Senior Vice President, Program Leadership

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 pre…