Vice President, Head of Global Medical Affairs

Company Overview:

Protara Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to advancing transformative therapies for people with cancer and rare diseases. Protara’s portfolio includes its lead candidate, TARA-002, an investigational cell-based therapy in development for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and lymphatic malformations (LMs). The Company is evaluating TARA-002 in an ongoing Phase 2 trial in NMIBC patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) who are unresponsive or naïve to treatment with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), as well as a Phase 2 trial in pediatric patients with LMs. Additionally, Protara is developing IV Choline Chloride, an investigational phospholipid substrate replacement for patients on parenteral support who are otherwise unable to meet their choline needs via oral or enteral routes.

Job Overview: Protara Therapeutics is seeking an experienced and visionary leader to join our growing team as the Vice President and Head of Global Medical Affairs. This role will serve as a strategic thought partner to the CMO and cross-functional colleagues and will be pivotal in shaping and driving Protara’s medical affairs strategy and execution in the oncology and rare disease field, ensuring scientific excellence and improving patient outcomes globally.  

This role will oversee all aspects of Protara’s Global Medical Affairs, including field medical strategy, external expert engagement, scientific communications, advisory board leadership, medical congress planning, and launch readiness for Oncology and rare disease assets. The position requires strong leadership, cross-functional collaboration, the ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, agile environment, and expertise in oncology and rare diseases.   

  
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. 

• Develop and execute the global medical affairs strategy for oncology assets, including pre-launch, launch planning, and long-term strategic initiatives.  

• Build scientific platforms alongside our Chief Scientific Operations Officer, Senior Director, and Lead Principal Scientist.  

• Define a Medical Affairs organization in conjunction with our current Medical Scientific Liaison (MSL) team to ensure we scale appropriately. 

• Collaborate closely with R&D to optimize development plans and evidence generation.  

• Oversee Congress strategy and execution at all pertinent congresses and partner with Clinical Development and Commercial teams in support of commercial launch.   

• Optimize clinical trial enrollment, leveraging existing resources, and implement approaches to address our future requirements.   

• Build and maintain relationships with key opinion leaders, healthcare systems, advocacy organizations, and payer networks globally.  

• Build a scientific publications plan, ensuring our data is shared appropriately, and extracting the most valuable insights from our data. Ensure secondary publications are also considered.   

• Partner with Development to coordinate our scientific advisory board.  

Scientific Engagement:  

• Drive scientific engagement with key external stakeholders, including key thought leaders, healthcare professionals, and patient advocacy groups.  

• Ensure a deep understanding of patient and customer needs in the non-muscle invasive bladder cancer space.   

• Lead the development and execution of medical communication strategies.  

• Represent Protara at major scientific conferences and advisory boards to communicate medical insights and establish thought leadership in oncology.  

Team Leadership:  

• Build and lead an innovative, agile, and diverse global medical affairs team. Foster a culture of excellence that aligns with Protara’s core values.   

• Develop and mentor talent within the organization.  

Cross-functional Collaboration:  

• Work closely with clinical development, regulatory affairs, market access, and commercial teams to align strategies and maximize the impact of Protara’s pipeline.   

• Contribute to global brand planning and lifecycle management.  

Medical Excellence:  

• Ensure the highest standards of medical and scientific integrity in all activities.  

• Oversee the generation of high-quality scientific evidence to support our products.  

• Stay abreast of the latest developments in solid tumor oncology and translate them into actionable insights for the organization.  

 Supervisory Responsibilities:  

• This role will initially be a single contributor with a high degree of cross-functional influence. And supervisory responsibilities will expand proportionately with the Medical Affairs organization’s evolution. 

Education/ Qualifications: 

• Advanced degrees in a scientific or medical field (MD, PharmD, PhD, or equivalent) required.  

• Specialization in oncology is required. Previous experience in urothelial and prostate/bladder cancers is a plus, as is experience with rare diseases.   

• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, with at least 5+ years in senior medical affairs roles.  

• Extensive knowledge and experience in solid tumor oncology.  

• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful medical affairs strategies and execution.  

• Proven track record on launch readiness.  

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to build and motivate high-performing teams.  

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with both internal and external stakeholders.  

• Experience in global roles and managing diverse, multicultural teams.  

• Demonstrated ability to drive innovation and adapt to a rapidly changing healthcare environment.  

• Oversee ongoing medical studies and ensure high-quality outcomes aligned with regulatory requirements.  

• Mentor junior team members and foster a culture of collaboration and innovation within the global medical affairs team.  

Computer Skills: 

• Proficiency in the MS Office Suite and familiarity with tools used in clinical trial design or health outcomes research are advantageous.  

Other Skills and Abilities: 

• Strong knowledge of HEOR disciplines, biostatistics, clinical trial design, and evidence-based medicine principles.  

• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, presentation, and organizational skills.  

*Salary Requirements are between $320,000 - $360,000 based on experience and qualifications.

Physical Demands:  

The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

• This position requires minimal travel; average travel for this position is 40% - 60% both global and domestic with some variation based upon the demands of the business imperatives.   

Work Environment:  

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. 

• No specific work demands. 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

 Why You’ll Love Working at Protara

• Friendly, open, and fun team-oriented culture that values unique & diverse perspectives.
• Company-wide dedication to profoundly impacting patients’ lives.
• Amazing culture whereby core values and behaviors are shared cross-functionally.
• Competitive Salary and Benefits package includes incentive bonus, equity compensation, medical, dental, vision, commuter, and fertility benefits.
• Matching 401(k) Retirement Plan.
• Flexible working hours/schedule.
• Generous Paid Holidays and Unlimited PTO.

Protara is committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace. Protara is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed in policy and in practice to recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job qualifications without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, sex or gender, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.