ASSET LEAD & PROGRAM CEO — PRECLINICAL SPINOUT OPPORTUNITY
San Francisco, CA · Confidential Search · Managed by TSE Executive Search
THE COMPANY
This is a high-conviction biotech offering something genuinely uncommon — the opportunity to take full leadership of a preclinical asset with a defined path to spinning it out into a standalone entity. The organization has built the science. Now they need the leader who can take it from preclinical validation through strategic partnerships, financing, and ultimately, independence.
If you’ve ever wanted to run a program as if it were your own company — with the backing, resources, and infrastructure of an established organization behind you — this is that opportunity.
THE OPPORTUNITY
As Asset Lead & Program CEO, you will assume full ownership of a preclinical program — functioning as the CEO of the asset from day one. You will own the scientific strategy, the business plan, the financial model, the competitive landscape, and the external relationship strategy. You will build the team around the asset, manage the BD process, and lead the program through the milestones that will ultimately support a spinout into a new standalone entity.
This is one of the most expansive roles in biotech — part scientist, part operator, part dealmaker, and part founder. It requires someone who is as comfortable in a data review as they are pitching investors, and who brings the same intellectual rigor to an NPV model as they do to a mechanism of action.
The right person will see this not as a job — but as the founding chapter of something they’ll look back on as the defining move of their career.
WHAT YOU WILL OWN
Asset & Scientific Leadership
- Take full strategic and operational ownership of the preclinical asset — including scientific plan, development strategy, milestone sequencing, and resource allocation
- Develop deep command of the asset’s mechanism of action, competitive differentiation, translational rationale, and path to IND
- Drive the preclinical development agenda — coordinating biology, chemistry, DMPK, toxicology, and CMC functions toward clear, investor-ready inflection points
- Interpret and communicate key preclinical data findings in a succinct, executive-ready manner to internal leadership, partners, and investors
- Question assumptions, stress-test the scientific strategy, and identify gaps before they become problems — thinking like both a scientist and a founder
Business Development & Spinout Strategy
- Own the business plan, financial model, and valuation framework for the asset — keeping it current through each development milestone
- Build and maintain NPV models and scenario analyses that underpin investment, partnership, and spinout decisions
- Lead competitive intelligence — synthesizing the landscape into clear strategic positioning for the asset
- Drive the BD strategy — identifying, cultivating, and managing relationships with potential partners, co-investors, licensees, and acquirers
- Lead the process to structure and execute the spinout — working with legal, finance, and senior leadership to transition the asset into a standalone entity
- Engage and build relationships with venture capital, crossover investors, and strategic pharma partners in preparation for the spinout financing
Team & Operational Leadership
- Build and lead the cross-functional team around the asset — recruiting and retaining scientific, clinical, and operational talent as the program scales
- Set and manage milestones and deliverables for team members — holding the team accountable to quality, precision, and speed
- Coordinate with external CROs, consultants, and collaborators to execute the preclinical program efficiently and on timeline
- Operate with a founder’s mindset — resourceful, decisive, and relentlessly focused on advancing the asset toward value-creating milestones
External Presence & Stakeholder Management
- Serve as the primary external voice of the asset — to potential partners, investors, scientific advisory boards, and key opinion leaders
- Build and maintain a network of external scientific experts and clinical advisors who can strengthen the program’s development strategy and credibility
- Represent the program at scientific conferences, investor forums, and BD events — with the presence and conviction of a founder
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
Education
- Advanced degree (PhD, MD, MBA, or equivalent) from a top-tier academic institution required
- PhD in a relevant biological or chemical science strongly preferred; MBA from a top-tier program a significant plus
Experience
- Asset leadership, program leadership, or BD experience within a biotech startup or top-tier pharma organization — with a track record of advancing assets through preclinical and into clinical development
- Business development experience — including deal structuring, partnership negotiations, competitive positioning, and investor engagement
- Preclinical drug development experience — familiarity with the IND-enabling process, translational pharmacology, and the data package required to support a financing or partnership
- Demonstrated experience building financial models, NPV analyses, and business plans that have supported real investment or BD decisions
- Management consulting from a top-tier firm (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, or equivalent) and/or investment banking experience strongly preferred
- Experience operating in a founder or quasi-founder capacity — startup, spinout, venture-backed company, or early-stage program leadership
- Prior involvement in a company formation, spinout, or asset carve-out is a meaningful differentiator
Competencies
- Founder’s mindset — you treat the asset as if it is your own; you don’t wait to be asked, and you don’t stop at the edge of your job description
- Scientific depth — you can engage credibly on mechanism of action, preclinical data packages, and development strategy — and you know what questions the FDA, investors, and partners will ask
- BD fluency — you understand deal structures, term sheets, and what makes a partner or investor say yes
- Financial acumen — comfortable with NPV modeling, scenario analysis, valuation frameworks, and investor-ready financial narratives
- Executive presence — you represent the program with conviction to investors, scientific advisory boards, and potential partners
- Independent judgment — you make decisions quickly, with incomplete data, and you’re accountable for the outcomes
THE RIGHT PERSON
Founder — You think like a CEO from day one. You own the outcomes, not just the workstreams. When something isn’t working, you fix it — you don’t escalate it.
Scientist — You have enough scientific depth to challenge the data, shape the development strategy, and earn the respect of the research team. You don’t need to be in the lab — but the lab needs to respect you.
Dealmaker — You understand what partners and investors are looking for, you build relationships before you need them, and you know how to structure a deal that advances the program.
Builder — You are energized by the blank page — by the challenge of creating a team, a strategy, and an organization around an asset that doesn’t yet have one.
LOCATION
San Francisco, CA — in-person or hybrid
HOW TO APPLY
This search is managed exclusively and confidentially by TSE Executive Search.
Please submit your resume/CV and a brief cover letter to:
jobs@tseworldwide.com
All applications are held in the strictest confidence.
TSE Executive Search · tseworldwide.com · (732) 690-2709 · Michael Tal Sharon, Managing Partner
What makes this JD distinctive:
- “Asset CEO” framing — this is the most compelling language for the right candidate; it signals full ownership, not program support
- “Founding chapter” — attracts entrepreneurial candidates who have been looking for exactly this kind of role
- Spinout process explicitly owned — not just managed from the side; the candidate leads the legal, financial, and strategic process
- VC and investor engagement added — critical signal for BD-oriented candidates that this involves real capital formation
- Four “The Right Person” archetypes — Founder / Scientist / Dealmaker / Builder — replaces the standard competency list with language that will resonate with an entrepreneurial candidate
Would you like this built into a PDF pitch deck in the TSE brand style?