Vice President of Clinical Development (Oncology, Large Pharma)

Career insight

An Oncology VIce President of Clinical Development for a Large Pharmareports to the SVP or Brand Head depending on the Pharmas structureand is usually responsible for 1 of 3 things. This will depend on thestructure of the pharma.

Structure 1 – Early vs. Late

The VPs of Clinical Development in these structures will beresponsible for all things Phase I and II. Here a VP of Oncology willneed to work across multiple cancer targets and mechanisms. This willbe broken down further, each VP responsible for 1 Technology (DNArepair, EGFRs, mAb, CART etc) and in here will be a medical directoroverlooking the individual targets (Breast, Prostate, Combo chemoetc). This is typical at Roche and BMS.

Structure 2 - Disease target or technology

Should the pharma / biotech be smaller, the VP Clinical Developmentof oncology will be responsible the entire drug development of 1 drugor 1 target. The drug will enter Phase I, for example a KinaseInhibitor for Leukemia, then the  VP will be responsible for thiswhole programme from Phase I to III. This is a typical structure atBeigene and BioNtech.

Important Difference - Oncology Clinical Development Vice President

A VP is involved with the deep and technical knowledge of cancer drugdevelopment. Unlike other indications, oncology is considered some ofthe hardest trials to run. It is on average 2-5x more expensive torun clinical oncology trials compared to other diseases. In a slowbiotech economic climate, investors and C suites are looking for theexact match - usually including technology approach (IO, Cell/Gene)and sometimes even the exact disease ontop (Cell/Gene with direct AMLPI experience) - this only exists in oncology.  

Requirements for Vice President of Clinical Development of Oncology:

• A Medical Degree and board certified oncology / haematologist.
• Previous demonstrated experience usually directly related to that disease. Including target, technology and sometimes even stage of life cycle.
• Early clinical development, successful IND application, entry into clinics, submission and filings, demonstrate running clinical trials.
• Late clinical development, successful drug launches, building medical teams, FDA /EMA submissions, previous Medical Affairs work.
• Leadership; successfully proven managing a team including areas such as, Clinical Operations, Drug Safety, Medical Affairs and potentially more.

Salary and benefits:

• $250,000 - $500,000
• Bonus: 25-35%
• Stocks: 25-40%
• Typical extras: Paid travel or relocation

Further information:

Should you be interested in working as a Vice President in ClinicalDevelopment Oncology or need more advice on your career, then let usknow. We are always searching for people with this background and are happy to discuss our clients and which companies are hiring (now or near future). All conversations are strictly confidential.