VP of Product - Oncology – Liquid Biopsy

Tempus AI • Chicago, IL

5d

About The Position

Passionate about precision medicine and advancing the healthcare industry? Recent advancements in underlying technology have finally made it possible for AI to impact clinical care in a meaningful way. Tempus' proprietary platform connects an entire ecosystem of real-world evidence to deliver real-time, actionable insights to physicians, providing critical information about the right treatments for the right patients, at the right time. The VP of Product, Oncology – Liquid Biopsy, is a visionary executive and commercial powerhouse responsible for the strategic direction, development, and market success of the company’s liquid biopsy portfolio. This role oversees the entire product lifecycle—from initial concept and R&D coordination through phase-gated development to large-scale commercial launch and P&L management. As a dual-threat leader, you will balance technical excellence in NGS-based blood-based assays (ctDNA) with aggressive commercial strategies to drive clinical adoption. You will ensure our "liquid-first" or "complementary-to-tissue" solutions address critical unmet needs in early detection, therapy selection, and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. The ideal candidate is an entrepreneurial leader with a proven track record of bringing high-complexity oncology LDTs or IVDs to market while scaling commercial revenue.

Requirements

• Strategic Commercial Leadership: Ability to transform technical assay specs into a "Value Story" that resonates with payers, health systems, and community oncologists.
• Product Development Process (PDP) Mastery: Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams through formal phase-gate processes, ensuring products are "Built to Scale" and "Built to Sell."
• Clinical & Scientific Fluency: Ability to engage as a peer with R&D and Medical Affairs to define clinically meaningful performance specifications (e.g., Limit of Detection, Sensitivity/Specificity).
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Proficiency in using market analytics, CRM data, and diagnostic volume trends to forecast demand and optimize the commercial funnel.
• Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR): Understanding of how to leverage clinical trial data to build economic models that justify the cost-offset of liquid biopsy over traditional tissue biopsy.
• Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology, Genetics, or a related Life Science field.
• Specialized Knowledge: Expert-level understanding of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), cell-free DNA (cfDNA) biology, NGS technologies, and the clinical utility of liquid biopsy across the cancer continuum
• Commercial Knowledge: Extensive knowledge of market demands, technology trends, and the regulatory environment for oncology molecular diagnostics.
• Leadership Tenure: Minimum of 10+ years in the molecular diagnostics or biotech industry, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role focused on Liquid Biopsy.
• Launch Success: A documented track record of successfully launching at least two major oncology diagnostic products, preferably liquid-based assays, with measurable market share gains.
• Commercial Oversight: Experience managing a significant P&L ($50M+) and leading cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment.
• Ecosystem Navigation: Demonstrated success in navigating the complex interplay between diagnostic providers, biopharma partners, and third-party payers.
• This role works with Personal Health Information (PHI) on a regular basis both in paper and electronic form, and therefore training relating to HIPAA/PHI privacy, General Policies and Procedure Compliance training and security training will be required upon hire.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred Education: MBA combined with a PhD or MD is highly preferred to bridge the gap between complex genomic science and commercial execution.

Responsibilities

• Liquid Biopsy Portfolio Roadmap: Define and execute a high-growth roadmap for liquid biopsy products, prioritizing applications such as therapy selection and treatment monitoring.
• Commercial Strategy & Market Creation: Lead the "Go-to-Market" engine. Develop high-impact positioning, pricing strategies, and evidence-generation plans to drive physician adoption and overcome the barriers to blood-based testing.
• Phase-Gated Product Development (PDP): Implement and oversee a disciplined PDP, ensuring all liquid biopsy assays move efficiently from feasibility to clinical validation and commercialization.
• Market & Competitive Intelligence: Maintain a "battle-ready" understanding of the liquid biopsy landscape (e.g., Guardant Health, Natera, Grail) to differentiate our platform through superior sensitivity, turnaround time, or clinical utility.
• P&L & Business Growth: Full accountability for the liquid biopsy business unit’s P&L. Monitor revenue, margins, and market share, making data-driven pivots to resource allocation to maximize ROI.
• Reimbursement & Market Access: Partner with Market Access teams to secure favorable coverage (LCDs/NCDs). Ensure the product value proposition aligns with the requirements of private payers and Medicare.
• KOL & Clinical Engagement: Act as the face of the product line with top-tier oncologists and clinical investigators to catalyze the adoption of liquid biopsy in standard-of-care guidelines.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive