Director of Business Development

Adecco Healthcare & Life Sciences is partnering with an early-stage biotechnology company developing a proprietary exosome-based therapeutic platform and pipeline of novel therapeutic candidates .

The organization operates through a lean, highly collaborative model and is advancing its lead program toward IND readiness while pursuing strategic partnerships and licensing opportunities for additional pipeline assets.

This is an opportunity to join the organization at an important stage of growth as its first dedicated Director of Business Development and build the company's business development and out-licensing strategy from the ground up.

Location: Remote / Hybrid — U.S.

Employment Type: Full-Time

Reports To: Chief Operating Officer

Travel: Occasional travel for partner meetings and industry conferences

About the Role

The Director of Business Development will own the company's business development activities from strategy through execution, with a primary focus on identifying, engaging, and securing pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners for pipeline assets.

This is a highly visible, hands-on opportunity for an experienced biotech business development professional who is comfortable operating independently and building a BD function within a lean organization.

The Director will work closely with scientific, operational, financial, and legal leadership to develop the commercial strategy for pipeline programs, identify prospective partners, build relationships, manage diligence, and advance licensing and collaboration opportunities through execution.

What You'll Do

• Own the out-licensing and partnering strategy for pipeline programs outside the company's internal development priorities.
• Identify and prioritize pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as potential partners.
• Develop the commercial case for individual programs, including market opportunity, competitive positioning, and partnering strategy.
• Build and manage a qualified pipeline of prospective licensees and strategic partners.
• Develop partnering materials including non-confidential presentations, program summaries, data-room materials, and other partner-facing content.
• Lead partner outreach, relationship development, diligence, and transaction discussions from initial contact through definitive agreement.
• Support the structuring and negotiation of licensing, collaboration, option, and other strategic transactions alongside legal, scientific, operational, and financial leadership.
• Manage strategic relationships following execution and identify opportunities to expand or deepen partnerships.
• Monitor the competitive, scientific, and licensing landscape across exosome and advanced therapeutic platforms.
• Represent the organization at partnering conferences, industry events, and meetings with prospective partners.
• Evaluate inbound partnership and collaboration opportunities and determine appropriate next steps.
• Provide leadership with regular updates on BD activity, active discussions, competitive positioning, and transaction progress.
• Use AI-enabled tools to support market intelligence, competitive research, scientific and patent research, CRM/outreach activities, pipeline tracking, and preparation of partner-facing materials.

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in business development, corporate development, licensing, or a related function within biotechnology or pharmaceutical organizations.
• Demonstrated experience sourcing, negotiating, and helping close at least one licensing, partnership, collaboration, or comparable strategic transaction .
• Experience evaluating and communicating the commercial potential of early-stage biotech or pharmaceutical assets.
• Working knowledge of financial modeling and valuation approaches relevant to early-stage biotech assets, including risk-adjusted NPV and comparable transaction analysis.
• Ability to translate complex scientific concepts into a compelling, credible, and commercially relevant partner-facing story.
• Comfortable working independently in a lean organization without a large BD team or dedicated deal desk.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.
• Bachelor's degree in life sciences or a related field.
• Willingness to travel periodically for partner meetings and industry conferences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with exosomes, extracellular vesicles, cell and gene therapy, biologics, or other advanced therapeutic platforms .
• Experience with sell-side licensing or partnering of preclinical or pre-IND assets.
• Experience evaluating multiple therapeutic indications for a single technology or platform.
• Established relationships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology business development or licensing professionals.
• Experience working with patent counsel on IP strategy and its implications for partnering and transaction structure.
• Advanced degree such as an MBA, PhD, or JD.

What Success Looks Like

During the first 12 months, success will include:

• Advancing at least one pipeline asset toward a signed term sheet, licensing agreement, collaboration agreement, or comparable strategic transaction.
• Establishing and actively managing a qualified pipeline of pharmaceutical and biotechnology partnering opportunities.
• Building a complete set of partnering materials and data-room infrastructure for programs being considered for external licensing.
• Establishing a clear and actionable BD strategy across the company's non-IND-track assets.
• Building a strong network of prospective partners and maintaining active senior-level conversations across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology landscape.
• Establishing a scalable business development process that allows the executive team to focus on strategic decision-making rather than personally managing BD outreach.
• Medical insurance
• 2 weeks of paid vacation
• Remote / hybrid flexibility
• Direct exposure to executive leadership and strategic transactions
• Opportunity to establish and lead the organization's business development function