Chief Medical Officer

• Chief Medical Officer | Oncology Diagnostics | Lausanne, Switzerland
• Sector: Medical Diagnostics / Life Sciences
• Level: Executive Leadership
• Company: Confidential, early-stage startup

I’m currently working on a confidential search for a Chief Medical Officer with an innovative, early-stage healthcare technology startup based in Switzerland.

The company is developing next-generation diagnostic technologies within the oncology space, with the ambition of improving clinical decision-making and supporting more personalised approaches to patient care.

This is a particularly exciting stage to join the business.

As an early-stage company, the successful candidate will have a genuine opportunity to shape the clinical direction of the organisation, rather than simply inherit an established strategy.

Working closely with the founders and senior leadership team, you will play a central role in clinical strategy, evidence generation, scientific engagement and the development of relationships with leading clinical experts.

The Role

As Chief Medical Officer, you will provide senior medical and clinical leadership across the organisation, working closely with R&D, regulatory, commercial and executive stakeholders.

You will play a central role in ensuring the company’s technology is supported by robust clinical evidence and that its clinical value is clearly communicated to the healthcare community.

Key areas of responsibility will include

• Developing and executing the company’s clinical and medical strategy.
• Designing and overseeing clinical performance and clinical validation studies for IVD products.
• Providing clinical leadership across product development and evidence-generation activities.
• Building and maintaining relationships with leading KOLs, hospitals, laboratories and clinical partners across Europe and internationally.
• Supporting regulatory strategy and the development of clinical evidence required for submissions.
• Working closely with internal regulatory and quality teams around IVD regulatory requirements and clinical evidence.
• Providing medical expertise across oncology and personalised healthcare.
• Supporting the scientific and clinical positioning of the company’s technologies.
• Leading external medical engagement with clinicians, researchers and healthcare stakeholders.
• Supporting publications, scientific communications, congress activity and medical education.
• Contributing to market adoption by helping demonstrate the clinical value of the technology to clinicians and relevant healthcare stakeholders.
• Representing the organisation externally as a senior scientific and medical voice.

About you

We’re looking for an established clinical leader who can combine strong scientific credibility, practical clinical-development experience and excellent external relationships.

You’ll ideally have

• Significant experience designing and running clinical performance and/or clinical validation studies for IVDs.
• Strong clinical expertise within oncology and a good understanding of personalised medicine.
• An established network of KOLs, hospitals and clinical partners, particularly across Europe.
• Ideally, experience working with clinical partners or networks in the US.
• Good knowledge of the regulatory and clinical evidence requirements applicable to IVDs.
• Experience supporting products through clinical development and towards regulatory submission.
• A track record of scientific communication, publications and engagement with clinicians.
• Experience contributing to medical affairs and market adoption strategies.
• Strong communication skills and the credibility to engage with senior clinical, scientific and commercial stakeholders.
• The ability to operate strategically while remaining close enough to the detail to influence clinical programmes directly.

Why join an early-stage startup?

This is an opportunity for someone who wants real influence, autonomy and ownership.

You’ll be joining at a stage where the clinical strategy is still being shaped, meaning your experience can directly influence:

• Clinical strategy — defining how evidence is generated and what success looks like.
• Product development — bringing your clinical perspective directly into the evolution of innovative diagnostic technologies.
• Clinical partnerships — developing relationships with leading experts, hospitals and research partners.
• Regulatory strategy — helping determine the evidence required to progress the technology.
• Scientific reputation — building the company’s profile through publications, conferences and clinical engagement.
• Company growth — playing a visible leadership role as the business moves towards its next stage of development.

For the right person, this is an opportunity to have far greater impact than a traditional CMO role within a large, established organisation.

Lausanne, Switzerland

This is a confidential appointment. Further information about the organisation, technology and growth plans will be shared with shortlisted candidates.

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