Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Operations

Olema Oncology is a cancer medicines company dedicated to impacting breast cancer and beyond. Our lead program, palazestrant (OP-1250), is a differentiated oral medicine known as a complete estrogen receptor antagonist (CERAN) initially in development for metastatic breast cancer. Our pipeline also includes OP-3136, a potent, selective oral inhibitor of the KAT6 pathway. At Olema, we are building a focused team committed to our mission with intention and clarity. Working alongside a talented passionate group of leaders and advisors, we strive to create better medicines that aim to help patients feel better, longer. For more information, visit us at www.olema.com.

Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Operations 

Olema Oncology is seeking a dynamic and experienced commercial leader to serve as Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Operations as the company’s first commercial hire. You will set the foundation and ready the company for a successful potential commercial launch in late 2027. Reporting to the Chief Operating and Financial Officer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the company’s first product launch in the United States by establishing the commercial strategy and infrastructure to enable future growth.  You will design and implement the launch strategy, build the initial commercial operations team and act as the commercial voice across the organization. This is a unique opportunity to join at a transformational moment, guiding Olema through the transition from development-stage biotech to launch-ready organization, and directly influencing patient access, market success, and long-term growth.  

This role may be based out of either our San Francisco, CA or Cambridge, MA office.

Scope of the Role:

Lead a Historic First Launch: Guide Olema through its pivotal first product launch, ensuring the organization is fully prepared to deliver innovative therapies to patients. 

Shape Market Success: Establish the product’s unique value proposition, build trusted relationships with payers and stakeholders, and create the conditions for broad patient access. 

Build What Doesn’t Yet Exist: Design the commercial foundation from systems to talent that will scale with the company as it transitions from pre-launch to a fully integrated biotech. 

Harness Insights Through Analytics: Establish commercial analytics and forecasting capabilities to generate actionable insights, enabling data-driven decision-making and effective launch execution. 

Be the Commercial Voice at the Table: Serve as a key member of Olema’s leadership team, influencing corporate strategy and representing Olema externally with credibility and vision.

As Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Operations, you will be responsible for:  

Commercial Strategy & Launch Execution 

• Define and lead the go-to-market strategy for the company’s first product, including positioning, target segments, pricing, and access considerations. 
• Drive launch readiness planning across functions, ensuring alignment of timelines, deliverables, and success metrics. 
• Develop forecasts and prepare to assume P&L accountability post-approval, ensuring commercial plans are financially sound and scalable. 

 Market Development & Patient Access 

• Lead disease education and market development initiatives to shape the therapeutic landscape in advance of launch. 
• In partnership with Medical Affairs, build and execute KOL and advocacy engagement strategies. 
• Define the initial product value proposition and pricing approach; partner with external experts and consultants to prepare payer engagement plans. 
• Ensure eligible patients are identified and supported with access to therapy; anticipate and resolve implementation hurdles. 

Cross-Functional Leadership 

• Serve as the commercial voice within cross-functional leadership, partnering with Clinical, Regulatory, Medical, and Manufacturing to ensure launch-ready execution. 
• Provide commercial input into clinical development and regulatory strategy to align with payer, provider, and patient needs. 
• Collaborate with colleagues and external partners to ensure alignment as the company expands beyond the US. 
• Serve as a member of the executive leadership team and represent the commercial function in senior forums. 

Team & Talent Development 

• Recruit, lead, and mentor the initial commercial team, building a lean organization capable of scaling as the company transitions to launch. 
• Establish a culture of continuous development, emphasizing commercial competencies, capability building, and succession planning. 

Infrastructure, Change Management & Project Oversight 

• Establish the foundational commercial infrastructure (CRM systems, demand planning, distribution channels, analytics, training) in a staged, resource-appropriate manner. 
• Identify and prioritize future capabilities needed for launch (e.g., market access, HEOR, field teams) and lead a phased build of those functions. 
• Build a commercial analytics capability to generate actionable insights on market trends, physician adoption, and patient access, enabling data-driven decision-making across the organization. 
• Use forecasting and analytics to track launch readiness, measure performance against key milestones, and inform executive decision-making. 

External Engagement & Partnerships 

• Develop relationships with payers, advocacy groups, distribution partners, and other stakeholders critical for launch success. 
• Provide commercial insights to support business development and licensing discussions. 
• Maintain industry awareness regarding market trends, competitive dynamics, product acceptance, and new product releases. 

As a seasoned commercial leader who thrives in dynamic, fast-paced biotech environments you will come with the following experience:   

• 15+ years of biotech or pharmaceutical experience with strong grounding in oncology with a strong preference for experience in breast cancer.  
• Bachelor's degree in business, Life Sciences, or a related field is required; a master's degree (MBA or advanced degree in a scientific discipline) is strongly preferred. 
• Extensive experience building, managing, and leading a high-performing team/s, with demonstrated ability to recruit, develop, and mentor talent while establishing the strategy, infrastructure, and operations required to drive a successful product launch. 
• A demonstrated track record of preparing for and executing first commercial launches in emerging biotech settings. 
• Deep experience shaping go-to-market strategies, leading launch planning, and differentiating products in competitive markets. 
• Expertise in defining product value propositions and partnering with external experts to shape pricing, market access, and reimbursement strategies. 
• Experience building and leveraging commercial analytics and forecasting capabilities to generate insights that guide launch planning, market strategy, and executive decision-making. 
• A strong understanding of how commercial strategy integrates with clinical development, regulatory pathways and manufacturing and supply. 
• Proven ability to build and scale commercial teams, with a leadership style that inspires, mentors, and sets cultural tone. 
• Hands-on experience establishing commercial infrastructure to support launch, including CRM systems, forecasting, analytics, and distribution planning. 
• Strong financial and analytical acumen, with prior accountability for forecasting and preparation for P&L responsibility. 
• Established relationships and credibility working with KOLs, advocacy groups, payers, and healthcare stakeholders. 
• Executive presence and experience representing the commercial perspective both internally as part of senior leadership and externally with partners, payers, and investors. 
• An entrepreneurial mindset and demonstrated success operating as a first or early commercial hire, transforming organizations from development-stage to launch-ready. 

The base pay range for this position is expected to be $300,000 - $350,000 annually, however the base pay offered may vary depending on location, market, job related knowledge, skills and capabilities, and experience. The total compensation package for this position also includes equity, bonus, and benefits. 

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Important Information >>>

We provide equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and believe that great ideas and discoveries come from a mix of expertise, background, and experience. Olema is building a culture where the value of difference is celebrated.

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, seeking to provide an open, flexible, and friendly work environment to empower employees and provide them with a platform to develop their long-term careers. A Summary of Benefits is available for all applicants.

Please note: Olema doesn’t accept agency resumes and is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes. Thank you.

Fraud Alert:  We are aware of employment scams where individuals pose as representatives of Olema Oncology and make false use of our company name to defraud job seekers. To protect yourself, please note that Olema’s official email addresses end in @olema.com. Our official corporate website is olema.com; our careers page is olema.com/careers; our LinkedIn page is linkedin.com/company/olema-oncology. Please visit these links for official information from Olema. Communication from any other variant is fraudulent. Olema does not conduct interviews via text message/messaging platforms, will not ask you to download anything as part of your interview, will never request any form of payment, provide upfront payments of any kind, and does not make job offers without an in-person interview.