Application Guide
How to Apply for Senior FP&A Analyst
at Recursion
🏢 About Recursion
Recursion is a biotechnology company pioneering industrial-scale drug discovery through its unique Recursion Operating System, which combines automated wet-lab experiments with artificial intelligence. Unlike traditional biotech firms, Recursion leverages massive datasets and computational biology to accelerate therapeutic development, making it an exciting place for finance professionals who want to support cutting-edge science. The company's mission-driven approach to decoding biology offers a dynamic environment where financial analysis directly impacts innovative research.
About This Role
As a Senior FP&A Analyst at Recursion, you'll serve as a strategic partner to G&A senior leaders, maintaining their financials, building complex models, and providing analysis to guide key business decisions. This role is impactful because you'll directly influence resource allocation and financial planning for critical administrative functions that support Recursion's rapid growth and drug discovery pipeline. You'll also enhance reporting capabilities in BI systems, ensuring leadership has accurate, timely data to navigate the capital-intensive biotech landscape.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start by reviewing G&A budget vs. actuals in NetSuite, then meeting with senior HR or Legal leaders to discuss forecast adjustments and provide analysis on spend trends. In the afternoon, you could build a complex model in Workday Adaptive Planning to simulate hiring scenarios, followed by enhancing a BI dashboard for monthly finance packages. The role balances routine tasks like accrual support with strategic projects, all within Recursion's fast-paced, data-driven environment.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Recursion Is Looking For
- Has 2+ years of FP&A experience specifically in biotech or pharma, with hands-on exposure to R&D budgeting, clinical trial costing, or grant funding cycles.
- Possesses advanced financial modeling skills, able to build and maintain complex models for forecasting, scenario analysis, and long-range planning in a high-growth environment.
- Is proficient with Workday Adaptive Planning and NetSuite, with experience integrating these systems to streamline financial close, accruals, and budget vs. actuals reporting.
- Holds a Bachelor's in Accounting/Finance (MBA or CPA preferred) and demonstrates analytical rigor in solving ambiguous problems, such as optimizing G&A spend in a scaling organization.
📝 Tips for Applying to Recursion
Highlight specific biotech/pharma FP&A experience in your resume, quantifying achievements like 'modeled clinical trial burn rates' or 'managed G&A budgets during a Series X raise'.
Tailor your application to mention Workday Adaptive Planning and NetSuite by name, describing how you've used them for planning, reporting, or integrations.
Research Recursion's recent financial milestones (e.g., funding rounds, pipeline updates) and reference how your skills align with their growth stage in your cover letter.
Emphasize experience partnering with senior non-finance leaders (e.g., in G&A functions like Legal, HR, or IT) to show you can act as a strategic advisor.
Include a portfolio or examples of complex financial models you've built, focusing on scenarios relevant to biotech, such as cash runway analysis or OpEx forecasting.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Demonstrate your understanding of Recursion's unique tech-driven drug discovery model and how FP&A supports capital allocation in a high-burn, high-growth biotech.", 'Detail your experience with Workday Adaptive Planning and NetSuite, citing specific projects like automating budget vs. actuals reports or improving accrual processes.', 'Provide an example of a complex financial model you built to solve a business problem, ideally in biotech/pharma (e.g., modeling R&D efficiency or G&A scalability).', "Explain how you've partnered with senior G&A leaders to influence decisions, linking it to Recursion's need for strategic finance support as it scales operations."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Study Recursion's pipeline and technology (e.g., Recursion OS) to understand their drug discovery approach and how G&A functions support it.
- → Review recent financial news about Recursion, such as earnings reports, funding rounds, or partnerships, to grasp their growth stage and capital needs.
- → Explore the biotech industry's FP&A challenges, like managing burn rates or FDA milestone planning, to contextualize your experience.
- → Learn about Recursion's culture and values from their website or employee reviews, noting how collaboration with senior leaders is emphasized.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Applying with generic FP&A experience without highlighting biotech/pharma specifics or familiarity with Workday Adaptive Planning/NetSuite.
- Failing to demonstrate strategic partnership skills—avoid focusing solely on transactional tasks like data entry in your application.
- Submitting a cover letter that doesn't reference Recursion's unique model or how your background aligns with their mission and tools.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!