Senior Vice President, Clinical Development

Recursion•New York, NY

15h•Remote

About The Position

Recursion is seeking an accomplished clinical development leader to direct clinical execution of its oncology and rare disease pipeline. Reporting directly to the Chief Medical Officer, the Senior Vice President will shape program-level clinical development strategy and translate scientific priorities into rigorous, efficiently executed trials that generate evidence for regulatory advancement and potential approval. The role leads clinical scientists and medical directors while partnering across biostatistics, clinical operations, regulatory affairs, translational medicine, and other functions. The SVP will integrate AI, machine learning, real-world data, and other technology-enabled approaches into clinical program execution to improve trial design, enrollment, and evidence generation. This leader will guide programs from initiation through clinical readouts, contribute to portfolio and resource decisions, and help define Recursion’s near-term milestones and long-term pipeline strategy. The position also represents the company with regulators, investigators, scientific audiences, partners, and investors.

Requirements

At least 15 years of clinical development experience, including substantial experience in oncology, rare disease, immunology, or precision medicine in biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
MD or MD/PhD with specialization in oncology, hematology, rare disease, immunology, or a related biomedical discipline; an MD or MD/PhD is strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience leading Phase 1 and Phase 1/2 trials for novel mechanisms, including dose-escalation studies and biomarker-selected populations.
Direct accountability for IND filings and clinical development plans.
Strong cross-functional program leadership experience, including managing and developing clinical scientists and medical directors.
Direct experience engaging with the FDA and other regulatory agencies.
Ability to work with scientific rigor and operational discipline in a resource-constrained, clinical-stage company, including management of development timelines and budgets.
Strong scientific knowledge in small molecule drug development, kinase biology, oncology mechanisms of action, or rare disease pathophysiology, with the ability to contribute to protocol design and data interpretation.
Exceptional communication and leadership skills, including credibility with regulators, investigators, and key opinion leaders.
Strategic mindset combined with hands-on operational orientation and the ability to shift between high-level strategy and program execution.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in or comfort operating within a TechBio, data science-forward, or AI-enabled drug development environment; intellectual curiosity about applying AI and digital tools to clinical development.
Experience at a publicly traded company, exposure to investor-facing communications, and understanding of the business context for clinical milestones.

Responsibilities

Lead clinical strategy, design, and execution for oncology and rare disease programs.
Define program strategies covering study design, endpoints, patient populations, and regulatory pathways in alignment with the Chief Medical Officer and executive leadership.
Design, initiate, and oversee early- and late-stage clinical trials, ensuring scientific rigor, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence.
Partner with the ClinTech organization to integrate AI-assisted protocol design, digital enrollment tools, and advanced analytics into clinical development.
Lead and mentor clinical development professionals, including medical directors, clinical scientists, and program leads.
Partner with Regulatory Affairs on FDA and international agency interactions, IND strategy, regulatory submissions, and responses.
Collaborate with Clinical Operations to deliver trials on time, within budget, and to high quality standards, providing clinical oversight and study governance.
Work with Translational Medicine and Biostatistics on biomarker strategies, patient selection criteria, and adaptive trial designs.
Oversee clinical safety monitoring, adverse event review, risk management, and interactions with Independent Data Monitoring Committees.
Contribute clinical input to portfolio prioritization, resource allocation, go/no-go frameworks, and program risk assessments.
Represent the company at scientific conferences, advisory boards, investigator meetings, and key opinion leader engagements.
Support business development due diligence, partnership discussions, and potential in-licensing evaluations.
Contribute clinical content to investor communications, including earnings calls, key opinion leader events, and R&D days.