Director Of Business Development

Director of Business Development

Direct placement opportunity with a small CRO. Fully remote!

The Director of Business Development will drive growth for a global contract research organization by securing new clients and expanding clinical operations services with existing accounts across the U.S. This full-time, permanent role owns the entire sales lifecycle—from prospecting and relationship development through to closing complex, high-value, multi-million-dollar deals. The position focuses on selling full clinical operations services to small and mid-size biotech and pharmaceutical companies, with a strong emphasis on life sciences decision-makers. Experience in global full-service CROs is essential, and exposure to clients with outsourcing activities in China is highly valued. Depending on your location, you may work fully remotely or in a hybrid arrangement with the U.S. headquarters.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute strategic sales plans to grow global full clinical operations services and achieve or exceed annual revenue targets.
• Identify, assess, and prioritize new business opportunities in the life sciences sector, particularly among small and mid-size biotech and pharmaceutical organizations.
• Actively prospect for new clients and expand services with existing clients to increase overall account penetration and revenue.
• Manage the full sales lifecycle, including lead generation, qualification, proposal development, negotiation, and closing of complex, high-value, multi-million-dollar deals.
• Build, nurture, and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key decision-makers, including clinical operations leaders, outsourcing and procurement teams, and C-suite executives.
• Conduct high-impact sales presentations and meetings that clearly communicate value propositions and tailored clinical operations solutions.
• Represent the company at key industry conferences, trade shows, and networking events to build brand presence, generate leads, and stay current with market and competitor trends.
• Gather and leverage market intelligence to refine sales strategies, identify emerging opportunities, and anticipate client needs in areas such as hematology-oncology and respiratory clinical research.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date pipeline and opportunity data in the company CRM system from initial contact through contract execution.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand business needs, interpret client challenges, and shape quick, high-level solution proposals.
• Manage multiple sales engagements simultaneously at various stages of the sales cycle while meeting deadlines and revenue objectives.
• Provide regular updates and forecasts on sales activities, pipeline status, and progress toward targets.

Essential Skills:

• At least 10 years of sales or business development experience, including a minimum of 6 years within global full-service contract research organizations (CROs).
• Proven experience selling full clinical operations services within the clinical research and clinical operations environment.
• Established network of decision-makers in the life sciences industry, particularly within small and mid-size biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
• Demonstrated success selling to, presenting to, and building relationships with senior management and C-level stakeholders.
• Strong negotiation skills with a track record of closing complex, multi-million-dollar business deals.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to convey complex clinical and operational concepts clearly.
• Ability to understand internal business needs, interpret client business challenges, and quickly propose high-level, responsive solutions.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent sales engagements at different stages of the sales cycle while meeting deadlines.
• Background or strong familiarity with clinical research, clinical operations, and CRO business models.
• Bachelor's degree in Life Science, Biotechnology, Business Administration, or a related field.

Additional Skills & Qualifications:

• Experience working for or selling services for global contract research organizations.
• Exposure to clients and opportunities involving outsourcing to China.
• Experience in hematology-oncology and respiratory therapeutic areas within clinical research.
• Experience selling into small to mid-size biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
• Strong outside sales experience with a focus on business development in clinical research.
• MBA or advanced degree is a plus.

Work Environment:

This is a full-time, permanent role that offers a fully remote work arrangement, with the possibility of a hybrid schedule depending on proximity to the U.S. headquarters. You will work in a virtual, technology-driven environment and rely heavily on CRM tools, online communication platforms, and remote collaboration technologies to manage your pipeline and client relationships. The position requires regular travel for in-person client meetings, conferences, trade shows, and networking events as needed to support business development objectives.

Job Type & Location:

This is a Permanent position based out of San Francisco, CA.

Pay and Benefits:

The pay range for this position is $150000.00 - $150000.00/yr. Delivered at interview stage.

Workplace Type:

This is a fully remote position.

Application Deadline:

This position is anticipated to close on Jun 8, 2026.

About Actalent:

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.