Vice President Sales & Marketing

Vice President, US Sales & Marketing
CARA Medical — US Commercial Operation
Reports to: CEO**  | Location: US, remote, near a major airport; ~60% travel

About CARA Medical

CARA Medical is a startup SaMD that supports pre procedure planning and intra procedure navigation for interventions near or targeting the cardiac conduction system. Example use cases include structural heart procedures (e.g., TAVR, TTVR) where our technology can help physicians avoid conduction system injury, and Conduction System Pacing (CSP) where it can help operators reach the conduction system to place a pacing lead.

Purpose
Build and lead CARA's US commercial function from near zero: launch the CARA System (Metis, Atlas, CGI) in TAVR and conduction system pacing, establish the KOL and center network that drives adoption, and recruit and manage a small, focused sales team. This is a ground-floor opportunity to define how a new category of conduction-guided intervention enters the US market, and to build the commercial foundation the company will scale on.

Responsibilities

Sales

• Develop and present for approval the US commercial strategy, operating plan, and budget

• Drive the US commercial launch and revenue growth, leading the initial sales effort personally before building out the sales organization.
• Identify, open, and close initial centers (TAVR and EP/CSP programs); manage capital and per-procedure commercial models.
• Recruit, train, and manage a minimal sales force; define territories and compensation with the CEO**.
• Lead hospital contracting, value-analysis committees, and GPO/IDN engagement in coordination with Commercial Operations.
• Manage the US commercial budget and ensure spending is aligned with approved company plans and priorities

Marketing

• Define positioning and messaging for interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, and hospital administration audiences.
• Plan and execute presence at TCT, HRS, ACC, and relevant CSP/structural-heart meetings.
• Direct collateral, case studies, and digital content; manage external agencies where required.

KOL and clinical engagement

• Maintain and extend personal relationships with TAVR and EP/CSP opinion leaders; secure early adopters, podium presence, and clinical champions.
• Coordinate with Clinical Engineers (CPE-certified) and the Valencia imaging center on case support and site onboarding.

Commercial planning

• Build forecast, pipeline, and CRM discipline appropriate to company scale.
• Report monthly to the CEO**on pipeline, conversions, and market feedback; feed clinical and product insight back to R&D and regulatory.

Required

• 12+ years in US cardiovascular device sales, with at least 5 in a sales leadership role (Regional/Area Director or above).
• Demonstrable personal network among EP/CSP opinion leaders and implanting physicians; established relationships with structural heart/TAVR operators strongly preferred.
• Track record of launching a new technology or opening a new indication, not solely managing a mature franchise.
• Experience with capital and disposable sales models, hospital value analysis, and GPO/IDN contracting.
• Comfortable operating with limited infrastructure writes the plan, executes it, and hires behind it.

Preferred

• Prior experience at a venture-backed device company through first US launch.
• Familiarity with cardiac imaging (CT-based planning) or mapping systems.
• Marketing ownership in a previous role.

First 12 months — success measures

• Launch plan approved and executing within 90 days.
• Target early-adopter centers contracted and live (number to be set with CEO**).
• Sales team of 3 regional managers hired trained, and managed.
• KOL advisory group established; first podium/abstract presence secured.

Compensation
Competitive compensation, commensurate with experience.

[Base + variable + equity — to be set.]

** - until CEO is hired, report to the board of directors or any other person designated by the board.