Executive Assistant

Lycia Therapeutics is a biotechnology company using its proprietary lysosomal targeting chimera (LYTAC) platform to discover and develop best-in-class therapeutics that degrade extracellular and membrane-bound proteins. These proteins drive a wide range of difficult-to-treat diseases, including autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Lycia was established in 2019 in collaboration with academic founder and Nobel Laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and HHMI investigator at Stanford University. In May 2024, Lycia Therapeutics completed a $106.6 million Series C financing to advance its pipeline of LYTAC extracellular protein degraders to the clinic. Lycia is headquartered in South San Francisco.


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Position Summary

Lycia Therapeutics is seeking an experienced and highly resourceful Executive Assistant to provide senior-level support to our CEO, CFO, and General Counsel. This is a critical role for someone who thrives in a fast-moving, mission-driven biotech environment and excels at anticipating needs, managing competing priorities, and operating with a high degree of discretion. The ideal candidate brings polished executive support experience, exceptional judgment, and a proactive mindset that drives efficiency across the leadership team.

Primary Responsibilities:

Executive Support

• Complete a broad variety of administrative tasks for the CEO, CFO, and General Counsel, including: proactively managing active and complex calendars; processing expense reports; composing and preparing correspondence, some of which is confidential; arranging complex domestic and international travel plans, itineraries, and agendas; and compiling documents for travel-related meetings.
• Communicate directly with Board members, investors, external partners, and others on matters related to the executives' initiatives.
• Serve as a bridge for smooth communication between the CEO, CFO, and General Counsel and internal departments, demonstrating the leadership necessary to maintain credibility, trust, and support with senior management.
• Work closely and effectively with the CEO, CFO, and General Counsel to keep them well informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities, following up appropriately to ensure timely execution.
• Manage external commitments (e.g., external Board meetings, invited talks, industry events) and run interference with internal priorities to protect executive focus and availability.
• Prioritize conflicting needs; handle matters expeditiously and proactively, following through on projects to successful completion, often under significant deadline pressure.
• Draft, prepare, and edit high-quality correspondence, board materials, reports, and presentations on behalf of the executive team.
• Lead and support special projects and strategic initiatives as assigned, exercising sound judgment and independent follow-through.
• Provide backup support for office operations and facilities as needed

Board Support and Liaison

• Serve as the CEO's administrative liaison to the Board of Directors, coordinating all Board and committee meeting logistics including materials preparation, scheduling, and attendee communications.
• Assist Board members with travel arrangements, lodging, and meal planning as needed.
• Maintain strict discretion and confidentiality in all relationships with Board members and in handling Board-related materials and communications.
• Maintain compliance with applicable rules and regulations set forth in the company's bylaws regarding Board and Board committee matters.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Strong work tenure: 10+ years of experience supporting C-Level Executives or in a comparable senior administrative role, preferably within a biotech or life sciences organization.
• Experience and genuine interest in both internal and external communications.
• Strong organizational skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.
• Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, Board members, and external partners.
• Expert-level written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.
• Emotional maturity and high level of discretion and professionalism in handling confidential information.
• Highly resourceful team player with the ability to also be extremely effective working independently.
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, adapt to various competing demands, and demonstrate the highest level of service and responsiveness.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high-performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Forward-looking thinker who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and collaboration tools such as Slack, Zoom, and DocuSign; experience with board management portals (e.g., Diligent, Boardvantage) a plus.
• Start-up or early-stage company experience is a plus.

$135,000 - $160,000 a year

The expected base salary range for this role is $135,000-$160,000. We encourage candidates of all levels to apply as there is often flexibility on job title and responsibilities. Compensation will be based on a variety of factors, including experience, qualifications and internal equity. Lycia offers a competitive employment package that includes an annual bonus, equity, and a generous benefits package.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Lycia and other biotech companies have recently noticed an increase in email and social media scams targeting job candidates in our industry. Please note Lycia will post any legitimate job openings directly on our website or through our recruitment partner, Lever. If you wish to verify the legitimacy of a job opening, you may contact us.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.