Executive Assistant, CEO

Company Overview:

Protara Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to advancing transformative therapies for people with cancer and rare diseases. Protara’s portfolio includes its lead candidate, TARA-002, an investigational cell-based therapy in development for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and lymphatic malformations (LMs). The Company is evaluating TARA-002 in an ongoing Phase 2 trial in NMIBC patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) who are unresponsive or naïve to treatment with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), as well as a Phase 2 trial in pediatric patients with LMs. Additionally, Protara is developing IV Choline Chloride, an investigational phospholipid substrate replacement for patients on parenteral support who are otherwise unable to meet their choline needs via oral or enteral routes.

Protara was named one of the Best Places to Work by BioSpace, a leading industry news and job source. This honor demonstrates the company’s desirability in the recruitment marketplace, looking at various merits with an emphasis on culture, career growth and development opportunities, leadership and innovation.  Attracting and retaining top talent is integral to building a successful company in biotech, and we are committed to ensuring Protara provides our employees with an exceptional experience throughout their careers, even as we continue to grow.                                 

Job Overview: 

The Executive Assistant will report to the CEO and is expected to be in our NYC Office ~3 days a week.

The Executive Assistant to the CEO is a highly visible, strategic role that goes far beyond traditional administrative support. This individual will act as an extension of the CEO by anticipating needs, exercising judgment, and ensuring seamless execution across priorities. The ideal candidate has a strong executive presence, is comfortable interfacing with Board members, investors, and senior external stakeholders, and has a demonstrated ability to “see around corners” in a dynamic, high growth environment.

This role requires discretion, intellectual curiosity, and confidence to operate independently while maintaining alignment with the CEO’s objectives and Protara’s culture and strategy.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following (Other duties may be assigned): 

Executive and Strategic Support:

• Serves as the CEO’s right hand, managing complex calendars, priorities, and competing priorities with sound judgement and foresight.
• Anticipates challenges and proactively address issues before they arise; demonstrates the ability to proactively anticipate needs and remain several steps ahead.
• Provide efficient and seamless calendar management for the CEO by liaising with external parties (e.g., Board of Directors, Investors), Consultants, and Colleagues.
• Delivers realtime problem solving and decision support in a fast-paced environment.
• Acts as a primary point of contact for Board members, investors, and senior external stakeholders.
• Coordinates all Board related logistics, including meeting scheduling, materials preparation, briefing documents, and follow-up actions.
• Partners with the CEO to ensure all communications and meetings are timely and effective.

 Board and Investors:

•  Acts as a primary point of contact for Board members, investors, and senior external stakeholders.
• Coordinates all Board related logistics, including meeting scheduling, materials preparation, briefing documents, and follow up actions.

Executive Presence and Communications:

• Drafts, reviews, and manages high level correspondence, presentations, and briefing materials on behalf of the CEO.
• Represents the CEO and Protara with a high degree of professionalism, diplomacy, and confidence in all interactions.
• Maintains the highest level of confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive corporate, scientific, and financial information.

 Operational Excellence:

• Manage complex domestic and international travel, including multileg itineraries, last minute changes, and ground transportation.
• Complete expense reports with accuracy and maintain smooth vendor communications.
• Support executive leadership meetings, offsites, and conferences.

 Culture and Leadership Team Support:

• Partner closely with the Executive Leadership Team to help achieve goals.
• Contribute to a high-performance, growth-oriented culture by modeling accountability, adaptability, and team orientation.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and conduit across teams as Protara scales.

Education and/or Experience:

• Must have at least 12+ years of experience providing high level Executive/C-suite administrative support.
• A bachelor’s degree is a plus.
• Experience in a Biotech/Life Science startup environment or Healthcare is preferred.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Qualifications:

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with all Colleagues and external stakeholders
• Ability to proactively anticipate the needs of the Executive Leadership Team and CEO
• Proven track record of maintaining confidential information and acting as a trusted thought partner
• Ability to successfully manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to be effective independently
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Outstanding organization and planning skills
• Must be proficient in MS Office Suite

Other Skills and Abilities:

• Possess a positive, supportive, encouraging, can-do attitude
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Ability to think outside the box and be comfortable speaking up to offer an alternative point of view
• Unwavering attention to detail
• High level of emotional intelligence with excellent constructive listening skills
• Excel at building and sustaining relationships
• Ability to lead priority projects and deliver quality results on time and within tight time constraints.
• Skilled at effectively consolidating and communicating information from diverse sources across all functional areas and through all levels of the organization

Physical Demands: 

The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

 This position requires minimal travel: average travel for this position is 0-5% with some variation based upon the demands of the business imperatives.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

 No specific work demands.

*To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 *Salary Requirements are between $140,000 - $145,000 based on experience and qualifications.  We offer a competitive Compensation & Benefits package including incentive bonus, equity compensation, matching 401(k), medical, dental, vision, commuter, and fertility benefits.

Why You’ll Love Working at Protara 

• Friendly, open, and fun team-oriented culture that values unique & diverse perspectives.
• Company-wide dedication to profoundly impacting patients’ lives.
• Amazing culture whereby our core values and behaviors are shared cross-functionally.
• Flexible working hours/schedule.
• Generous Paid Holidays and Unlimited PTO.

Protara is committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace. Protara is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed in policy and in practice to recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job qualifications without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, sex or gender, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.