At Kailera, we are bold, authentic and committed to our mission of developing therapies that give people the power to transform their lives and elevate their overall health. Rooted in an entrepreneurial spirit and a team-oriented culture, we are working together to advance Kailera’s mission to advance novel therapies for obesity and related conditions.
We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes collaboration, integrity, and excellence. As we expand, we seek the most talented individuals with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences to join our team.
What You’ll Do:
The Senior Vice President, Program Leadership serves as the senior-most executive accountable for driving biopharmaceutical programs from late-stage development through regulatory approval and launch readiness. This is a highly visible role with significant interaction with the executive team, requiring a leader with exceptional confidence, influence, and conviction who can operate effectively within a fast-moving organization of strong voices. The Senior Vice President will build and implement robust systems and structure for decision-making and planning, ensure the right people contribute to critical decisions at the right time, and elevate the program leadership and program management function to prepare for NDA submission and commercial.
Required location: Waltham, MA (hub-based, onsite 3-4 days per week)
Responsibilities:
- Own end-to-end program leadership for late-stage assets from Phase 3 through regulatory approval and launch readiness
- Drive integrated program strategy, cross-functional alignment, and milestone execution across development, regulatory, CMC, and commercial readiness
- Ensure the right contributors are at the table for the right decisions — functioning as the connective tissue across all functions
- Maintain a clear-eyed view of risk, timelines, and dependencies; proactively surface issues and drive resolution
- Lead development strategy for programs in Phase 3, with a deep understanding of clinical, regulatory, and CMC interdependencies
- Partner with R&D and Regulatory to shape late-stage plans, trial design, indication strategy, and submission timelines
- Bring strong development instincts and the ability to anticipate challenges before they become crises
- Focus is on development strategy, not portfolio optimization — depth over breadth
- Ensure commercial, medical, and market access functions are fully prepared for launch at the point of approval
- Coordinate launch readiness milestones as an integrated component of the program plan — not as a separate post-approval workstream
- Note: Post-launch lifecycle management is outside the scope of this role
- Build and implement strong decision-making and planning processes with multi-year implications
- Establish program governance frameworks, review cadences, and accountability structures
- Drive clarity and discipline in how programs are run, not just what decisions are made
- Serve as a strong, confident voice in a room full of high-performing executives with strong opinions — influence without authority is essential
- Operate as both a strategic leader and a hands-on doer; roll up sleeves when the situation demands it
- Represent the program leadership function at the executive committee and in board-level discussions
- Ensure all program activities comply with applicable laws, regulations, and company policies
- Champion transparent, data-driven decision-making and ethical business practices
- Maintain robust risk management oversight across the program portfolio
Required Qualifications:
- 15+ years of progressive experience in biotech or pharma, with a strong focus on drug development
- Demonstrated track record of driving programs from Phase 3 through regulatory approval — ideally multiple times across both pharma and biotech settings
- Experience building and structuring program governance, decision-making frameworks, and planning processes — not just executing within existing systems
- Proven success in launch readiness as an integrated part of late-stage development
- Experience leading and elevating cross-functional program teams
- Track record of success in general medicine therapeutic areas (cardiovascular, diabetes, endocrinology, metabolic disease, or similar); oncology-only backgrounds are less preferred
- Experience spanning both pharma and biotech environments, including time at larger organizations and lean, high-growth biotechs
- History of moving from large pharma into a biotech leadership role, bringing process rigor while adapting to speed and ambiguity
- Exposure to highly visible, executive-facing program leadership roles
- Open to relocation; role requires 3–4 days per week in office if located in Massachusetts. One week per month in the office if remote.
- Local candidates will be given equal consideration when qualifications are comparable
Education:
- Advanced degree (MD, PhD, PharmD, MBA, or equivalent); combination preferred
For Full Time Roles: This range represents the company’s good-faith estimate of the salary at the time of posting. Actual pay may vary based on experience, skills, qualifications, location, and internal equity. We also offer comprehensive health coverage, flexible time off, paid holidays, and a year-end shutdown. Enjoy a monthly wellness stipend, generous 401(k) match, tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits, disability and life insurance, plus annual bonus opportunities and equity grants—because your well-being and future matter to us.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION:
Kailera Therapeutics, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, creed, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age (40 and over), sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions, and lactation), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, reproductive health decisions, domestic victim status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.
E-Verify:
Kailera Therapeutics, Inc. uses E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.
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Skills Required
- 15+ years of progressive experience in biotech or pharma, focused on drug development
- Track record of driving programs from Phase 3 through regulatory approval, ideally multiple times
- Experience building program governance, decision-making frameworks, and planning processes
- Proven success in launch readiness integrated with late-stage development
- Experience leading and elevating cross-functional program teams
- Experience in general medicine therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular, diabetes, endocrinology, or metabolic disease
- Experience spanning both large pharma and lean, high-growth biotech environments
- Experience moving from large pharma into a biotech leadership role
- Exposure to highly visible, executive-facing program leadership roles
- Willingness to relocate or work onsite in Waltham, Massachusetts 3–4 days per week; remote employees work onsite one week per month
- Advanced degree such as MD, PhD, PharmD, MBA, or equivalent; combination preferred
What We Do
Kailera is an advanced clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on obesity care. It is developing a diversified pipeline of GLP-1 therapies and other obesity-management medications intended to provide treatment options for people living with obesity across their treatment journeys. The company’s team has experience developing and commercializing therapies for metabolic diseases, and its clinical-stage candidates use multiple GLP-1 mechanisms and routes of administration.
