculated risks, and learn from our mistakes to improve the lives of others.

Stand True – Our integrity is foundational; it guides us no matter the obstacle.

 The expected annual salary range for employees located in the San Francisco Bay Area is $187,000 - $229,000. Additionally, this position is eligible for an annual performance bonus.  

Maze performs position-based compensation benchmarking to industry market data to ensure we pay competitive wages. Determination of starting salary will depend upon a variety of job-related factors, which may include professional experience, skills, and job location. The expected salary range for this role may be modified in the future.  

Maze offers a robust benefits package to our eligible employees including competitive medical, dental, and vision insurance, mental health offerings, equity incentive plan, 401(k) program with employer match and a generous holiday and PTO policy.