Office Manager and Executive Assistant - Kalaris Therapeutics : Job Details

Office Manager & Executive Assistant

Reporting to: CEO

Kalaris Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company incorporated in 2019, focused on the development of innovative therapies for the treatment of neovascular and exudative retinal diseases.

The standard of care today to treat neovascular and exudative retinal diseases such as nAMD and DME is ophthalmic anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (anti-VEGF) agents, delivered via intravitreal injection. The global branded market for these drugs currently stands at $14 billion, and is expected to continue to grow in the years ahead. This class of agent has been the first-line standard of care treatment since the approvals of Macugen and Lucentis over 20 years ago. There have been a number of agents launched since then including market-leader Eylea, and more recently Vabysmo, which had over $4 billion of sales in 2024, in only its 2nd full year on the market.

Kalaris' lead asset TH103 was developed by Dr. Napoleone Ferrara, a pioneer in the field of VEGF research, and the inventor of Lucentis and Avastin during his time at Genentech.

Dr. Ferrara recognized that despite the number of new anti-VEGF molecules that had been launched over the past two decades, there remained significant opportunity to engineer a molecule that was optimized for intraocular use which could provide both potent anti-VEGF activity as well as a meaningful increase in treatment duration. Current VEGF treatments have a significant treatment burden for patients due to the need for frequent visits to physician's offices for both disease monitoring as well as the injections themselves. This visit burden often leads to poor compliance and undertreatment which results in progressive vision loss, thereby highlighting a significant need for therapies with longer-lasting therapeutic effect. TH103 was designed as a therapy that could potentially provide a meaningful advance over the currently approved therapies.

An IND for TH103 was filed earlier this year, and the company recently initiated a Phase I clinical trial which will provide both dosing and safety information in patients, as well as preliminary evidence of the molecule's therapeutic effect. Kalaris has assembled a leadership team and board of directors comprised of proven leaders with deep domain experience in the development of ophthalmology treatments, functional expertise spanning the pharmaceutical value chain, multiple launch experiences, and a broad track record of building biotech companies, with several successful exits. The current management team includes individuals with prior C-suite roles, including CEO positions at publicly traded biotech firms and wholly-owned pharmaceutical subsidiaries.

Kalaris is seeking an Officer Manager & Executive Assistant. This is an exciting opportunity to join an early stage, mission driven team during a period of rapid growth. This individual will support the CEO and two other executive team members – the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) - by proactively managing calendars and communications to drive initiatives, preparing for meetings, booking travel, and improving operational processes. They will also provide on-site office management support as the company transitions into its new headquarters in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey and be the on-site manager of the site, liaising with external facilities support teams (IT, building facilities, maintenance, etc), to ensure the smooth running of the office space.

Job Description and Specific Responsibilities

• Manage and prioritize a dynamic schedule for the CEO, COO (Chief Operating Officer), and CMO (Chief Medical Officer). This will involve the usual responsibilities associated with an executive assistant role in the biotech industry, including the coordination of travel schedules and the management and setup of both internal and external meetings.
• Keep the leadership team well-prepared and informed about upcoming commitments.
• Serve as a key coordinator, facilitating meetings and communication with others.
• Streamline and improve operational processes.
• Play an active role in researching and executing new strategic initiatives.
• Draft clear, professional emails and memos with meticulous attention to detail.
• Respond to external inquiries to the executive team.
• Organize and oversee the executive team's engagement activities and travel arrangements.
• Assist and partner on office management and company-wide tasks.
• Ensure company office runs smoothly and work with external site resources to ensure necessary maintenance tasks for the office are executed, IT infrastructure is working smoothly, etc.
• Flexible to adapt and take on new responsibilities as needed.

Desired Qualifications, Skills, & Experience

• Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 10 years experience supporting executive level leaders, preferably in pharma, biotech, or related industry
• Exceptional organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships. Demonstrates emotional maturity and a track record of developing strong credibility and trust with all levels within the organization.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Proven project management skills with experience driving internal and external events and business deliverables.
• Solutions-oriented individual who can detect problems early and actively seeks opportunities and proposes creative and practical solutions.
• Resourceful with ability to be effective working independently or as part of a project team.
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion and discernment and demonstrate the highest level of customer/client service and response.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high-performance goals and meet deadlines while managing changing or competing demands. Thrives in a fast-paced, growing organization.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), Zoom.

Additional Details

This is a hybrid role based in Berkeley Heights, NJ with an expectation of a minimum of 4 days per week on-site at our office.

The salary range for this position is $90,000 - $115,000 annually. This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the Company's compensation practices.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.