Pros
As a frame of reference, I have worked in various roles at different pharma/ biotech companies for more than 10 years. Candel's positive culture stands out. The CEO and leadership team has placed an emphasis on fostering a positive culture. At the grass roots level, team members genuinely care about each other, take an active role in shaping the company culture, and are passionate about their work. As a small company, there are not a lot of layers between the bench scientists and the leadership team, and the leadership team has an open door policy for feedback, which has been supported by group feedback sessions, town halls, etc. Importantly, it feels like feedback is heard and acted upon. The team has grown considerably over the past 12 months, and we have built up our in-house capabilities in many key functions. Management has also been very supportive of professional development for team members who have been with Candel since its early days; it feels like opportunity is only limited by one's motivation to grow. Over the past year, there has been major progress in making the company competitive on benefits, specifically with better health insurance coverage, addition of 401k (and company match), updated bonus targets, and vacation policy, which are now in line with other biotechs / pharma. The company's mission, which is to save, extend and improve the lives of patients with cancer through oncolytic viral immunotherapies, is one I'm proud (and humbled) to help advance. Like so many, I have had close friends and family members affected by cancer, and my team members feel passionate about their job for the same reason.
Cons
There have been some growing pains as the company has transitioned to a publicly traded company with a maturing pipeline that includes Ph3 studies with registration intent. Specifically, there has been a need to update processess, SOPs, and systems to support GxP practices (GMP, GCP, GDP) and anticipated regulatory filings, and there has been an ongoing roll out of trainings, new systems, documentation practices, etc. Given that the team is still comparatively small, and there is not the full depth of specialization one finds at a large pharma, so it definitely helps to have a 'roll up the sleeves' attitude to pitch in where and when needs arise. As with any biotech, the team is busy and there is pressure to deliver on our objectives. In the meantime, there are some roles / functions that are still being filled, so these aspects should continue to improve as our team and capabilities grow. Overally, I think management has done a good job of supporting work-life balance for employees, and management has been very intentional to build an organization and culture that can deliver sustainable excellence.