Company Overview:  

Kinnate Biopharma is driven by the urgency of cancer patients who need more effective therapies.  We utilize our deep expertise in structure-based drug discovery, translational research and patient-driven precision medicine, which we refer to as our Kinnate Discovery Engine, to develop targeted therapies.  Our lead programs include candidates that address significant unmet needs for cancers that are driven by specific oncogenic alterations in either the BRAF or the FGFR2 and FGFR3 cellular signaling pathways. To help move our programs forward, Kinnate has brought together a management team of precision oncology experts and scientific advisors who publish widely-cited research on topics relevant to the study and treatment of many cancers and lead clinical units at experienced precision medicine cancer centers in the United States. 

 

Kinnate enlists a passionate, seasoned, and diverse Team, guided by industry leaders in precision medicine and drug discovery who are developing a focused portfolio strategy and leveraging this unique team expertise.  We recently closed our $276M initial public offering and are listed on Nasdaq. Prior to that, we closed three significant venture capital financings, including our $98M Series C round in July and August 2020 and our $74.5M Series B round in December 2019.  Kinnate works from two primary locations: our Research and Development team in San Diego and a nimble management team in the San Francisco Bay Area.  We are a small and growing precision oncology company with a bright future.   

 

Summary Description of Role: 

Reporting to the Senior VP, Clinical Development and indirectly to the Medical Directors of the individual projects, the Director of Patient Advocacy will support the advancement of Kinnate’s lead compounds, as single agents or in rational combinations, into clinical trials of cancer patients with a range of solid tumors. We are seeking someone who will develop and lead the patient engagement strategy for one or more compounds in development, and work with Clinical Operations to oversee implementation of the plan while ensuring compliance with all relevant regulatory guidelines. This will be a patient- and site-facing role, and regular outreach to research patient advocates and patient advocacy groups will be an important element of the job scope. The ultimate objective is to build and leverage our relationships with patient/caregiver communities, to co-create development strategies for Kinnate compounds by bringing patient and caregiver community voices into the planning and execution of these strategies.  Key topics that we envision our Director of Patient Advocacy will help address include:  


      • Partnering with the Clinical Development Team as it relates to the strategic thinking and implementation of activities designed to optimally involve and engage patients and leverage their insights to co-create research protocols, enhance awareness, recruitment, retention and compliance in clinical trials. 
      • Identifying potential problems before, during and after trials and help provide collaborative solutions to them. 
      • Working with patient communities in ways that foster co-creation of products that resolve many of their needs while delivering effective (not just efficacious) treatments. 


S/he will provide key overall support to the clinical development programs while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and standard procedures and maintaining substantive relationships with patient communities. The ideal candidate should have experience working in a fast-paced dynamic environment. 

The successful candidate will have a passion for novel science, an affinity for strategic thinking, an aptitude for looking beyond the day-to-day execution, a record of building and nurturing relationships with the patient/caregiver community, and the skills to ensure that the patient voice is considered, leveraged, and championed throughout the development process. 

The following is an essential, but not exhaustive, list of the expected duties associated with the position. The role will evolve over time and changes to individual responsibilities may occur. 

 

Key Responsibilities: 

Partner with Kinnate clinical leadership, patients, the patient advocacy community and community organizations to incorporate the patient voice into Kinnate’s Clinical Development Plan (CDP) and attendant clinical documents (e.g., clinical protocols, amendments, informed consent documents, recruitment and retention materials) and to build strong relationships with the patient/caregiver communities with the ultimate goal of positioning Kinnate as an innovative leader and preferred partner for these communities in oncology drug development.  

Serve as Kinnate’s first and primary point of contact with patient/caregiver community. 

Work together with Kinnate leadership and line functions to ensure that the responsibilities in this section are smoothly and efficiently carried out, to facilitate open, transparent communication both within the Kinnate team and with appropriate external partners, and to provide clinical expertise and support as needed to other line functions. Broad areas of strategic responsibility include (some of these areas also include specific project-level accountabilities as well): 


      • Preparing regular updates, select and monitor key performance metrics to track the success of Kinnate’s patient advocacy and engagement efforts.  
      • Leading communication to teams and to upper management that reflects the patient voice on issues, such as recruitment and enrollment, logistics and procedures, and other trial issues. Contributions to resolving such issues will also be key. 
      • Planning and executing forums, events, volunteer programs, campaigns, panels, meetings with internal and external stakeholders and other creative actions designed to advance Kinnate’s mission and community connections as appropriate.
      • Reviewing and assisting in creation of patient-centric materials such as patient diaries and PRO questionnaires/data collection aids, and recruitment and retention materials. An important element of this review is assessment of health literacy. 

  • Specific responsibilities at the project level include: 

    • Supporting the regulatory strategy, e.g., by assisting in the preparation of clinical sections of key regulatory documents (including INDs, IBs, and briefing packages), and by finding appropriate patient representatives to attend FDA meetings (from pre-IND through the whole process to NDA) as needed and appropriate.
    • Contributing to authoring and presentation of abstracts, posters, and oral presentations for scientific and clinical meetings as needed and appropriate.
    • Presenting selected aspects of the patient engagement program at Site Initiation Visits, Investigator's Meetings, and scientific conferences. 


Qualifications and Requirements: 

  • The following requirements are mandatory: 

    • Bachelor’s or Masters’ degree from accredited institution of higher learning. 
    • Minimum of 3 years of patient engagement experience from the development standpoint in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries. 
    • Passion for championing the patient voice is essential.
    • Proven ability to collaborate with, and positively influence, diverse stakeholder groups both internally (across cross-functional teams and leadership), and externally across patient/caregiver groups and with investigators/site staff (examples detailed below). This includes: 
      • Experience (or willingness to engage with) study investigators to optimize engagement and provide understandable, user friendly, culturally sensitive, and actionable knowledge and insights that address patient/caregiver needs, enhance innovation, improve access, and advance health equity. Specific examples of activities could include helping investigators and site staff with ‘how to’ tips and with strategies in communicating with, enrolling, and keeping patients on Kinnate trials. 
      • Must have an excellent track record and demonstrated ability to establish, nurture and maintain strategic relationships and develop a clear understanding of, and action plan for, advancing mutually beneficial and bi-directional partnerships with patients, advocacy groups and/or community organizations. 
      • Must understand issues that patient groups face and be able to represent the spectrum of those issues to Kinnate leadership.
      • Must be a genuine, authentic leader and self-starter with the proven ability to work independently and within a team, while assuming accountability and responsibility for all actions.
      • A confident personal presence, strong communications, listening, presentation and problem-solving skills (with an ability to think outside the box) are required. The ability to understand and communicate the science behind Kinnate projects is critical.
      • Availability for periodic travel including domestic US and internationally as required.
      • Passion for Kinnate’s mission and vision.  


  • Possession of the following is helpful, but not mandatory 

      • Experience with Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs). 
      • Deep understanding of and commitment to resolving public health issues, improving patient health and wellness, and achieving health equity.  
      • Exposure to Early Phase (Phase 1 and 2) oncology clinical trial experience. 
      • Working knowledge of clinical trial design, methodology, and statistical concepts. 
      • Familiarity with GCP/ICH guidelines and other guidelines/best practices regarding working with patient/caregiver communities. 
      • Working knowledge of the IND/NDA process. 

Fit with Kinnate culture: 

      • Ability to build strong relationships with co-workers of various backgrounds and expertise. 
      • Ability to function at a high level in a team setting whether leading the group or acting as an individual contributor. 
      • Values-based leadership consistent with Kinnate Biopharma’s Core Values. 
      • Engaged in the mission of Kinnate Biopharma and acting with Flexibility and Integrity. 

EEOC & EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY: 

Kinnate Biopharma Inc. is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Kinnate Biopharma Inc. also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of applicable law. 

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