Director of Business Development - BioPharma

San Diego, CA, USA, 92121

Posting Start Date: 3/11/26


Do you want to take responsibility and make a difference with your work? With your expertise, we can achieve great goals together. We are WACKER - Reliable. Determined. Ambitious. As one of the world's most research-intensive chemical companies, we've been making countless products that are an integral part of your everyday life possible for over 100 years. From vegan food to resource-efficient buildings to solar cells, we develop sustainable solutions that change the future.


To strengthen our team in San Diego ,
we are looking for you as a(n) Director of Business Development - BioPharma .

The Director of Business Development, Biopharma - U.S. Market is a senior commercial leader responsible for driving revenue growth, expanding market penetration, and strengthening strategic customer relationships across the United States. This leader will oversee all U.S. commercial activities for Wacker's CDMO offerings, including pDNA, mRNA, and microbial-derived protein services across early- and late-stage programs.

This role requires a visionary, results-driven leader with deep experience in the U.S. biopharmaceutical ecosystem, strong customer networks, and a proven track record of building and developing high-performing business development, account management, and technical commercial teams. The Head of Business Development will shape and execute regional go-to-market initiatives, foster a culture of excellence and customer-centricity, and position Wacker Biopharma as a trusted partner for innovative biologics development and manufacturing.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive U.S. regional sales strategy aligned with global commercial objectives, focused on revenue growth, market penetration, and profitability across Biopharma CDMO capabilities (pDNA, mRNA, and proteins derived from microbial expression systems).
• Recruit, lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing regional sales organization, including Business Development Managers/Account Managers, and Subject Matter Experts; foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and customer success.
• Drive strategic business development initiatives that identify new opportunities, expand the customer base, and strengthen Wacker Biopharma's presence across U.S. biotech and pharmaceutical hubs.
• Establish ambitious sales targets, implement robust forecasting methodologies, and manage the regional sales pipeline to consistently meet or exceed revenue goals.
• Monitor regional market trends, competitive activity, customer needs, and emerging technologies to inform strategic planning, product development, and marketing programs.
• Partner closely with Marketing, Project Management, R&D, Operations, and Legal to ensure seamless go-to-market execution, new offering launches, and differentiated customer experiences.
• Manage strategic key account relationships, ensuring exceptional service delivery and identifying opportunities to expand long-term partnerships.
• Develop and manage the U.S. regional sales budget, optimizing resource allocation to enhance sales efficiency and commercial ROI.
• Oversee the effective use of CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce), ensuring data integrity, reporting accuracy, and continuous refinement of commercial processes.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degrees preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience within life science commercial or business development organizations.
• Proven ability to translate market knowledge into impactful sales strategies and execution plans.
• Strong financial competence, including experience with sales forecasting, budgeting, and commercial analytics.
• Outstanding leadership, coaching, and team-building capabilities across multi-layered commercial functions.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence at all organizational levels.
• Deep understanding of the sales cycle for complex biologics CDMO services and solutions.
• Proficiency in CRM software (e.g., Salesforce) and sales analytics platforms.
• Ability to excel in a fast-paced, complex, and globally integrated environment.
• Demonstrated track record of consistently exceeding sales targets and driving significant revenue growth in a competitive market.
• Proven experience leading and developing teams that include Business Development, Account Management, and technical Subject Matter Experts.
• Experience with direct sales models and channel partner management.
• Ability to travel as required.

Key Experience

• Strong hunting and prospecting abilities with proven pharma/biotech business development or direct sales experience and a robust network within innovative biopharma communities across North America (and ideally Europe/Asia).
• Strong negotiation and presentation skills, business acumen, and commercial judgment.
• Experience using Salesforce or similar CRM systems to manage leads, pipelines, and opportunities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; adaptable, self-motivated, and capable of working independently.
• Strategic and critical thinker with the ability to process market insights, identify opportunities, and design effective commercial strategies.
• Highly collaborative, able to operate effectively within a matrix organization and motivate colleagues across global locations.
• Foundational understanding of biologics manufacturing and core scientific concepts related to bioprocessing and biotherapeutics (e.g., proteins, antibodies, DNA, gene therapies, cell therapies).
• Foundational understanding of intellectual property considerations across North America/Europe/Asia.
• Foundational understanding of the regulatory environment affecting pharma/biotech in North America/Europe/Asia.

The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in San Diego is $205,000-220,000. The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and length of experience within the job, type and length of experience within the industry, education, etc . Wacker is a multi state employer and this salary range may not reflect positions that work in other states.