Oncology & Rare Disease Excellence
Placing the Leaders Who Will Cure Cancer & Rare Disease
"Elite executive search exclusively for oncology and rare disease biotechs. Leveraging our 500+ pharma executive network to place VP Business Development, CMOs, and Medical Affairs leaders who drive breakthrough therapies from lab to patient."
"The Only Search Firm Built Exclusively for Oncology & Rare Disease"
"Our Niche: Executive leadership for oncology and rare disease biotechs. We connect VP Business Development, CMOs, and Medical Affairs leaders from top pharma (Roche, Novartis, BMS, Alexion, BioMarin) with Series A-D biotechs developing breakthrough therapies. Our candidates have track records in ADC, CAR-T, immunotherapy, gene therapy, and orphan drug approvals. Whether you're scaling post-Series B or preparing for commercialization, we deliver leaders who understand the regulatory pathway from lab to patient."
Three Reasons Biotech CEOs & Investors Choose Us:
Oncology & Rare Disease
Exclusive focus on oncology and rare disease biotechs (Series A-D). We place VP BD, CMOs, VP Medical Affairs with proven track records in ADC, CAR-T, IO, gene therapy, and orphan drug approvals.
Strategic Hiring Partner
Market intelligence on comp benchmarks, team structure advice for post-Series B scale-up, and insights on competitive hiring trends. We help you build the leadership team investors want to see.
Speed - Pre-Built Pipeline
Active relationships with 500+ Big Pharma executives. When you raise funding and need to hire immediately, we deliver vetted shortlists in 2-3 weeks—not the 3-6 months typical recruiters take.
Access the Oncology & Rare Disease Leaders You Can't Reach
The VP Medical Affairs who launched Keytruda isn't actively job hunting. The CMO who took three ADCs through FDA approval isn't on LinkedIn. The BD executive who closed the $600M gene therapy partnership isn't responding to recruiters. The regulatory director who navigated accelerated approval for orphan drugs isn't posting resumes.
But they're in our network.
SSB Search maintains year-round relationships with 500+ senior executives across Big Pharma oncology and rare disease divisions (Roche, Novartis, BMS, Alexion, BioMarin). When you need leadership talent post-funding, we don't post jobs—we make direct introductions to proven leaders.
Executive Roles We Specialize In:
VP Business Development - Pharma partnerships, licensing, $500M+ deal experience
Chief Medical Officer - BLA/MAA submissions, oncology & rare disease pipelines
VP Medical Affairs - KOL engagement, launch excellence, evidence generation
VP Clinical Development - Phase I-III execution, FDA/EMA strategy, orphan drug trials
VP Market Access - Orphan drug pricing, payer strategy, ultra-rare launches
Our 500+ executive network means your next hire is already vetted—not waiting on LinkedIn.
Oncology Talent FAQs
"We just raised our Series B ($80M) to take our checkpoint inhibitor into Phase 2. Our investors are pushing us to hire a 'Big Pharma CMO with IO experience.' Should we?"
No. Your investors are wrong, and hiring the wrong CMO will cost you 18 months and $5M+.
Here's what your investors want: A Big Pharma CMO with Keytruda or Opdivo on their resume so the board deck looks impressive. "Former CMO, Bristol Myers Squibb Oncology" sounds great in investor updates.
Here's reality:
Big Pharma IO CMOs at Series B-C biotechs typically:
Spend 6 months "assessing the program" before making decisions (your Phase 2 should've started already)
Want to hire 8-person clinical teams when you have budget for 2 people + CROs
Design 400-patient Phase 2 trials when you need a 150-patient adaptive design to preserve capital
Expect $500K+ base salary + 1-2% equity when your budget is $350K all-in
What you actually need:
A biotech CMO who's taken 2-3 programs from Phase 1 to Phase 2/3 at resource-constrained companies. Someone who:
Designs capital-efficient Phase 2 trials with interim analyses and adaptive designs
Knows how to maximize a CRO relationship (not build an internal team you can't afford)
Can write regulatory sections themselves at 11pm when your consultant is unavailable
Moves fast—IND submission in 3 months, not 9 months of "strategic planning"
The profile that wins: Former Associate Director/Senior Director Clinical Development at Big Pharma (they know the science and rigor) who jumped to VP/CMO at a Series B biotech (they've learned scrappy execution) and successfully advanced 1-2 assets into Phase 2/3.
They have Big Pharma credibility for your investors AND biotech operational reality for your budget.
What we ask candidates in screening:
"Walk me through the fastest Phase 2 start you've executed from IND approval to first patient dosed. What corners did you cut safely, and what did you refuse to compromise on?"
Red flag (Big Pharma CMO): "Well, we typically spend 6-9 months on protocol design with our medical writing team..."
Green flag (Biotech CMO): "We went from IND to first patient in 11 weeks. We used a master protocol framework, pre-negotiated with 3 clinical sites during IND review, and I wrote the protocol myself with one consultant. We didn't compromise on safety monitoring, but we cut the 47-page background section to 8 pages because FDA doesn't care about your corporate history."
Bottom line:
Big Pharma CMOs are great when you're Phase 3, well-funded, and building a commercial organization. Series B with 18 months of cash and a Phase 2 to execute? You need a biotech operator who's done more with less.
We find the CMOs who've actually built successful Phase 2 trials on biotech budgets—not Big Pharma executives learning to operate lean for the first time on your dime.
Your investors will thank you when you're in clinic 6 months faster and $3M under budget.
"Every VP Medical Affairs candidate from Roche/Novartis wants $400K base + $200K bonus + equity. We can offer $280K + equity. How do we compete?"
You don't compete on cash. You compete on equity, speed, and legacy. Here's the framework that works:
THE MATH THEY'RE DOING:
Big Pharma VP Medical Affairs total comp: $600K-$700K/year (base + bonus + RSUs)
Your Series C offer: $280K base + 0.75% equity
They're thinking: "I'm taking a $300K+ pay cut to join a biotech that might fail."
You're thinking wrong if you try to close that gap with cash.
THE MATH YOU SHOULD SHOW THEM:
Big Pharma career trajectory (next 10 years):
Year 1-3: VP Medical Affairs, Oncology ($600K-$700K/year) = ~$6.5M total
Year 4-7: Senior VP, maybe ($800K/year) = $3.2M
Year 8-10: Plateau (Big Pharma has 40 SVPs, only 3 become C-suite)
10-year total: ~$10M cash, minimal equity upside
Your Series C offer (next 7 years to exit):
Year 1-3: VP Medical Affairs ($280K/year) = $840K cash
0.75% equity in a company currently valued at $400M post-Series C
If you reach approval and exit at $2B-$4B (modest oncology biotech exit):0.75% of $2B = $15M
0.75% of $4B = $30M
Total potential: $840K cash + $15M-$30M equity = $16M-$31M
You're not offering a pay cut. You're offering 2-3x their Big Pharma career earnings IF they believe your asset works.
THE EMOTIONAL CLOSE (This is what actually works):
"At Roche, you'll be VP Medical Affairs for Drug #4 in a crowded checkpoint inhibitor market. You'll spend 3 years generating evidence to defend 5% market share against Keytruda.
At our company, you'll be THE VP Medical Affairs who built the launch strategy for the first [novel mechanism] approved for [indication]. Your name goes on the publications. You present at ASCO. You're the KOL engagement architect, not employee #6 executing someone else's playbook.
When our drug launches and saves lives, oncologists will know your name. Not Roche's name. Yours.
What's that worth to you?"
WHO SAYS YES TO THIS OFFER:
The executives who:
Are 7-12 years into their Big Pharma career and realize they'll never make C-suite
Want to be THE leader, not A leader on a crowded team
Believe in your science and want ownership (literally—equity)
Are motivated by legacy (their kids can Google their name and see the drug they launched)
Understand wealth creation (0.75% of a $3B exit >> $600K salary for 10 years)
WHO SAYS NO:
Executives who:
Need the $600K salary to maintain lifestyle (kids in private school, mortgage, etc.)
Don't believe in your asset (if they don't believe, don't hire them anyway)
Are risk-averse (Big Pharma lifers who want stability)
Want the prestige of Big Pharma on their resume
HOW WE FIND THE "YES" CANDIDATES:
We screen for executives who are:
7-12 years into Big Pharma (established credibility but not C-suite track)
Expressing frustration with speed/bureaucracy (ready for biotech pace)
Motivated by impact over cash (ask: "What do you want your legacy to be?")
Financially secure enough to take short-term pay cut (already own a home, etc.)
The screening question we ask:
"If you join a Series C biotech at $280K + 0.75% equity vs. stay at Roche at $600K salary, what would your asset need to show in Phase 2 data for you to take that bet?"
Red flag: "I'd need to see Phase 3 data first" (too risk-averse for biotech)
Green flag: "If the Phase 2 shows clean dose-response and durable responses in a resistant population, I'd bet on that" (understands the science, willing to take calculated risk)
BOTTOM LINE:
You can't win the salary war with Big Pharma. But you CAN win the equity, impact, and legacy war.
We find the Big Pharma executives who've earned enough, proven enough, and are ready to build something that puts their name in the oncology history books—not just another line on Roche's earnings report.