Vice President, Clinical Development

About us:

Our purpose at Dispatch is to help create a world where all cancer patients can be cured. We’re humbled by the opportunity to work together as a team on some of the most pressing medical challenges of our time.

To achieve our purpose, we are dedicated to engineering a universal treatment across solid tumors. We’re committed to the development of novel therapies, leveraging first-in‑class technologies in viral vectors, universal targets, and novel cytokine biology. Our therapeutic approach has the potential to enable us to treat significant numbers of cancer patients and make a real and lasting impact on the world.

Our company was founded on pioneering work carried out in the laboratories of Dr. Carl June (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Kole Roybal (University of California, San Francisco), Dr. Christopher Garcia (Stanford University) and Dr. Andy Minn (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center).

At our company, you would become one of our early team members— not only playing a role in meeting our ambitious mission but also building our thriving culture. We are determined to deliver with urgency to discover new solutions and we always stay dedicated to scientific rigor; we have an ownership mindset because each and every one of us is integral to our success.

Collaboration is core for us because we believe that by bringing people together with diverse perspectives, we make a stronger whole. And, we show we care about our work and each other by sharing feedback - ultimately in service of our vision to empower people to continue forward with their lives – cancer free.

The role:

The Vice President, Clinical Development will report to the Chief Medical Officer and be responsible for defining and implementing clinical strategies for Dispatch’s lead program. The individual will be responsible for the design, execution, and oversight of US and Global Phase I and II clinical trials in addition to helping define and grow the clinical development organization over time. Full understanding of the tenets of oncology first‑in‑human studies and the relevant compliance framework for clinical development activities are essential, as is the drive to help the organization succeed, and a passion for science and patients.

The individual in this position will have the unique opportunity to grow and shape the clinical function of a promising biotech start‑up.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the design, execution, oversight, interpretation, and reporting of first‑in‑human through proof‑of‑concept clinical trials, including:
  • Development of study protocols and clinical study reports
  • Study medical monitoring
  • Being the point of contact with principal investigators, IEC/IRBs, etc.
  • Oversight of safety reporting
• Partner closely with the cross‑functional team to integrate aspects of PK/PD, biomarkers, and diagnostics into clinical studies and into the overall clinical development strategy
• Lead interactions with investigators, KOLs and SAB members to define optimal clinical development options and paths
• Support regulatory interactions, including authoring/drafting clinical content for briefing books, and preparing regulatory reports (CSRs, etc.)
• Collaborate closely within Dispatch’s cross functional teams, including research, regulatory affairs, biometrics, clinical operations, safety/pharmacovigilance and manufacturing teams
• Provide clinical leadership for business development and partnership assessments
• Act as a champion for the highest standards of compliance, ethics and safety, and putting patients first

Required experience & skills:

• Medical degree (MD or MD/PhD) and training from a reputable academic institution;
  Board Certified/Board Eligible Medical Oncologist or Hematologist/Oncologist preferred
• Minimum of 8 years of clinical development experience in industry designing and overseeing clinical trials in oncology
• Experience with cell therapies and solid tumors is essential (experience with GI cancers is a plus)
• Demonstrated excellence and experience in first‑in‑human clinical development, including the design, execution of first in human trial and submission of INDs
• In-depth understanding of biometrics, pharmacovigilance, regulatory,…