Chief Operating Officer (COO)

About Synapticure

Synapticure is a mission-driven digital health and life sciences company dedicated to transforming the care experience for individuals and families affected by neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS. Our comprehensive virtual care platform offers nationwide, 24/7 access to specialized neurologists, advanced therapies, genetic counseling, and care coordination. We collaborate with providers, health plans, and ACOs, actively participating in initiatives like the CMS GUIDE dementia care model. Our unique business model integrates clinical scale with life sciences innovation through two core engines: the CARES Engine for clinical operations and the CURES Engine for research and innovation.

The CARES Engine provides a scalable, 50-state virtual clinical network delivering specialized neurology care directly to consumers and through partnerships with health systems and payers. It manages the complex medical, behavioral, and logistical needs of patients and their caregivers, aiming to improve outcomes, reduce family burden, and lower care costs.

The CURES Engine leverages our engaged patient cohort to accelerate the commercialization of neurodegenerative breakthroughs. This division includes discovery-stage lab services using organoid brain-cell models for drug candidate screening, clinical trial services as a virtual site for various studies, and real-world evidence (RWE) data & analytics derived from longitudinal patient journey datasets.

The Role

Synapticure is seeking an experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) to join its executive leadership team. As the ultimate executor, the COO will be responsible for translating the CEO's vision into actionable operational strategies. This role involves partnering with the VP of Clinical Operations for Cares delivery and commercial, clinical operations, and R&D leaders for Cures delivery. The COO will directly manage the Engagement, Marketing, Outreach, Care Coordination, Data, and Medical Assistant teams. The primary mandate is to optimize the growth marketing strategy by establishing world-class operational workflows, meeting or exceeding operational metrics across the patient funnel, and collaborating with tech and data leadership to ensure exceptional patient, provider, and partner experiences. This position is also crucial for scaling payer coverage, enhancing unit economics, and supporting the company's growth stage.

Key Responsibilities

• Operations Performance: Optimize clinical and administrative performance, enhance efficiency, and standardize protocols to ensure high-quality patient care. Integrate care operations, staffing models, and financial performance to align Cares and Cures initiatives. Translate high-level strategy into granular operational sprints, build necessary dashboards, define and meet OKRs, and hold departments accountable for metrics like Gross Margin, Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), Time-to-First-Visit, and Patient and Caregiver NPS.
• Create Vision: Articulate a clear operational vision that guides teams and provides direction, even amidst external pressures. Balance immediate demands with long-term strategic thinking, maintaining team focus and purpose.
• Leveraging Technology and AI: Utilize technology and AI to improve operations and the patient experience. Champion technology-enabled innovation, applying predictive analytics for throughput enhancement, AI for workforce optimization, and leading digital front-door initiatives to streamline patient access. Act as a key decision-maker between Operations, Data, and Product/Engineering.
• Growth Accelerator: Expand market reach, broaden patient coverage, enhance service offerings, and drive growth in both local and national markets. Identify growth opportunities and foster innovation in collaboration with Cares and Cures Growth Leadership teams. Scale national payer network contracts and build team capabilities for contracting with Commercial, Medicare Advantage, and Dual eligible patients.
• Leadership Collaboration: Work closely with the executive leadership team to align operational workflows with clinical objectives, product development, and company strategy. Influence and collaborate with physicians and clinical leaders, fostering a high-performance culture. Hire, mentor, and manage personnel to build an elite, aligned team. Drive change management and facilitate cross-functional partnerships.

The Profile (Who You Are)

• Builder Mentality: Possess 12-15+ years of operational leadership experience, including 3-5 years scaling a digital health or telehealth startup through its Series B/C growth phase. Proven ability to develop operational playbooks.
• Technology Oversight: Experience partnering closely with technical departments (product, data, engineering) to drive performance improvements and implement AI-driven workflow enhancements.
• Extreme Ownership: Demonstrate accountability for missed targets by diagnosing root causes, implementing system fixes, and motivating teams.
• Healthcare Fluency: Deep understanding of healthcare complexities, including payer credentialing, care models (asynchronous vs. synchronous), and clinical licensure, with the ability to build operations that navigate these challenges.
• Financial Acumen: Strong analytical skills and the ability to make data-driven decisions, understanding the impact of operational choices on the P&L.
• Elite Work Ethic: Lead by example, capable of strategic high-level thinking and detailed operational problem-solving within the same day.

Why This Matters

Join a team committed to improving the US healthcare system. You will have the autonomy, resources, and authority to build a leading operational function that significantly impacts millions of patients' lives.

Our Values

• Patient and Caregiver Focus: A relentless dedication to providing an exceptional experience for every patient.
• Empathy and Humanity: Approaching the challenges of neurodegenerative disease with compassion, kindness, joy, and hope.
• Curiosity and Understanding: Actively listening to patients, caregivers, partners, and colleagues, communicating with authenticity and humility.
• Embrace Opportunity: Energized by the mission and demonstrating a bias toward action.

Additional Information

This is a remote position, with a strong preference for candidates located near Chicago to facilitate leadership collaboration.

Salary & Benefits

Synapticure offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) plan, paid time off (PTO), and professional development opportunities.

AI in Hiring: Synapticure may utilize AI tools to assist in the hiring process, such as reviewing applications and resumes. These tools support the recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are made by humans. For more information on data processing, please contact us.