Orca-T Activation Manager

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 late-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 investigational cell therapies we hope to not only replace patients' blood and immune systems with healthy ones, but also restore their lives. Position Summary: The Orca-T Activation Manager (Associate Director level) will serve as the primary liaison between Orca Bio and identified hospitals becoming Authorized Treatment Centers (ATCs). This individual is responsible for building and managing key relationships, supporting site readiness and execution, and driving appropriate use of Orca Bio’s investigational therapies. Reporting into the VP of Account Management and Site Enablement, the Activation Manager plays a central role in creating a smooth and effective onboarding experience for treatment sites, physicians, and other healthcare stakeholders. This is a high-impact, field-based role that requires both strategic thinking and tactical execution. It offers the opportunity to help shape how groundbreaking therapies are delivered to patients who need them most. Travel/Location: Must live in assigned territory (recruiting for multiple territories). Willingness to travel up to 50%, based on business needs. Key Responsibilities Build and Strengthen ATC Relationships: • Serve as the primary point of contact for onboarding ATCs. • Develop deep, trusted relationships with decision-makers and stakeholders (including clinicians, operational leads, and executives). • Maintain detailed account profiles and capture insights for each site. Coordinate ATC Operations: • Lead site onboarding activities including qualification, training, and workflow setup. • Serve as the on-the-ground expert for feasibility of Orca logistics and operational readiness from Donor Collection to Product infusion. • Oversee training activities related to product handling, including Chain of Identity (COI) and Chain of Custody (COC) compliance. Support Clinical and Commercial Engagement: • Work closely with cross-functional teams (Account Managers, Medical Affairs, Clinical Operations, Market Access, Quality, Marketing) to support ATC needs and resolve barriers to treatment. • Facilitate communication of the latest operational updates to ATCs. Streamline and Expedite time to Onboard and Activate ATCs: • Analyze onboarding activities and timelines to proactively identify opportunities to optimize site onboarding and activation. • Gather and share key ATC insights and feedback from ATCs with internal stakeholders to help inform strategy and operations. • Represent Orca Bio at key conferences and professional meetings as needed. Qualifications Required: • Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) required; advanced degree in a scientific or business field preferred. • Minimum 8-10 years of experience in healthcare, biotech, or pharmaceutical environment, preferably in cell therapy. • Proven track record in account management, preferably in oncology, hematology, or cell therapy. • Strong operational understanding of academic medical centers and/or BMT transplant centers. Preferred: • MBA or related advanced degree. • 5+ years of experience in hematology/oncology or bone marrow transplantation. • Previous experience launching or supporting cell or gene therapy products. • Familiarity with site operations, patient access pathways, and clinical treatment logistics. • Prior experience working in cross-functional field-based teams. The anticipated annual salary range 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.