Chief Operating Officer Jobs in Cambridge, MA
Chief Operating Officer jobs in Cambridge are concentrated in Kendall Square, East Cambridge, and the Harvard Square corridor, driven by demand from biotech, life sciences, and university-affiliated research organizations. Employers actively hiring include IPSEN, Harvard University, and Ipsen. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Why Join Intellia?
Our mission is to develop curative genome editing treatments that can positively transform the lives of people living with severe and life-threatening diseases.
Beyond our science, we live our four core values: One, Explore, Disrupt, Deliver and feel strongly that you can achieve more at Intellia. We have a single-minded determination to excel and succeed together. We believe in the power of curiosity and pushing boundaries. We welcome challenging thoughts and imagination to develop innovative solutions. And we know that patients are counting on us to make the promise a reality, so we must maintain high standards and get it done.
We want all of our people to go beyond what is possible. We aren’t constrained by typical end rails, and we aren’t out to just “treat” people. We’re all in this for something more. We’re driven to cure and motivated for change. Just imagine the possibilities of what we can do together.
Job Summary
As we continue our exciting evolution, we are looking for a strategic leader to help further build and refine our global compliance program as we prepare for commercialization. Reporting to the VP Risk and Compliance, the Director Risk and Compliance Operations will lead the operations of Intellia’s Enterprise Risk & Compliance Programs ensuring that systems, processes, and reporting obligations are effectively implemented and maintained. The position emphasizes execution, operational excellence, and project management across monitoring, transparency reporting, training, policy administration, and investigations to help ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and company policies. This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate builder, someone who thrives in fast-paced, high-growth environments and is energized by the challenge of shaping a program. The ideal candidate is ready to roll up their sleeves, partner cross-functionally, and grow.
Duties/Responsibilities
- The Director, Risk and Compliance - Operations is an experienced compliance operations leader who combines strategic thinking with strong execution
- Compliance lead for systems, process governance, and reporting enablement, with responsibility for shaping scalable operational solutions that support effective Risk and Compliance programs, including advancing risk and compliance systems roadmaps and overseeing enhancements and release readiness, and ensuring process are scalable, sustainable and aligned with business and regulatory expectations.
- Lead complex cross-functional initiatives, improving data quality and process performance, and addressing operational and regulatory challenges with thoughtful, practical solutions.
- Oversee and scale internal investigations process, including program process for case intake, evidence collection, case tracking and tracking of remediation activities and support ongoing monitoring of corrective actions.
- Support the corporate ERM and audit programs aligned to the compliance risk assessment.
- Own compliance tooling strategy and operations (case management, approvals workflow, third-party due diligence tools, transparency systems, LMS interfaces as needed, analytics).
- Lead vendor governance and performance management for outsourced compliance services.
- Data Strategy and Reporting Enablement: Provide leadership for data governance across compliance-owned systems and datasets by establishing quality standards, definitions, documentation, and control expectations
- This role enables more effective reporting and analytics by improving data completeness, accuracy, and usability and by partnering with stakeholders to define business requirements for dashboards, extracts, and other reporting outputs
- Play a leadership role in building and maintaining a third-party risk management program for compliance risk, including risk-based intake, due diligence, governance, onboarding, renewal, and termination processes
- This role partners across functions to embed appropriate compliance controls into internal and vendor lifecycle activities and helps ensure that operational design keeps pace with evolving business needs and regulatory expectations
- Work across functions and levels of the organization to influence decisions, align priorities, and move initiatives forward
- This person is collaborative, adaptable, and trusted to handle sensitive matters while driving high-impact operational improvements across the compliance program
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
Requirements
Skills/Abilities
- Ability to build and maintain professional relationships with internal stakeholders
- Demonstrated experience leading highly complex initiatives with significant risk and complexity, leveraging strong cross-functional relationships and influencing skills
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment with flexibility, commitment to teamwork, and willingness to adapt assignments to meet the Company’s needs
- Ability to partner cross-functionally with IT, Finance, Legal, and business stakeholders to drive adoption and timely delivery of system/process enhancements, including communicating with senior/executive leaders as a functional area expert
- Strong project/program management experience, including managing scope, timelines, risk/issues, and cross functional stakeholders
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with strong attention to detail and accuracy; ability to translate complex data/process topics into clear insights and recommendations
- Strong presentation and communication skills (written and verbal), including creation of executive-ready materials and facilitation of working sessions
- Manages sensitive and confidential matters with discretion and sound judgment
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiarity with analytics and work management tools (e.g., Power BI, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project)
- Demonstrated knowledge of regulatory/compliance requirements applicable to corporate compliance (e.g., Anti-Kickback Statute, False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practice Act, and state price transparency laws and regulations), experience with healthcare compliance programs a plus.
- Demonstrated ability to design and govern compliance systems and system-enabled processes, including defining controls, translating requirements into system/process configurations, and ensuring sustainable operating procedures
- Strong understanding of data governance concepts and ability to establish data quality standards, definitions, and reporting requirements to support reliable analytics and decision-making
- Learning agility: ability to quickly learn new subject areas and support emerging priorities as directed
- Produces high-quality work with minimal oversight from manager
Education / Certifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in business, finance, life sciences, healthcare, information systems or related field with 12+ years of relevant experience in the life sciences industry (pharmaceutical, medical device or biotech) or,
- Master's Degree/JD with 10+ years of relevant experience in the life sciences industry (pharmaceutical, medical device or biotech)
Experience
- 10+ years of experience leading compliance systems and process governance, requirements definition, testing/UAT, implementation and continuous improvement and making decisions and recommendations regarding organizational practices, policies and systems. OneTrust and Diligent experience are a plus.
- 10+ years of experience with data governance and operational reporting/analytics (e.g., dashboards, KPIs, data quality)
Physical Requirements
Prolonged periods of sitting
Meet Your Future Team (N/A unless hiring)
Intellia’s Enterprise Risk & Compliance team is a diverse group of superheroes tasked with protecting the organization through enterprise risk management and managing legal, operational, and regulatory threats across the organization.
#LI-KO1
EEOC Statement: Intellia believes in a diverse environment, and is committed to equal employment opportunity for all its employees and qualified applicants. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. Intellia will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and will continue to be accepted until the position is filled at which point the position will be taken down.
The base salary for this position is expected to range between $214,137.00 - $261,723.00 USD per year.The salary offered is determined based on a range of factors including, but not limited to, relevant education and training, overall related experience, specialized, rare or in-demand skill sets, internal comparators and other business needs. Upon joining Intellia, your salary will be reviewed periodically and additional factors such as time in role and performance will be considered. Intellia may change the published salary range based on company and market factors.
Additional compensation includes a performance-based annual cash bonus, a new hire equity grant, and eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards the value of which are determined annually at the Company’s discretion.
For more information about Intellia’s benefits, please click here.
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Find Chief Operating Officer JobsChief Operating Officer Job Market in Cambridge
Who's Hiring
- IPSEN27

- Harvard University18

- Biogen9

- PhaseV9P
Top Industries Hiring
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
- Healthcare & Medical Services
Chief Operating Officer Jobs in Cambridge: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a chief operating officer job in Cambridge?
The strongest path into a chief operating officer role in Cambridge runs through the city's biotech, life sciences, and research-commercialization sectors, where operational leadership is in consistent demand. Employers in Kendall Square and East Cambridge tend to favor candidates with cross-functional experience, particularly those who have scaled teams or managed regulatory timelines in a startup or research-driven environment. Building relationships through Cambridge's dense innovation network gives candidates a meaningful edge.
Which companies hire chief operating officers in Cambridge?
Employers hiring chief operating officers in Cambridge right now include IPSEN, Harvard University, and Ipsen, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of October 2026. Cambridge's hiring base skews toward growth-stage biotech firms, university spinouts, and established life sciences companies with operational complexity that demands senior leadership.
Are there remote chief operating officer jobs in Cambridge?
Yes, though remote availability is limited for chief operating officers, since the role typically requires on-site presence to manage teams, facilities, and day-to-day operations. About 55% of chief operating officer openings tied to Cambridge are remote or hybrid as of October 2026, with hybrid arrangements most common in strategic and early-stage companies where board-level coordination takes priority over physical oversight.
How can I get a chief operating officer job in Cambridge with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in Cambridge is a director of operations or VP of operations role at a growth-stage biotech or life sciences startup in Kendall Square, where smaller teams give rising operators broad ownership early. Cambridge's startup ecosystem also produces chief of staff roles that directly feed into COO tracks. Candidates who have led a cross-functional initiative, managed a product launch, or overseen a regulatory submission stand out in this market.
Which industries hire the most chief operating officers in Cambridge?
The sectors hiring the most chief operating officers in Cambridge are Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare & Medical Services, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of October 2026. Cambridge's concentration of research institutions, biotech firms, and technology companies creates sustained demand for operational leaders who can bridge scientific or technical work with business execution.
Related Jobs in Massachusetts
See All 183+ Chief Operating Officer Jobs in Cambridge
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