Executive Director, Clinical Development

Sutro Biopharma•South San Francisco, CA

1d•$354,000

About The Position

Sutro Biopharma is seeking an Executive Director, Clinical Development to partner with the VP, Clinical Development in shaping clinical strategy for its oncology portfolio. The physician will work with global study leads to develop clinical strategies, strengthen safety assessment, and support the execution of global clinical programs. The role is suited to a physician-scientist with deep oncology expertise, clinical safety experience, experience leading clinical studies, and extensive knowledge of early development trials. Experience with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) or targeted therapies is especially relevant. The position also calls for strong investigator relationships and the ability to translate clinical evidence into clear recommendations. The Executive Director will contribute to portfolio and study strategy, early clinical development, clinical safety and medical monitoring, regulatory and executive communications, investigator engagement, and cross-functional collaboration. The role includes domestic and international travel as needed for site engagement, investigator meetings, scientific congresses, and advisory discussions. Sutro Biopharma is focused on discovering and developing cancer therapeutics. Its pipeline includes novel exatecan and dual-payload ADCs, alongside collaborations and industry partnerships. The company is headquartered in South San Francisco and states that it is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace. The company encourages colleagues to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before their first date of employment.

Requirements

MD or MD/PhD.
Approximately 10 or more years of relevant clinical research and drug development experience, including substantial clinical development experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
Substantial experience in oncology clinical development.
Strong clinical safety background, including medical monitoring, assessment of adverse events and emerging safety signals, benefit-risk evaluation, and collaboration with Pharmacovigilance.
Experience leading interventional clinical studies and direct experience with global trials involving investigators and teams across multiple countries.
Deep knowledge of early clinical development, including first-in-human studies, dose escalation, dose optimization, and expansion cohorts.
Ability to partner effectively with senior clinical leaders and global study leads, influence across functions, and translate complex data into sound clinical recommendations.
Experience contributing to regulatory documents and health authority interactions, with working knowledge of GCP and applicable global clinical trial requirements.
Strong scientific communication and relationship-building skills, including engagement with investigators and external experts.
Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally.

Nice To Haves

Board certification or eligibility in medical oncology or hematology/oncology.
Experience in solid tumors and antibody-drug conjugate development.
Experience preparing executive- or Board-level presentations.
Experience supporting scientific advisory boards.
Experience working in a lean biotechnology organization.
Prior experience with ADCs or targeted therapies.

Responsibilities

Partner with the VP, Clinical Development to evaluate portfolio opportunities, emerging risks, and development options, and provide clinical and scientific perspectives that inform strategy and priorities.
Collaborate with global study leads to develop and refine clinical development plans and study strategies, including patient populations, dose and schedule, endpoints, biomarkers, geographic considerations, and evidence needs.
Apply early development expertise to first-in-human studies, dose escalation, dose optimization, and expansion cohorts, integrating emerging safety, efficacy, pharmacology, and translational data into recommendations.
Contribute to the design, conduct, interpretation, and communication of clinical studies, including protocols, amendments, investigator materials, and clinical study reports.
Partner with study leads and Clinical Operations to address clinical issues and support study milestones.
Provide clinical safety expertise across programs and collaborate with global study leads and Pharmacovigilance to review safety data, assess signals and benefit-risk, and recommend follow-up and risk mitigation.
Serve as a backup medical monitor, covering investigator questions, eligibility assessments, adverse-event medical reviews, and protocol-related medical decisions.
Support safety review meetings and interpretation of adverse events and laboratory trends; translate findings into monitoring recommendations, protocol updates, and communications to study teams.
Support Regulatory Affairs, the VP, Clinical Development, and study leads in preparing clinical content for regulatory submissions, briefing documents, health authority responses, and regulatory meetings; participate in interactions as appropriate.
Help prepare Board of Directors materials and executive updates that present clinical progress, safety findings, development options, and key risks with balanced recommendations.
Build and maintain relationships with investigators, academic centers, and external oncology experts.
Travel domestically and internationally as needed for site engagement, investigator meetings, scientific congresses, and advisory discussions.
Gather investigator input on study design, feasibility, enrollment barriers, and clinical practice, and apply it to clinical strategy and study execution.
Help plan and lead scientific advisory boards and expert discussions, develop focused questions, assess external input, and translate recommendations into practical development options.
Collaborate across Clinical Operations, Pharmacovigilance, Translational Medicine, Biostatistics, Data Management, and Regulatory Affairs to align on clinical questions, resolve issues, and support timely decisions.
Mentor colleagues, communicate candidly, and contribute to clinical development practices that support patient safety, scientific rigor, data integrity, and quality.