--- title: 'Chief of Staff to CEO and President at Orca Bio' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/chief-of-staff-to-ceo-and-president-orca-bio-menlo-park-03ps7wqzs8sb' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-16' --- # Chief of Staff to CEO and President at Orca Bio - **Company:** Orca Bio - **Location:** Menlo Park, CA - **Compensation:** $150k–$230k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-06-05 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/orcabiosystems/7a452f37-e6c0-445d-8ecf-7a14ef1665d6 ## Job description More than one million people in the United States today are fighting blood cancer. While a traditional allogeneic stem cell transplant has been the best hope for many, the transplant itself can prove fatal or lead to serious conditions, such as graft vs. host disease. Orca Bio is a commercial-stage biotechnology company redefining the transplant process by developing next-generation cell therapies with the goal of providing significantly better survival rates with dramatically fewer risks. With our purified, high-precision cell therapies we hope to not only replace patients' blood and immune systems with healthy ones, but also restore their lives. To support our next phase of growth, we are seeking a highly organized, analytical, and hands-on Chief of Staff to the CEO and President. Operating at the intersection of leadership priorities, the Chief of Staff will help improve organizational effectiveness, facilitate cross-functional execution, and support the successful delivery of the company's most important strategic initiatives. This is a low-ego, high-impact role that requires someone who can seamlessly shift between long-term strategic thinking and immediate tactical execution. The ideal candidate excels at solving complex problems, coordinating across diverse stakeholders, and driving progress in situations where ownership spans multiple functions. The Chief of Staff is not a functional leader and does not assume decision-making authority over existing departments. Success in this role depends on influence, collaboration, and partnership with the Executive Team to improve alignment, communication, and execution across the organization. ## Responsibilities Executive Support & Operational Execution: - Manage a diverse portfolio of executive requests, operational priorities, and strategic initiatives. - Coordinate preparation for executive meetings, Board of Directors meetings, and key business reviews, ensuring discussions remain focused on decisions, risks, and priorities. - Synthesize information from across the organization and prepare executive communications, presentations, and decision-support materials. - Serve as a coordination point between the CEO, President, and other Executive Team members by facilitating communication, tracking key actions, and supporting follow-through on agreed priorities. - Support special initiatives and operational needs that do not naturally fall within a single functional area. Strategic Initiatives & Cross-Functional Coordination: - Coordinate cross-functional initiatives sponsored by the CEO or President, working closely with functional leaders to drive alignment and execution. - Support strategic planning efforts by gathering information, developing analyses, and preparing materials for leadership discussions. - Track progress against company priorities and provide visibility into major milestones, risks, and decisions. - Develop executive presentations and analyses to support leadership reviews, and strategic decision-making. Organizational Scaling & Operating Effectiveness: - Support the evolution of operating rhythms, communication processes, and planning mechanisms as the company transitions to a commercial-stage organization. - Help establish scalable processes and operating frameworks that improve organizational clarity, alignment, and execution efficiency. - Identify opportunities to improve collaboration, decision-making, and information flow across teams. - Support initiatives that strengthen organizational effectiveness, culture, and employee engagement. ## Qualifications - Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in science or business is a plus. - Minimum 5-8 years of professional experience in consulting, market research, business operations, strategy, or a related field, with direct experience in the biotechnology, healthcare, or pharmaceutical industry. - Technical background within clinical development, program management, regulatory/or CMC a plus. - Demonstrated ability to manage complex cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities. - Highly analytical, combining humility, sound judgment, and a relentless focus on execution. - Exceptional written communication and presentation development capabilities. - Proven ability to build relationships across all levels of an organization. - Highly organized with strong project management skills and attention to detail. - Comfortable operating in both strategic and highly tactical environments. - Demonstrated sound judgment, professionalism, discretion, and a strong sense of ownership. The anticipated annual salary range (listed above) for this job is based on prior experience in the role/industry, education, location, internal equity, and other job-related factors as permitted by law. For remote-based positions, this range may vary based on your local market. Full-time employment positions will also be eligible to receive pre-IPO equity and annual bonus, in addition to competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, PTO, 401(k) plan, life and accidental death and disability coverage, and parental leave benefits. Other perks include subsidized daily lunches and snacks at our on-site locations. ## Who we are We are driven by a passion for science and compassion for patients. We act with urgency to ensure our treatments are one day accessible to all who need them. We live by our core values of passion, courage, and integrity. Excellence in our work means the chance to unlock a better quality of life for our patients, and with that comes tremendous responsibility. We innovate on a path that hasn’t been paved. We embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and take calculated risks to achieve our mission. We aren’t afraid to ask “why not” and challenge the status quo. We maintain a start-up culture of camaraderie and leadership by example, regardless of title. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and recognize that celebrating our differences creates stronger, lasting solutions that better serve our team, our patients and their healthcare providers. Notice to staffing firms Orca Bio does not accept resumes from staffing agencies with which we do not have a written agreement and specific engagement for a particular opening. Our employment activities, inquiries and offers are managed through our HR/Talent team, and all candidates are presented through this channel only. We do not accept unsolicited resumes, and we rarely outsource recruitment. ## About Orca Bio ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Orca Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing high-precision cell therapies to cure blood cancer, genetic blood disorders, and autoimmune diseases without the severe side effects of traditional transplants. - **Entity Type**: Private (Late-Stage Biotech) - **Headquarters**: Menlo Park, California, USA - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Not publicly available (leadership team has delivered on mission since founding) ## Core Business - **Primary Industry**: Biotechnology / Cell Therapy / Pharmaceutical Manufacturing - **Target Customers**: B2B — healthcare providers, transplant centers, and oncology clinics; ultimately serving patients with hematologic malignancies, genetic blood disorders, and autoimmune diseases - **Mission Statement**: "To deliver a cure without compromise for patients through high precision cell therapies" [orcabio.com](https://orcabio.com/join-our-team/) ## Products & Services - **Orca-T (Lead Therapy)**: Allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy designed to treat hematologic malignancies (AML, ALL, MDS, MPAL). It is a high-precision cell therapy that isolates the less than 1% of cells that provide therapeutic benefit from a standard transplant, aiming to improve survival rates while reducing risks of chronic GvHD. Received **Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT)** designation and **Orphan Drug Designation** from the FDA. BLA accepted under **Priority Review** in October 2025, with a PDUFA target action date of **April 6, 2026** [siliconvalleyinvestclub.com](https://siliconvalleyinvestclub.com/companies/orca-bio/). - **Orca-Q**: Designed to treat acute leukemias for patients without a fully matched donor. - **OrcaSort Platform (Enabling Technology)**: Proprietary single-cell sorting and purification technology that isolates specific immune and stem cell populations at high precision and scale — the foundation enabling all Orca Bio’s therapies. - **Other Pipeline Therapies**: Intended to treat a broad array of non-malignant blood and immune system disorders. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed (privately held) - **Total Funding**: **$542M** across 7 rounds (Seed, Series D, Series F, and others) [search results] - **Key Funding Events**: - **Series F (Jan 2026)**: **$250M** led by **Lightspeed Venture Partners** [siliconvalleyinvestclub.com](https://siliconvalleyinvestclub.com/companies/orca-bio/) - **Series D (Jun 2020)**: **$192M** led by **Lightspeed Venture Partners** (11 investors total) - **Annual Revenue**: **$13.5M** (estimated) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Lightspeed Venture Partners; clinical trial partners include City of Hope, Stanford Health Care, UC Davis, Oregon Health & Sciences University, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Sarah Cannon Research Institute [orcabio.com](https://orcabio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/orcabio-corporate-factsheet.pdf) - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount grew **72.3% YoY** to **283 employees** [search results] - Phase 3 primary endpoint met (Feb 2025) - BLA under FDA Priority Review with PDUFA date April 6, 2026 — potential FDA approval and commercial launch imminent - 200+ patients treated in clinical trials to date - Ramping up manufacturing operations with multiple new hires across manufacturing, quality, and operations ## Competitive Advantages - **Precision Cell Sorting Platform**: Orca Bio’s proprietary technology sorts the more than 100 billion cells in a standard allogeneic transplant down to the less than 1% that actually provide therapeutic benefits, creating a high-precision proprietary mixture of immune and stem cells to build a designer immune system for patients. - **Reduced Side Effects**: Designed to control serious complications like chronic GvHD while enabling a potent anti-cancer effect — a significant improvement over traditional transplants. - **Manufacturing Speed**: Consistently achieved donor-to-patient vein-to-vein turnaround times of less than 72 hours across ongoing clinical trials. - **Regulatory Momentum**: RMAT designation and FDA Priority Review for lead therapy Orca-T signal strong regulatory alignment and potential for accelerated path to market. ## Strategic Focus - **Commercialization Readiness**: With a $250M Series F raised in Dec 2025/Jan 2026 and a PDUFA date in April 2026, the company is aggressively scaling manufacturing, quality, and commercial operations to prepare for a potential product launch. - **Manufacturing Scale-Up**: Significant hiring across manufacturing, MSAT, packaging, and cold chain handling roles in Sacramento and Menlo Park. - **Pipeline Expansion**: Advancing Orca-Q for patients without fully matched donors and expanding into broader non-malignant blood and immune system disorders. - **Building the Commercial Organization**: Recent hires include a Chief Commercial Officer (Mike Hirschmann) and Associate Director of Market Development (Mid-West), signaling preparation for a U.S. commercial launch. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven Impact**: "Deliver the promise of a cure, without compromise" — employees work directly on therapies that could transform the lives of patients with blood cancer and serious immune disorders [orcabio.com](https://orcabio.com/join-our-team/) - **Start-Up Culture with Late-Stage Resources**: Described as maintaining a "start-up culture of camaraderie" while being well-funded ($542M total) and approaching a major regulatory milestone [orcabio.com](https://orcabio.com/join-our-team/) - **Rapid Growth & Career Opportunity**: Headcount grew 72% YoY; 36 active job postings at time of research across manufacturing, quality, analytical development, and commercial roles - **Work Environment**: On-site roles in Menlo Park, CA (HQ) and Sacramento, CA (manufacturing facility). Roles span day, night, and 2nd/3rd shifts for manufacturing positions. - **Culture Ratings**: 3.7/5.0 overall on employer review sites (Culture: 3.9, Career: 3.7, Compensation: 3.4, Work-Life: 3.1) - **Top Talent Sources**: Employees come from Genentech, UC Davis, Stanford, BioMarin, Cepheid, Omeros — strong biotech pedigree - **Notable Perks**: Opportunity to work at the cutting edge of cell therapy with a platform that has real potential to change standard of care in transplant medicine ## Sources 1. [orcabio.com - Official Website](https://orcabio.com/join-our-team/) 2. [orcabio.com - Corporate Factsheet](https://orcabio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/orcabio-corporate-factsheet.pdf) 3. [jobs.lever.co/orcabiosystems - Careers Page](https://jobs.lever.co/orcabiosystems) 4. [siliconvalleyinvestclub.com - Orca Bio Profile](https://siliconvalleyinvestclub.com/companies/orca-bio/) 5. [linkedin.com/company/orcabio - LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/company/orcabio) ## Other roles at Orca Bio - [Associate Director, Orca Account Management - Midwest (IA, IL, IN)](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-orca-account-management-midwest-ia-il-in-orca-bio-illinois-hw4tnvwb2brt) — Illinois - [Material Planner](https://feeny.ai/job/material-planner-orca-bio-sacramento-tmfkt0ga77ne) — Sacramento, CA - [Manager, Warehouse](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-warehouse-orca-bio-sacramento-awqj1stjk08h) — Sacramento, CA - [Manager / Senior Manager, Business Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-senior-manager-business-systems-orca-bio-sacramento-9kkyjptn9asw) — Sacramento, CA - [Medical Director / Senior Medical Director, Clinical Development](https://feeny.ai/job/medical-director-senior-medical-director-clinical-development-orca-bio-menlo-whhrnkz37zh5) — Menlo Park, CA - [Senior / Principal Scientist, CMC Analytical Development](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-principal-scientist-cmc-analytical-development-orca-bio-sacramento-11apfdw6byw1) — Sacramento, CA - [Manager, Quality – Commercial Site Onboarding (East Coast)](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-quality-commercial-site-onboarding-east-coast-orca-bio-remote-1a3rz045kad9) - [Director, Medical Information](https://feeny.ai/job/director-medical-information-orca-bio-menlo-park-yen9at2h6zrd) — Menlo Park, CA - [National Senior Director, Field Medical Affairs](https://feeny.ai/job/national-senior-director-field-medical-affairs-orca-bio-menlo-park-gqqfr6jj7egy) — Menlo Park, CA - [Coordinator, Commercial Marketing and MLR](https://feeny.ai/job/coordinator-commercial-marketing-and-mlr-orca-bio-remote-jec414fh179h)