Accounting Specialist

What We Do 

Forma Life Sciences is a next-generation CDMO headquartered in Irvine, California, where molecules become medicine. Forma supports oral solid dosage programs from early clinical development through commercial manufacturing, with deep formulation expertise and cGMP manufacturing capabilities supporting pharmaceutical partners and the patients they serve. 

Why Forma? 

Unlike large, highly layered organizations, Forma operates with a hands-on, execution-driven model. Our teams work closely across functions to solve complex technical and operational challenges, move quickly, and deliver consistently high-quality results. 

Employees at Forma are expected to take on meaningful responsibility, collaborate directly with colleagues and clients, and contribute to building scalable systems and processes as the company grows. This is an environment well suited to individuals who value autonomy, technical excellence, and the opportunity to help shape a growing organization. 

Job Overview

The Accounting Specialist is responsible for supporting the day-to-day accounting operations of the organization, with a primary focus on Accounts Payable, while also supporting Accounts Receivable, cash management, reconciliations, and general ledger activities. This role requires strong attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across departments. The Accounting Specialist plays a key role in maintaining accurate financial records, ensuring the timely processing of transactions, and supporting month-end close activities.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities 

Accounts Payable (Primary): 

• Manage the full-cycle Accounts Payable process, including monitoring the AP inbox, reviewing invoices for accuracy and appropriate approvals, coding expenses, and entering invoices into the accounting system. 

• Process weekly payment runs by ACH, check, wire, and other approved methods; verify payment details and maintain supporting documentation. 

• Review invoices and purchase orders for proper authorization, coding, documentation, and compliance with company policies and internal controls. 

• Research and resolve invoice discrepancies, duplicate invoices, pricing differences, missing receipts, and vendor account issues in partnership with internal stakeholders. 

• Maintain vendor records, including W-9 documentation, payment terms, banking information, and vendor setup or change requests. 

• Reconcile vendor statements and key AP-related general ledger accounts; investigate and clear aged or unmatched items. 

• Support annual 1099 preparation and other vendor reporting requirements. 

• Respond promptly and professionally to vendor and employee inquiries regarding invoice status, payments, expense coding, and documentation requirements. 

Accounts Receivable: 

• Support Accounts Receivable activities, including customer invoicing, cash application, account reconciliations, and maintenance of accurate customer account records. 

• Assist with customer billing for projects, pass-through costs, credit memos, billing adjustments, and other revenue-related transactions. 

• Monitor outstanding receivables and assist with collection follow-up, account research, and resolution of customer billing inquiries. 

• Maintain the daily cash report, including deposits, payment allocations, and updates to the AR aging and cash collection metrics. 

General Accounting and Month-End Close: 

• Prepare and post recurring and non-recurring journal entries with complete and accurate supporting documentation. 

• Perform balance sheet and general ledger account reconciliations, including AP, AR, cash, prepaid expenses, accruals, fixed assets, and other assigned accounts. 

• Assist with month-end and year-end close activities, including accruals, expense analysis, cut-off review, account roll-forwards, and variance research. 

• Support the maintenance of prepaid expense schedules, fixed asset records, depreciation schedules, and recurring accruals. 

• Review general ledger activity for accuracy, investigate unusual transactions, and coordinate corrections as needed. 

• Assist with bank and credit card reconciliations and ensure reconciling items are resolved timely. 

• Prepare schedules and supporting documentation for financial statement review, external audits, tax filings, and other compliance requirements. 

• Maintain organized and complete electronic accounting records in accordance with document retention requirements and internal controls. 

• Identify process improvements and help develop scalable procedures, checklists, and controls as the Finance function grows. 

• Provide backup support across Finance and perform other accounting duties and special projects as assigned. 

Execute on-demand data analysis and special projects to support immediate business needs.  

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered. 

• Two or more years of accounting experience with hands-on responsibility for Accounts Payable and general ledger activities; experience supporting Accounts Receivable, cash management, and month-end close is preferred. 

• Working knowledge of fundamental accounting principles, debits and credits, account reconciliations, accrual accounting, and month-end close processes. 

• Experience with accounting or ERP systems (Netsuite, Quickbooks, etc.) and proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including formulas, lookups, filters, and pivot tables. 

• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to manage a high volume of transactions while meeting deadlines. 

• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with vendors, customers, employees, and cross-functional business partners. 

• Demonstrated discretion when handling confidential financial and employee information. 

• Experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, manufacturing, or other regulated environment is a plus. 

Core Competencies 

• Accuracy and attention to detail 

• Ownership and accountability 

• Prioritization and deadline management 

• Analytical thinking and problem solving 

• Customer service and professional communication 

• Collaboration and adaptability 

• Process improvement mindset 

Benefits 

We offer full health benefits, paid vacation and sick leave, an aggressive bonus structure, and market-competitive salaries to all our employees. In addition, Forma provides employees with a variety of engaging employee events.  

The salary range for this position is $72,000-$85,000 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on the selected candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and overall fit for the role.