Senior Director of Business Development

Senior Director of Business Development (Search & Evaluation)

The Senior Director of Business Development (Search & Evaluation) will lead the scouting, identification, and prioritization of external partnership and in-licensing opportunities that advance the company's rare-disease strategy. This role will focus on sourcing and assessing innovative programs – particular with the U.S and China innovation ecosystems – and coordinating cross-functional evaluations to advance high-value opportunities to the deal development stage in accordance with the corporate BD decision making process. The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking, scientific depth, market awareness, and cross-functional leadership to connect external innovation with internal portfolio and growth priorities. This is a strategic role, tightly integrated with Corporate Business & Portfolio Development (B&PD), to guarantee global alignment prioritization, valuation and transaction execution.

Scouting and Identification

• Proactively source differentiated external innovation across prioritized therapeutic and technology areas.
• Maintain deep knowledge of market trends, emerging technologies and competitive landscapes to anticipate emerging opportunities and white space areas.
• Build and nurture relationships with biotech and pharma companies, VCs, incubators and academic institutions, with a focus on the US and China markets

Evaluation & Analysis

• Drive initial opportunity evaluation, including scientific, clinical, regulatory, and commercial assessment, in close collaboration with internal functional experts and ensuring alignment with B&PD evaluation frameworks and governance.
• Lead cross-functional assessment teams (R&D, Regulatory, Medical, Commercial, Finance, Legal) to evaluate strategic fit, technical feasibility and value potential.
• Translate opportunity assessments into clear business cases and present recommendations to Corporate B&PD, executive leadership and the Board of Directors

Cross Functional & Corporate Partnership

• Serve as the interface between US and Corporate BD, aligning on search priorities, evaluation criteria and portfolio strategy
• Build organizational understanding of China's innovation flow, licensing dynamics, partnership ecosystems and regulatory environment
• Partner with Corporate BD on due diligence and contribute to validation and risk assessments to advance opportunities to transaction discussions
• Support Corporate BD in negotiation and execution of transactions, providing scientific, clinical and commercial insights to inform deal structures and decisions
• Provide regular and structured reporting on asset pipeline, scouting status, and recommendations to Corporate B&PD.

Strategic & Organizational Impact

• Contribute to the evolution of the company's growth strategy by identify external innovations that address unmet needs or strengthen existing capabilities
• Develop and execute business development strategies aligned with corporate goals
• Represent the company at relevant events and leverage network to build and expand relationships with biotech/pharma companies, academic institutions, and investors

Up to 35-45% domestic and international travel for conferences, partner meetings, and site visits.

The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking, scientific depth, market awareness, and cross-functional leadership to connect external innovation with internal portfolio and growth priorities. This is a strategic role, tightly integrated with Corporate Business & Portfolio Development (B&PD), to guarantee global alignment prioritization, valuation and transaction execution.

Required Skills:

• 5-10 years of experience in business development, search & evaluation, corporate strategy, investment banking, or venture scouting within the biotech/pharma industry
• Advanced scientific or business degree (e.g. PhD, PharmD, MBA) preferred.
• Strong scientific literacy and deep understanding of drug development, regulatory pathways, and commercialization in rare diseases
• Proven ability to source, evaluate and prioritize external opportunities, integrating scientific and business perspectives to develop strategic recommendations
• Experience leading or contributing to cross-functional due diligence and business case development
• Deep familiarity with global biotech innovation ecosystems, ideally with experience in China or other major emerging biotech hubs
• Excellent relationship building and communication skills and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with both scientists and management
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
• Collaborative and culturally agile across global & international teams

Preferred Skills:

• Strong analytical skills; experience with financial modeling and valuation a plus.

The base compensation range for this role is: $275,000.00-$320,000.00. Compensation is determined through an analytical approach utilizing a combination of factors including, but not limited to, relevant skills & experience, job location, and internal equity.