CEO – First-in-Class Oncology Startup
Location - Flexible
We are a first-in-class oncology startup backed by experienced investors and scientific leaders. We are transitioning from discovery to preclinical development - and need an exceptional, hands-on leader to drive our program from preclinical studies through to IND filing and beyond.
This is a rare opportunity. We're building a lean, high-impact founding team where every decision matters and execution is everything. This is not a pharma politics environment; it's a lean biotech startup where your actions directly shape the company's trajectory and your equity stake reflects that reality.
The Role: CEO
You will be the sole commercial/operations leader and the engine room of our preclinical development program. You own vendor relationships (CROs, CMOs, academic labs, regulators), manage contracts and budgets, negotiate with third-party providers across multiple geographies (FDA, TGA, MedSafe), and handle all commercial arrangements. You manage timelines, own program roadmap, negotiate deals, and work directly with Principal Investigators, the board and investors.
This is a hands-on role. We are not looking for a spokesperson or a strategist-only. We are looking for someone who can negotiate hard on contracts and budgets, manage vendors day-to-day, crunch numbers, understand deal economics, coordinate with regulators across multiple jurisdictions, and make hard calls - while also thinking strategically about partnerships and company positioning.
What we DON'T want:
A CEO who hasn't negotiated contracts or managed budgets hands-on (all strategy, no commercial execution)
A preclinical scientist who doesn't understand vendor management or commercial terms
Someone who can't crunch a budget or negotiate with a CRO
An academic researcher without industry/vendor/commercial management experience
A spokesperson or a networker without operational commercial depth
Someone who wants a stepping stone to a bigger title
If you are a hands-on commercial operator with strong vendor/contract negotiation experience looking for a rare opportunity to build something meaningful, we would love to hear from you.
Please include responses to the below questions in your application.
Vendor/CRO/CMO management: Name a specific CRO or CMO relationship you managed. What were the key commercial/contract challenges? How did you negotiate scope, timeline, and budget? What was the outcome?
Commercial contracts & budgeting: Describe a complex contract negotiation you led (vendor, partner, or regulatory). What was your role? What were the key terms you negotiated? What did you learn?
Regulatory/International experience: Have you managed relationships with regulators (FDA, EMA, TGA, MedSafe, PMDA)? What was your experience? Any international preclinical program management?
Preclinical program management: What preclinical or early-stage programs have you managed? What stage (discovery to Phase 2)? What were outcomes?
Why this role now: What excites you about this opportunity? What's missing from your current situation?
Applications close February 19th 2026, 5pm.
We look forward to meeting you