Department: G&A

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Location: Berkeley, California

Employment Type: Full Time / Onsite

FLSA Status: Exempt

Bonus/Equity: Eligible

About Azalea

Azalea Therapeutics is enabling precision genome engineering directly inside the body, with an initial focus on creating cancer immunotherapies in vivo. Azalea is pioneering a new way to turn a person’s own T cells into a powerful cancer therapy — directly inside the body. Instead of removing cells and manipulating them in a lab, we use precision genome editing tools to engineer T cells where they already live. At the center of our approach are Enveloped Delivery Vehicles, or EDVs. As highly selective couriers, EDVs are designed to specifically locate T cells within the patient and deliver our genome engineering cargo. Once inside the cell, the anti-cancer agent is inserted into a precise site in the genome, ensuring safe and potent modifications to fortify the T cells against cancers.

Why this matters:

• We aim to make cell therapy faster and more accessible by avoiding complex manufacturing outside the body.
• Our platform is designed for precision, so the right cells are safely programmed to effectively fight cancer.
• This technology has the potential to treat a wide range of cancers with a streamlined, scalable process.

Our goal is simple: develop next-generation delivery technologies to bring genetic engineering and cell therapies to more patients.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the CEO, this role is the operational backbone of the Executive Office and Azalea worksite as a whole. As an early hire, the Executive Assistant & Office Manager (EA/OM) will enable the CEO and other C-suite members to move faster, stay organized, and spend time where it matters most: building the company, advancing the science, and delivering for patients. This role will also enable an inclusive and collaborative work environment for all employees.

You will bring structure to a high-velocity environment by managing complex scheduling, meeting logistics, and administrative workflows, while anticipating needs and removing friction before it becomes a problem. You will interface regularly with employees, the Board, investors, scientific/clinical leaders, and external partners, and must operate with impeccable judgment, discretion, and follow-through.

Key Responsibilities

• Own complex calendar management for the CEO (primary) and other C-suite members, including rapid rescheduling, priority alignment, and conflict resolution.
• Plan and execute logistics for internal meetings, cross-functional working sessions, offsites, and key company milestones (including agenda support, day-of meeting coordination (including ordering lunch), and action tracking).
• Coordinate Board and investor meeting operations, including scheduling, materials compilation, minute-taking support, and follow-up tracking (as needed).
• Manage domestic travel planning and expense coordination (flights, hotels, ground transportation, itineraries) and proactively troubleshoot changes.
• Serve as a trusted administrative partner who anticipates needs, proactively flags risks, and proposes solutions (not just problems).
• Create and maintain operating systems (e.g., weekly cadence, meeting prep workflows, contact lists, distribution lists, trackers).
• Draft, proofread, and format internal and external communications (email, memos, presentations) with high attention to detail.
• Coordinate with HR/People Operations, Finance, and IT, on new hire onboarding logistics, vendor set-up, purchasing requests, and office related administrative needs.
• Partner closely with Facilities/IT (or vendors) to support day-to-day office operations.
• Partner with HR/People Operations on talent acquisition activities such as scheduling candidate interviews and associated recruiting activities.
• Protect confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion and sound judgment.
• Oversee day-to-day office operations, including supply ordering, vendor coordination, and maintenance of shared workspaces.
• Manage visitor and guest logistics, including building access, and meeting room setup.
• Coordinate with Facilities on lab-adjacent space needs, safety compliance signage, and workspace readiness for new hires.
• Foster a welcoming, organized, and inclusive workplace environment that reflects the company's culture.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience supporting senior executives (CEO and/or C-suite), ideally in a startup, biotech, life sciences, or similarly fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex calendars and logistics across multiple leaders with competing priorities.
• Expert-level proficiency with common tools (Google Workspace and/or Microsoft Office; Zoom; Slack; calendar scheduling tools).
• Track record of exercising excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive information.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; consistently high attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Board processes and/or investor meeting logistics.
• Experience in early-stage biotech (preclinical/clinical), or working closely with scientific/clinical/manufacturing leaders.
• Strong operational instincts: able to build lightweight systems and improve workflows without adding bureaucracy.
• Comfort working with ambiguity and shifting priorities; calm under pressure.
• Experience with expense report generation and procurement workflows, experience with Notion (software workspace) is a plus.

What Success Looks Like (first 3–6 months)

• Executives consistently show up prepared and on time with fewer last-minute disruptions; priorities are reflected accurately in calendars.
• Board/investor meetings run smoothly (materials, logistics, follow-ups) with minimal executive effort to coordinate.
• Travel, expenses, and logistics are handled end-to-end with few errors and proactive contingency planning.
• A reliable weekly operating cadence is established (meeting rhythms, prep routines, action tracking), reducing “dropped balls.”
• Key stakeholders describe you as responsive, discreet, and easy to work with, and the Executive Team and worksite are viewed as organized and well-ran.
• Act as a trusted representative of the company in communications with internal and external partners, protecting their time, and ensuring prioritization of key business objectives and ensuring prioritization of key business objectives and strategic relationships.

Working Conditions / Physical Requirements (as applicable)

• Travel: [0–10%] (primarily for offsites and occasional investor/partner meetings).
• Standard office environment; may include periodic time in lab-adjacent spaces (no lab work required).
• Ability to sit/stand for extended periods and lift up to 30lbs as required (e.g., moving meeting materials).

Compensation and Benefits

• The expected salary range for this role, based on the primary location for this position in California, is $115,000 - 160,000 per year. Offer amounts are determined by factors such as experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law.
• Competitive benefits offered to all full-time employees.

Azalea’s Commitments

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO): Azalea is an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Reasonable Accommodation: We will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and to individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs, consistent with applicable law. To request accommodation, email HR at hr@azaleatx.com.

Applicant Privacy: Azalea collects and uses applicant personal information for recruiting and employment purposes. If applicable, Azalea will provide a California applicant privacy notice describing categories of information collected, purposes, retention, and rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA).

Job Description Disclaimer: This job description may change at any time based on business needs. It is not a contract and does not create a promise of employment for any particular duration.

Notice to Recruiters/Staffing Agencies: Recruiters and staffing agencies should not contact Azalea Therapeutics through this page. We require that all Recruitment Vendors (e.g., search firms, recruitment agencies and staffing companies) have a fully executed, formal written agreement on file with Azalea prior to submitting candidates. Any resumes submitted through the website or directly by Recruitment Vendors will be considered unsolicited. Unsolicited vendor submissions do not constitute any actual or implied contract with Azalea, and Azalea will not be responsible for any purported fees. For more information, please contact our HR team at hr@azaleatx.com.

Information on Fraudulent Job Offers: Azalea is aware that some job seekers have received false employment offers or recruitment emails from individuals or organizations posing as Azalea. The individuals or organizations sending these false employment offers may send requests seeking to gain personal information, items of value or monetary funds under the premise that doing so is required to further the recruitment process.