Business Development Manager

Location: Franklin, Indiana

The Business Development Manager is an experienced, individual-contributor sales professional responsible for generating new business and growing revenue by connecting pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients with the organization’s bioanalytical CRO services. Reporting to the Senior Director of Scientific Strategy, this role is primarily focused on direct selling: prospecting, building client relationships, and closing contracts. The ideal candidate brings hands-on familiarity with the bioanalytical CRO space and can engage credibly with scientific stakeholders while driving the commercial outcomes the organization needs to grow.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Business Development & Direct Sales

• Proactively identifies, targets, and engages prospective pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients through outreach, networking, referrals, and conference attendance.

• Drives the end-to-end sales cycle, leading client discovery, pipeline progression, and contract execution.

• Collaborates with the Senior Director of Scientific Strategy and Team Leads on capability presentations and proposal development, then shepherds finalized proposals through to close.

• Maintains and grows a healthy sales pipeline; provides regular updates to the Senior Director of Scientific Strategy on pipeline status, opportunity stage, and forecasted revenue.

• Articulates the organization’s scientific capabilities, regulatory expertise, and service differentiators in a way that resonates with both scientific and procurement stakeholders.

• Attends relevant industry conferences, trade shows, and scientific meetings to generate leads and build market presence, within the approved budget.

Proposal & Contracting Support

• Supports preparation and coordinates client proposals and bids in collaboration with the Senior Director of Scientific Strategy and internal scientific staff, ensuring technical accuracy and competitive positioning.

• Supports timely execution of Confidentiality Disclosure Agreements (CDAs) and Master Service Agreements (MSAs), coordinating with appropriate internal stakeholders.

Client Relationship Management

• Builds and maintains trust-based relationships with key contacts at target and existing client organizations, including scientists, project managers, and procurement leads.

• Serves as the primary sales point of contact through the pre-award phase.

• Stays engaged with existing clients to identify opportunities for repeat business and account expansion.

Internal Coordination

• Works closely with the Senior Director of Scientific Strategy to ensure sales activity aligns with scientific capacity, operational timelines, and organizational priorities.

• Coordinates with the Client Engagement Director on messaging, tradeshow logistics, and external-facing materials as needed.

• Shares market intelligence, client feedback, and competitive observations with internal stakeholders to support continuous improvement.

• Maintains accurate and up-to-date records of all sales activity, client interactions, and pipeline data in CRM or equivalent systems.

Other

• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required; degree in a life sciences discipline (biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, or related field) strongly preferred.

• 5–10 years of sales or business development experience in the CRO, pharmaceutical services, or biotechnology industries.

• Direct experience selling bioanalytical services—including immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics (PK), and/or biomarker assays—is strongly preferred.

• Familiarity with regulated bioanalysis environments (GLP, GCP) and the associated client decision-making process is a significant advantage.

• Demonstrated ability to meet or exceed sales targets as an individual contributor.

• Experience preparing or contributing to proposals, CDAs, and MSAs in a CRO or related services context preferred.

Competencies:

• Sales Drive – Self-motivated and persistent; consistently pursues opportunities and follows through on commitments to close business.

• Scientific Fluency – Comfortable discussing bioanalytical methods, study designs, and regulatory frameworks with scientific stakeholders; builds credibility through knowledge, not just rapport.

• Relationship Building – Develops genuine, durable client relationships grounded in trust, responsiveness, and follow-through.

• Communication – Communicates clearly and persuasively—both in client conversations and in written proposals and correspondence.

• Organization – Manages multiple active opportunities simultaneously without letting details slip; keeps pipeline data current and accurate.

• Collaboration – Works effectively with scientific and operational colleagues; understands their constraints and incorporates that context into client conversations.

• Adaptability – Thrives in a growing, evolving organization where processes and structures are still being built.

• Ethics & Integrity – Represents the organization honestly and professionally in all external interactions.

Other Skills and Abilities:

• Proficiency in CRM platforms and Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).

• Strong written communication skills for proposal and correspondence preparation.

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while keeping leadership appropriately informed.

Physical Demands:

• Ability to sit more than 2/3 of the time.

• Ability to talk or hear from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time.

• Ability to lift 20 lbs. less than 1/3 of the time.

Work Environment:

• Office-based with regular travel to client sites, industry conferences, and trade shows.

• Travel up to 30–40% of the time depending on sales cycle and conference calendar.

• Frequent use of a computer, phone, and video conferencing tools.

• This position requires strong independent work habits as well as close coordination with scientific and operational teams.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.