Job description
This position can be 100% remote, but must be located in the United States.
Dynavax is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing novel vaccines to help protect the world against infectious diseases. We operate with the highest level of quality, integrity and safety for the betterment of public health. Our proprietary CpG 1018 adjuvant powers our diversified infectious vaccine portfolio, which includes HEPLISAV-B®, our commercial product approved in the U.S. and the European Union, for prevention of hepatitis B virus in adults. We also supply CpG 1018 to research collaborations and partnerships globally. Currently, CpG 1018 is being used in development of COVID-19, plague, shingles, and Tdap vaccines.
At Dynavax, our vision and work ethic are guided by the collective ideals underpinning our core values, and these form the basis of our dynamic company culture. We strive to maintain a culture where each employee is valued by the organization and where our organization is valued by each employee. We offer a highly flexible work environment for our headquarter employees where individuals work remotely and gather for in-person meetings when necessary. Dynavax is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area, and our manufacturing facility is in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The Vena Technical Consultant will be a pivotal member of our FP&A team, playing a key role in the design, development, and ongoing enhancement of our financial planning and analysis capabilities within the Vena software platform. This individual will primarily focus on building and enhancing complex allocation forecast functionalities across the entire software development life cycle, from initial requirements gathering to post-production support. They will also be responsible for maintaining the health and integrity of our Vena environments, including regular refreshes and updates, ensuring optimal performance and data accuracy for our financial processes.
Responsibilities
Full Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Management:
Requirements Gathering & Documentation: Collaborate closely with FP&A stakeholders to thoroughly understand, document, and translate business requirements into technical specifications for Vena solutions, particularly focusing on intricate allocation methodologies and forecast models. This includes facilitating workshops, conducting interviews, and creating detailed functional and technical design documents.
Solution Design & Configuration: Design and configure Vena solutions to meet specified business needs, leveraging Vena’s capabilities for data modeling, cube design, reporting, and workflow automation. This involves expert use of Vena’s Excel interface, rules, and other configuration tools.
Scripting and ETL Development: Develop and maintain Vena scripts (e.g., using VB.NET, VBA within Vena) to automate processes, perform complex calculations, and ensure data integrity. Design and implement ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes to integrate data from various source systems into Vena, ensuring data quality and consistency.
Data Model Development: Design, build, and optimize robust data models within Vena to support financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting requirements, with a specific emphasis on hierarchical allocations and multi-dimensional analysis.
Power BI Report Development: Develop compelling and insightful Power BI reports and dashboards that visualize Vena data, enabling advanced financial analysis, performance monitoring, and strategic decision-making for leadership.
System Testing & Quality Assurance: Create comprehensive test plans, execute rigorous system testing, and manage user acceptance testing (UAT) cycles to ensure Vena solutions meet business requirements, are bug-free, and perform optimally. This includes validating allocation methodologies and forecast accuracy.
Deployment and Release Management: Plan and execute seamless deployments of Vena solutions and enhancements to production environments, adhering to best practices for change management and minimizing disruption to business operations.
Post-Production Support & Optimization: Provide ongoing production support for Vena applications, troubleshoot issues, resolve data discrepancies, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement and optimization of existing functionalities.
Vena Environment Management:
Environment Updates and Refreshes: Take ownership of regularly scheduled Vena environment updates and refreshes (e.g., development, UAT, production), ensuring all instances are current, stable, and ready for use. This includes coordinating with IT teams and Vena support as needed.
Performance Monitoring: Monitor Vena system performance, identify potential bottlenecks, and implement solutions to optimize response times and data processing efficiency.
Security and Access Management: Assist in managing user access and security roles within Vena, ensuring compliance with internal policies and data governance standards.
Qualifications
- Expertise in Vena Solutions (Mandatory): Minimum 5 years’ hands-on experience with the Vena platform, including advanced proficiency in Vena’s Excel interface, Vena cubes, rules, workflows, data integration capabilities, and reporting functionalities. Experience with Vena’s allocation engine and advanced forecasting modules is highly desirable.
- Strong Financial Planning & Analysis Acumen: A solid understanding of core FP&A concepts, including budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, cost allocations, profitability analysis, and management reporting. The ability to translate complex financial methodologies into Vena solutions is crucial.
- Data Visualization and Business Intelligence: proficiency in Power BI for developing interactive dashboards, reports, and data models. Experience connecting Power BI to Vena and other data sources is essential.
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Integration: Demonstrated knowledge of ERP systems, with a strong preference for experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365). This includes understanding ERP data structures, integration points, and best practices for extracting and loading financial data into Vena.
- Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency: Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel (including VBA for complex calculations and automation), Word, and PowerPoint for documentation, analysis, and presentations.
- Project Management Methodologies & Tools: Experience applying project management principles and using tools like Smartsheet to manage tasks, timelines, resources, and communicate project status effectively.
- Data Integration and ETL Concepts: Solid understanding of data Integration principles, data modeling (dimensional modeling), and ETL processes, even if not directly using a dedicated ETL tool outside of Vena’s capabilities.
- Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Exceptional analytical abilities to break down complex financial problems, identify root causes, and design effective Vena-based solutions. Strong troubleshooting skills are a must.
- Communication and Collaboration: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively interact with business users, IT personnel, and external vendors. Ability to translate technical concepts into business terms and vice-versa. Strong interpersonal skills for successful teamwork and cross-functional collaboration.
- Adaptability and Continuous Learning: A keen interest in staying abreast of the latest Vena features, functionalities, and market trends in Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) tools. Proactive in learning new technologies and adapting to evolving business requirements. Occasional corporate training for compliance may be required.
- Ability to sit for prolonged periods; reach with arms and hands; lift and move small objects; use hands to keyboard and perform other office related tasks including repetitive movement of the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
Work Schedule and Working Hours
- This is a part-time consultant position that requires 12-28 hours per month.
- Normal working hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
$125 - $125 an hour
The estimated pay for this position is $125 per hour. Final pay determinations may depend on various factors, including, but not limited to experience level, education, geographical location, knowledge, skills, and abilities.
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Dynavax is an equal opportunity employer & prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin/ancestry, age, disability, marital & veteran status.
