Opportunities from Bicara Therapeutics (ashby)

POSITION OVERVIEW Bicara Therapeutics is seeking a Senior Director, Competitive Intelligence and Product Planning who will lead enterprise-level competitive intelligence and product planning to support Bicara's oncology pipeline, with a primary focus on ficerafusp alfa (BCA101), our EGFR/TGF-β bifunctional antibody in development for HPV-negative recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), as well as future pipeline expansion opportunities for ficerafusp alfa and potential future assets. Reporting to the VP, Commercial Operations, this senior leadership role will partner closely with Commercial Strategy, Program Strategy, Clinical Development, Medical and Corporate Affairs, Business Development, and Finance to inform pipeline decisions, product strategy, scenario planning, and pre-launch readiness through rigorous competitive assessment, strategic synthesis, and cross-functional alignment. This role is based in our Boston office and follows a hybrid schedule, with three in-office days each week. RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the senior strategic lead for competitive intelligence across ficerafusp alfa and future oncology pipeline assets, ensuring insights are translated into clear implications for development, commercialization, corporate strategy, and leadership decision-making.
• Partner with Commercial, Clinical Development, Program Strategy, Medical and Corporate Affairs, Business Development, and Finance stakeholders to identify priority competitive questions, anticipate market-shaping events, and align intelligence outputs to key business decisions.
• Design and lead competitive intelligence monitoring programs to inform pipeline development, indication prioritization, launch sequencing, and pre-launch decisions for ficerafusp alfa and future pipeline assets.
• Synthesize information from congresses, clinical trials, regulatory events, publications, investor communications, company disclosures, and secondary sources to assess competitor strategy, asset positioning, evidence generation, and potential implications for Bicara.
• Lead competitive scenario planning, strategic war gaming, and implications workshops to help cross-functional teams prepare for key competitor actions, data readouts, regulatory milestones, and evolving standards of care.
• Build a product planning capability that supports target product profile refinement, indication and sequencing strategy, launch readiness milestones, lifecycle planning, evidence generation priorities, and cross-functional planning for ficerafusp alfa and future assets.
• Partner with Program Strategy and functional leaders to translate competitive dynamics into product plans, decision frameworks, risks, opportunities, and recommendations for governance bodies and executive leadership.
• Regularly communicate competitive insights, product planning implications, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership through concise, executive-ready deliverables.
• Quickly build and maintain deep expertise in HPV-negative HNSCC, the competitive treatment landscape, adjacent oncology markets, and emerging scientific, regulatory, and commercial trends relevant to Bicara's pipeline.
• Lead and develop external partner relationships, ensuring high-quality, timely competitive intelligence and product planning support that is aligned with strategic objectives and appropriate for a resource-lean biotech environment. QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor's degree in business, science, or a quantitative discipline such as mathematics or statistics; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 12 years in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, including significant experience in competitive intelligence, product strategy, pipeline planning, commercial strategy, or strategic consulting.
• Demonstrated success leading competitive intelligence and strategic planning efforts that support advancement of early-stage, mid-stage, or pre-commercial pipeline products, ideally in oncology.
• Experience advising senior leadership and cross-functional governance teams on product strategy, portfolio implications, competitive dynamics, and business opportunities across global markets.
• Deep understanding of competitive intelligence methods, oncology drug development, clinical data interpretation, regulatory milestones, and competitor strategy assessment.
• Strong ability to synthesize secondary information, clinical and scientific data, company disclosures, congress activity, trial landscapes, and external signals into actionable strategic implications.
• Experience building product plans, competitive scenarios, decision frameworks, launch readiness inputs, and lifecycle planning recommendations for pipeline assets.
• Comfort managing CI vendors or other external partners to ensure delivery of high-quality, timely work that is aligned with strategic objectives.
• Strong foundation in science and drug development sufficient to support early- to mid-stage oncology pipeline assets and translate scientific developments into business implications.
• Understanding of pharmaceutical commercialization, market access dynamics, launch planning, and cross-functional governance processes.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and planning skills, with experience managing multiple strategic workstreams and influencing in a fast-paced, resource-lean biotech environment.
• Outstanding executive communication skills, with an established ability to translate complex competitive and product planning issues into clear recommendations for diverse senior audiences. COMPANY OVERVIEW 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 http://www.bicara.com. 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.