About the job

Are you excited by the challenge of working in a dynamic scale-up? Do you thrive in a fast-paced, innovative environment where your work directly impacts the future of medical research and drug development? If so, Optics11 Life is the place for you!

WHO ARE WE?

Optics11 Life is not just another company; we are a thriving scale-up redefining the boundaries of life sciences. Headquartered in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), we develop and manufacture groundbreaking measurement instruments that empower researchers to make life-saving breakthroughs. Our technology is transforming drug development, medical treatments, and cutting-edge research worldwide.

What sets us apart is our scale-up environment; an exciting blend of growth, innovation, and agility.

What you can expect:

• Opportunities to shape the future
• In our fast-evolving market, your skills will be instrumental in driving our growth strategy and expanding globally.
• Empowerment and ownership
• A flat hierarchy and collaborative culture mean your ideas will not just be heard; they will shape our company’s future.
• Accelerated career growth
• The steep learning curve in our scale-up environment provides endless opportunities for professional and personal development.
• International exposure
• Join a diverse, talented team working with customers across the globe, all united by the goal of advancing life sciences.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

At Optics11 Life, it’s not just about ticking Finance boxes. As our Finance Lead in a 50-person life sciences scale-up with entities in the Netherlands and the United States, you'll wear many hats: everything from fixing spreadsheets to supporting the business in creating their budgets. Some days you're the strategic advisor; other days you're in the weeds. If that variety excites you, keep reading. You'll report to the CEO and work closely with the Senior Financial Administrator to always make sure our numbers match.

Key Activities

• Own the numbers end-to-end: You make sure our financials reflect what’s happening in the business. From ledgers and reconciliations to month-end close, you ensure everything is accurate, timely, and compliant. This isn’t just bookkeeping — it’s building a financial backbone the company can trust.
• Turn financial data into real business insight: You translate numbers into decisions. Whether it’s forecasting, budgeting, or analysing the financial impact of a strategic choice, you help leadership understand our KPIs, what the numbers are really saying, and where the business should go next.
• Drive smarter finance operations: You look at how things are done and think, “this could be better.” From implementing systems to automating processes, you continuously improve the finance function, so it runs efficiently and scales with the company.
• Partner with the business on planning and growth: You collaborate with leadership and stakeholders across the company on financial planning, forecasting, and KPI tracking. You help connect strategy to numbers so the company can grow with clarity and control.
• Safeguard the financial health of the company: You keep an eye on risks, internal controls, cashflow management, and financial procedures. When something looks off, you investigate, fix, or escalate. The CEO and leadership team rely on you to keep the financial foundations solid.
• Lead reporting and audits with confidence: From month-end Business & Board reporting to the full audit process, you own the relationship with external auditors and ensure our reporting is accurate, transparent, and compliant. When the numbers go out, everyone knows they are right.
• International Tax & Compliance: You ensure the company meets all international tax, reporting, and regulatory requirements. You manage filings, maintain strong controls and documentation, and keep our global compliance framework tight, transparent, and audit‑ready.
• The reality check: Yes, you’re also responsible for and oversee the day-to-day engine of finance — AR, AP, procurement administration, tax, treasury, payroll, and vendor management. But unlike in bigger organizations, you don’t just run the machine — you design how it works.

Skills & Competencies

• Bachelor's or master's degree in accounting or finance
• 7 years of experience, Big Four background is preferred
• Industry experience in engineering solutions is a strong plus
• Able to keep cool in a high-growth, high-change environment
• Demonstrated ability of working as a business partner alongside the management, helping informed decision-making and improving processes
• Excellent technical accounting skills including a thorough knowledge of GAAP and/or IFRS
• Able to manage and lead the audit process
• Good at upgrading manual processes to efficiently automated solutions
• Fluency in English, Dutch is a plus

What we offer

• An opportunity to make a significant positive impact on the culture and the growth of Optics11 Life;
• Freedom and responsibility in structuring and leading your own work;
• Flat hierarchy, short decision lines, big impact, and development opportunities;
• Hybrid working;
• Benefits like a pension plan, L&D budget, free lunch on Wednesdays, commuting, and working from home allowance;
• A motivated, dynamic, and enthusiastic team;
• Social drinks and plenty of fun events during the year;
• Free parking.

If you are a motivated, self-starter who shares our passion for the life sciences and wants to join a dynamic team, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.