Director, Corporate Development & Strategy

Bicara Therapeutics is seeking a Director, Corporate Development & Strategy that will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing Bicara’s corporate strategy. This individual will lead external partnership evaluations and opportunity assessments, while support long‑range planning, program strategy, and competitive intelligence efforts. Reporting to the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer and partnering closely with the Leadership Team and Program Teams, this role is critical in ensuring our portfolio and strategic priorities are grounded in rigorous analysis, market realities, and patient need.

This role is based in our Boston office and follows a hybrid schedule, with three in-office days each week.

External Partnerships & Business Development Support

• Responsible for the strategic evaluation and operational execution of partnership opportunities—including co‑development, strategic collaborations, in-licensing, and out-licensing—through scientific, market, and commercial analyses.

• Build business cases, opportunity assessments, and strategic rationales for potential partnerships.

• Develop pitch decks, asset overviews, and partnering materials; support leadership during partnering discussions.

• Collaborate with Clinical Development, Clinical Operations, CMC, Finance, and other cross-functional partners to support structured diligence processes.

Alliance Management

• Work closely with the Executive Leadership Team, Program Leadership, R&D, and Commercial teams to ensure alignment of alliance management activities with the company's strategic and operational objectives.

• Collaborate with BD, program/project teams, and functional leadership to assess the feasibility and execution of partnerships and alliance deliverables.

• Accountable for coordinating effective communication and governance, in line with both the letter and spirit of the alliance governance provisions.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive knowledge of each contract and associated contracts, ensuring internal and external parties are adhering to their obligations across all aspects of the alliance.

• Understand joint roles, responsibilities, and processes to proactively engage on decisions.

• Serve as the initial point of contact for conflict resolution and exercise sound judgement in escalation of key issues and risks as unexpected events emerge.

Strategic Planning

• Partner with Program Team Lead to ensure program strategies are informed by market, clinical, and competitive insights. Includes conducting strategic analyses supporting program planning, new market assessments, unmet‑need analyses, and early commercialization thinking.

• Support development and execution of Bicara’s long‑term strategic plans, including therapeutic area landscapes, competitive assessments, and growth opportunity analysis.

• Support portfolio prioritization, scenario planning, investment trade‑offs, and strategic options analyses.

• Maintain a centralized repository of strategic insights, research outputs, and competitive intelligence.

• Contribute to externally facing materials articulating development plans, differentiation, and market positioning.

Competitive Intelligence & Insights

• Support ongoing proactive competitive intelligence cadence, monitoring scientific readouts, regulatory events, competitor activity, and market signals.

• Synthesize complex scientific and commercial information into actionable insights for leadership and program teams.

• Deliver insight summaries and strategic implications to executive leadership.

Cross‑Functional Leadership & Executive Communication

• Work closely with R&D, Clinical, Finance, Corporate Affairs, and Program Teams to ensure strategic alignment and execution.

• Support budgeting and long‑range planning processes with scenario frameworks and portfolio insights.

• Prepare strategic updates, program strategy summaries, and market assessments for internal governance and Board presentations.

• Bring structured thinking and strategic storytelling to complex decisions and discussions.

• Bachelor’s degree required.

• 8+ years of experience in biotech/pharma corporate strategy, new product planning, business development, consulting, investment banking, or venture capital.

• Strong understanding of drug development, scientific data interpretation, and commercial strategy.

• Proven ability to influence and lead cross‑functional work in a lean, fast‑moving environment.

• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to craft executive‑ready materials.

• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in financial modeling, market sizing, and scenario planning.

• Prior exposure to evaluating BD opportunities or supporting transactions.

• Experience in an emerging biotech setting.

• Experience in oncology, immuno‑oncology, or biologics.

Bicara Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering bifunctional antibodies for targeted tumor modulation. Founded in 2020, we've built a global team of over 100 employees headquartered in Boston, with a clear focus on advancing our lead asset, ficerafusp alfa, or FICERA - a potentially first-in-class bifunctional EGFR-directed antibody combined with a TGF-β ligand trap. Our innovative approach combines tumor-targeting with tumor modulation, where one arm localizes to the tumor while the other serves as a modulator, designed to deliver superior efficacy, improved safety, and enhanced durability directly at the tumor site. FICERA specifically addresses a key challenge in solid tumor treatment by enabling immune cell penetration into tumors, reducing fibrosis and immunosuppression while reversing TGF-β-driven resistance mechanisms - ultimately designed to drive the deep, durable responses that may translate into better outcomes and survival for patients. For more information, please visit www.bicara.com or follow us on LinkedIn or X.

Here at Bicara, we believe in building diverse teams and cultivating a culture where all voices are included. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

Bicara Therapeutics is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any classification protected by federal, state, or local law.