SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 235,500 - 329,500 / annual
Vir Biotechnology, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, is seeking an experienced Director of Clinical Research to serve as the development team leader and single point of accountability for one or more oncology development programs. This highly visible leadership role sits at the intersection of clinical development, program strategy, and corporate execution.
You will define and drive the overall development strategy for assigned oncology programs, ensuring alignment across functions and leading cross-functional teams to achieve key development milestones. You will partner closely with executive leadership to shape program direction, evaluate risks and opportunities, prioritize investments, and ensure successful execution of Vir Bio's oncology portfolio.
Key responsibilities include:
- Serve as cross-functional leader and single point of accountability for one or more oncology development programs
- Define and drive overall program vision, clinical development strategy, key milestones, and integrated development plans
- Lead cross-functional program teams to align on objectives, priorities, timelines, resource needs, and risk mitigation strategies
- Partner with executive leadership and governance committees to support strategic decision-making and portfolio prioritization
- Ensure programs are appropriately resourced and provide oversight on major budget and investment decisions
- Leverage deep oncology and clinical development expertise to guide development strategy, clinical trial planning, data interpretation, and key program decisions
- Represent programs at senior leadership meetings, governance reviews, alliance meetings, regulatory interactions, and external forums
- Mentor and develop team members while strengthening program leadership capabilities across the organization
- Own the integrated development plan and target product profile, including stage gates, evidence requirements, and clear go/no-go recommendations
- Chair the development team, establish decision rights and accountabilities, resolve issues promptly, and escalate material tradeoffs with recommendations
- Ensure fit-for-purpose translational medicine, clinical pharmacology, biomarker, companion-diagnostic, and patient-selection strategies from first-in-human development through registration
- Guide indication prioritization, sequencing, combination strategy, and lifecycle planning based on scientific rationale, unmet need, speed to interpretable data, competitive intensity, regulatory feasibility, and commercial opportunity
- Define data-readout and evidence-generation plans that support rapid learning, early de-risking, and disciplined investment
- Partner with Regulatory Affairs on global strategy, health-authority engagement, dose optimization, and expedited-development opportunities
- Coordinate Clinical Operations, Biometrics, Safety, CMC/Technical Operations, Medical Affairs, and Commercial to ensure integrated execution and inspection readiness
- Maintain integrated financial, timeline, resource, dependency, and risk scenarios; recommend corrective action as assumptions or data change
- Engage investigators, key opinion leaders, collaborators, and potential partners, incorporating external insights into program strategy
- Incorporate patient burden, feasibility, diversity, access, and clinically meaningful outcomes into program and study decisions
The role is located in San Francisco headquarters with an expectation of at least 3 days per week in office.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- MD or PhD; board certification in Oncology, Hematology/Oncology, or a related specialty preferred
- 15+ years of biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry experience with substantial experience in oncology drug development
- Demonstrated success leading cross-functional development programs in a matrix environment
- Deep understanding of oncology clinical development, including experience across early and late-stage development
- Experience serving as a Medical Director, Clinical Research Physician, Program Team Leader, or comparable development leadership role
- Strong strategic thinking and ability to integrate scientific, clinical, regulatory, operational, and commercial considerations into development plans
- Exceptional executive communication, facilitation, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills
- Experience presenting to executive leadership teams, governance committees, boards, and external stakeholders
- Track record of advancing an oncology program through a major value inflection point, such as first-in-human entry, proof of concept, dose selection, pivotal initiation, regulatory submission, or approval
- Ability to make decisions under uncertainty and communicate the rationale, assumptions, alternatives, and consequences clearly
- High integrity, sound judgment, enterprise mindset, and accountability for strategy and execution
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed
