Director, Business Development

Department: Project and Alliance Leadership

Reports to: Head of PAL

About CTMC

CTMC is a pioneering biotech joint venture, formed by MD Anderson Cancer Center and National Resilience, located in the renowned Texas Medical Center. Our mission is to accelerate cell therapies from bench to bedside. We offer development and manufacturing expertise for a wide range of cell therapy modalities, including CAR-T and TIL,as well as viral vector manufacturing. Our expert team collaborates closely with MD Anderson’s research and clinical faculty, bringing impactful cell therapies to cancer patients.

Since inception in May 2022, our team has filed ten INDs and have received approval without delay, demonstrating our commitment to delivering innovative treatments to patients with speed and precision. Our team remains at the forefront of biomanufacturing practices, leveraging advanced technology and processes to deliver exceptional results.

Our state-of-the-art, 60,000 sq. ft. industrial facility in the Texas Medical Center is staffed by an integrated team of industry veterans and academic scientists who are passionate about bringing life-saving cures to patients. Our unique joint venture structure, with two highly established partners, provides us with the financial stability and long-term horizon to achieve our organizational goals.

At CTMC, we value our employees and offer a variety of development opportunities. We foster a team-first culture and a balanced work-life environment to ensure our staff is energized and engaged in our mission. We look forward to hearing from you and exploring how your skills and expertise can help us achieve our mission.

Overall Position Summary: This position leads business development activities across a wide range of new business pipeline management and contractual matters related to cell therapy development and manufacturing, technology partnerships, and Global Network Alliance collaborations—all of which are essential to advancing the company’s mission. This position will participate in the overall governance of the business development function of CTMC and support complex partnership agreements. This role resides within the Project and Alliance Leadership (PAL) team to facilitate efficient and productive transitions from opportunities to execution. The ideal candidate will have a passion to build out the business development function for CTMC with a focus on execution of emerging business opportunities.

Position Responsibilities:

• Business Development and Pipeline Management
  • Partner with the Head of PAL and CEO to define the target partnership profiles, strategic business development priorities for new development and manufacturing partners, and develop the partner acquisition strategy across CAR-T, TIL, and other cell therapy modalities
  • Build and maintain relationships through all stages of project pipeline (identification and introduction through agreement finalization and execution)
  • Identify prospective biotech and academic partners for development and manufacturing of cell therapy products lead initial evaluation and outreach (via conference attendance, on-site and virtual meetings)
  • Identify, plan and represent CTMC at relevant corporate and scientific conferences; develop outreach strategies for each event in coordination with the CEO, head of PAL and cross functional CTMC team members
  • Organize and lead on-site visits of prospective or current partners; act as a CTMC representative at the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and other regional events in Houston
  • Support expansion of current partnerships, in coordination with the head of PAL, CTO and relevant technical teams
• Business Development Transactions
  • Technology Transactions:
  • Coordinate Material Transfer and other agreements enabling the sharing of CTMC’s proprietary reagents
  • Evaluate and negotiate favorable business and commercial terms with material, technology, and service providers for items used by CTMC and its partners
  • Development and Manufacturing Service Agreements
  • Lead or support the negotiation of development and manufacturing agreements (including Master Service Agreements and Work Orders) in collaboration with the Head of PAL; define transaction structure and work with corporate counsel to execute
  • Global Network Alliance Partnerships
  • Identify, evaluate, and develop relationships with prospective new Global Network Alliance partners.
  • Negotiate service terms and support implementation of contract deliverables
  • In partnership with the Head of PAL and CEO, develop and refine a strategic plan for the Alliance, including master services, deliverables, and products available for purchase
• Business Development Strategy and Reporting
  • Support overall business development strategy, tracking, and reporting for annual operations planning and budget processes
  • Develop and maintain a pipeline framework for the evaluation, prioritization, and execution of partnerships
  • Lead onboarding of CTMC’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system; serve as internal CRM champion and primary system owner going forward
  • Establish initial workflows for development and manufacturing partnerships, as well as Global Network Alliance and new technology opportunities
  • Drive CRM adoption across key internal stakeholders
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications/Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field required; graduate degree (PhD or MBA) preferred.
• 15+ years of biopharmaceutical experience, including 6+ years in a Corporate/Business Development role or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience implementing and/or managing CRM systems (such as Monday, HubSpot, Salesforce, etc)
• Experience with cell therapy manufacturing highly preferred; experience in related fields (i.e., viral vector, plasmid production) is also beneficial.
• Track record of deal making and strong negotiation skills.
• Strong communication skills, analytical capabilities, and exceptional presentation skills.
• Demonstrate organization, focus,and diplomacy skills.
• Demonstrate high level of emotional intelligence and the ability to create a collaborative trusting team.
• Able to travel as needed (estimated 20% not including Houston-area meetings/ conferences).

Working Conditions, Equipment, Physical Demands

The incumbent in this position works in an office environment. The incumbent in this position will use the following equipment and shall have the following physical demands:

Equipment- Computer, printer, fax, and telephone.

Physical Demands- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer and must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times. In addition, ability to sterile-gown and perform activities in the manufacturing suite as well as raw material area when applicable.

The physical demands and work environment that have been described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The above job description is an overview of the functions and requirements for this position. This document is not intended to be an exhaustive list encompassing every duty and requirement of this position; your supervisor may assign other duties as considered necessary.