Associate Director, Business Development – 12 month Maternity Cover NEW

LifeArc
Associate Director, Business Development – 12 month Maternity Cover

Job Title: Associate Director, Business Development – Maternity Cover

Location: London or Edinburgh

Job Type: Full-time, 12 months rolling contract

About the role:

As Associate Director, Business Development, you will be working as part of the Commercial Team and will be responsible for driving strategic collaborations that deliver patient impact, societal benefit, and sustainable revenue opportunities. Working in collaboration with the preclinical, clinical and ecosystem pillars to implement their strategies, you will lead on the negotiation and execution of deals to contribute to the delivery of LifeArc’s Commercial Strategy.

Reporting into the Director, Business Development, you will bring a commercial mindset to structure deals that meet our charitable objectives and contribute to LifeArc’s financial sustainability wherever possible.

This role will also collaborate with other teams, particularly Intellectual Property and Out-licensing teams to identify and deliver out-licensing deal opportunities for LifeArc. This role will also involve line management of BD Manager(s).

Key responsibilities

• Contribute to the delivery of LifeArc’s revenue generation strategy
• Lead deal-related projects within LifeArc, business partnering with scientific and corporate functions, to explore and build business cases of opportunities to collaborate, fund, out-license or use other mechanisms to advance scientific innovation towards benefit for patients
• Lead end-to-end deal structuring and negotiation, including cross-functional due diligence, development of business cases with risk and scenario analysis, and agreement of commercial terms with partners to support strategic objectives.
• Lead negotiation of term sheets for prioritised opportunities and, with Legal, negotiate contracts according to LifeArc needs and requirements, managing all stakeholders and governance processes as appropriate
• Represents LifeArc at conference and events, with speaker slots where possible
• Drives external networking to build awareness of LifeArc’s areas of focus, always acting as an ambassador for LifeArc strategy to external community
• Builds relationships within key organisations to assess potential partnership opportunities
• Provide BD input into internal projects and initiatives, bringing external insight and driving evaluation of new opportunities and key decisions in support of strategy

(Essential) experience required

• Significant experience in business development in pharma or biotech environment preferred
• Experience leading negotiations and contracting
• Experience communicating verbally and in writing to drive senior level decision making

Experience representing organisation externally, networking and building relationships in support of strategic goals

Education

• Master’s degree or more advanced studies in life sciences, but relevant business degree will also be considered

About us

LifeArc is a not-for-profit life science organisation, leading the way for change in rare diseases in the UK and supporting promising initiatives in global health. We seek out research in areas of unmet need that has great potential, providing support to help it become breakthroughs that change lives.

What we can offer you

Focused on finding life changing solutions for underserved patients, our people thrive in an inclusive, and supportive environment that prioritises their health and wellbeing. Our multidisciplinary approach guarantees our people growth opportunities, while our culture of innovation and collaboration drives the impact we make delivering on our purpose of ‘putting patients at the centre of everything we do’.

LifeArc is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences. As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee an interview to candidates with a disability or long-term health condition who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Salary will be determined by qualifications and experience along with other exceptional benefits. Because we understand everyone has different requirements, our flexible benefits allow you to choose those which are important to you. Our pension scheme offers employer contributions of up to 12%, private health insurance, and annual leave of 31 days plus bank holidays.

Equal opportunities

At LifeArc, we commit to advancing equal opportunities and building a diverse workforce by ensuring a fair, inclusive, and accessible recruitment experience for all. We employ individuals based on their suitability for the work to be performed and their potential for development, regardless of age, sex, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion, or belief. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion includes creating a culture where everyone feels they belong, is valued for who they are and has the opportunity to translate their potential.

We want every candidate to do their very best. If you require special assistance or reasonable adjustments, please be sure to let us know in advance what will be most useful for you and / or to discuss your needs.