Senior Director, Brand Lead - US

Position Overview Bicara Therapeutics is seeking a Senior Director, Brand Lead – US who will be responsible for developing and executing the US brand strategy and commercial plan for ficerafusp alfa, supporting the company’s transition toward commercialization. This leader will serve as the day-to-day brand owner, translating customer and market insights into differentiated positioning, messaging, promotional strategy, and integrated brand execution. Reporting to the Executive Director, Marketing, the Senior Director will help establish the commercial foundation for a successful launch, including HCP and patient/customer strategy, agency partnerships, promotional materials, omnichannel engagement, and launch readiness. This role is based in our Boston office and follows a hybrid schedule, with three in-office days each week. Responsibilities Brand Strategy & Planning • Develop and execute the US brand strategy, positioning, messaging, and annual brand plan for ficerafusp alfa. • Translate clinical, market, competitive, and customer insights into compelling brand strategies and differentiated customer experiences across key professional and consumer stakeholder groups. • Lead development of the brand value proposition, positioning core messaging, segmentation, and customer engagement strategy. • Develop and maintain the integrated brand plan across HCP, patient, digital, field, and other customer channels. • Partner with Market Research/Insights to identify evolving customer needs, barriers, opportunities, and competitive dynamics. • Develop competitive strategy and proactively identify threats and opportunities that may impact brand performance. • Lead brand forecasting and contribute to commercial planning and resource allocation. Pre-Launch & Launch Readiness • Lead marketing workstreams supporting launch readiness and execution. • Develop launch strategy, priorities, milestones, and critical-path activities, including Day 0 planning orchestration, and execution in partnership with cross-functional launch leadership. • Lead development of pre-launch and launch promotional strategy, materials, and programs • Partner with Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Legal/Compliance, Market Access, Commercial Analytics, and Sales to ensure integrated execution. • Ensure promotional materials and customer-facing communications are developed and approved in accordance with FDA, OIG, PhRMA, and company MLR requirements. • Support development of launch tools, resources, and customer engagement programs for the field organization. • Identify and resolve key marketing risks and launch dependencies. Customer & Omnichannel Engagement • Develop differentiated engagement strategies for priority HCP segments, including medical oncologists, academic and community oncology practices, and other key stakeholders. • Partner with Field Marketing/Sales leadership to translate brand strategy into effective customer engagement. • Lead development of omnichannel engagement strategy across personal and non-personal channels. • Ensure consistency of brand experience and messaging across channels. Market Research & Insights • Partner with Market Research and Commercial Analytics to develop actionable insights throughout the product lifecycle. • Lead brand-focused primary market research, including message development/testing, segmentation, customer journey, and concept testing. • Integrate clinical, market, competitive, and customer insights into brand decision-making. • Establish an ongoing insight-generation plan to inform launch and post-launch strategy. Agency & Budget Management • Lead day-to-day relationships with advertising, creative, media, digital, market research, and other marketing agencies. • Select, brief, manage, and evaluate agency partners to ensure high-quality and timely execution. • Manage the brand marketing budget and ensure resources are deployed against the highest-value priorities. • Establish disciplined processes for project management, agency management, and executional excellence. Cross-Functional Leadership • Serve as a key member of the US Marketing leadership team. • Partner closely with Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Regulatory, Market Access, Commercial Analytics, Sales, Patient Services, and Finance. • Bring a strong customer and brand perspective to cross-functional decision-making. • Lead cross-functional brand teams and ensure alignment around priorities, milestones, and accountabilities. • Communicate brand strategy, progress, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership. Team Leadership • As the marketing organization scales, recruit, develop, and mentor brand marketing talent. • Establish a high-performance culture characterized by strategic thinking, scientific rigor, customer focus, and accountability. • Serve as a role model for collaborative leadership and entrepreneurial execution in a growing biotech environment. Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced scientific degree preferred. • 10+ years of progressive biopharmaceutical commercial experience, with significant experience in oncology marketing. • Demonstrated experience developing and executing US brand strategy for an oncology product, preferably including pre-launch and/or launch experience. • Strong understanding of the US oncology marketplace, including academic and community oncology, treatment pathways, KOL dynamics, and customer decision-making. • Demonstrated ability to translate complex clinical data and customer insights into clear, differentiated positioning and messaging. • Experience leading cross-functional teams and external agency partners. • Strong understanding of promotional regulations and compliance requirements for pre-approval and launch-stage products. • Proven ability to operate effectively in a high-growth, resource-conscious biotech environment. • Excellent strategic, analytical, communication, and project-management skills. • Experience in oncology, immuno-oncology, targeted therapies, biologics, or other complex specialty products. • Experience with HNSCC and/or solid tumors strongly preferred. • Prior experience launching a first-in-class or highly differentiated oncology product, • Prior experience launching a therapeutic with a companion diagnostic (CDx) • Experience building brands within a small or mid-size biotech transitioning from clinical to commercial stage. • Experience developing omnichannel customer engagement strategies. • Experience with both academic and community oncology customers. • Experience with specialty products requiring significant education and behavior change. 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.