Chief Business Officer

About the Role: We are seeking an experienced Chief Business Officer (CBO) to lead business strategy, strategic partnerships, and commercial development for an AI-driven drug discovery and development organization. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the CBO will shape the organization's commercial strategy, identify growth opportunities, and establish strategic relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology organizations, research institutions, and investors. The ideal candidate brings extensive life sciences business development experience, a strong understanding of AI-enabled drug discovery, and a proven track record of negotiating and executing strategic partnerships and licensing transactions.

Corporate and Commercial Strategy: Develop and execute business strategies aligned with scientific capabilities, technology platforms, and organizational growth objectives. Evaluate commercial opportunities involving AI-enabled discovery services, research collaborations, platform partnerships, and therapeutic assets. Assess market demand, competitive positioning, and potential strategic partners. Collaborate with scientific and technology leaders to develop evidence-based commercial value propositions. Advise executive leadership on commercial opportunities, transaction strategies, and business risks.

Strategic Partnerships and Business Development: Establish and expand relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, academic institutions, and strategic partners. Build and manage a qualified pipeline of collaboration, licensing, and business development opportunities. Lead partner outreach, opportunity evaluation, proposal development, and commercial negotiations. Structure partnerships with clearly defined objectives, deliverables, financial terms, and governance arrangements. Represent the organization in industry conferences, partnering meetings, and executive-level discussions.

Licensing and Strategic Transactions: Lead commercial evaluations and negotiations for licensing agreements, research collaborations, and strategic transactions. Coordinate scientific, financial, legal, and intellectual property due diligence. Develop financial models covering upfront payments, research funding, milestones, royalties, and other transaction structures. Work with legal and scientific teams to address intellectual property ownership, data rights, exclusivity, and commercialization rights. Coordinate the transition from executed agreements to operational implementation.

Investor Relations and Fundraising Support: Collaborate with executive and finance leadership on investor presentations, business plans, and commercial forecasts. Communicate the organization's business model, market opportunity, and partnership strategy to prospective investors. Develop relationships with relevant investors and strategic investment groups. Coordinate commercial due diligence materials and provide accurate business development updates. Ensure external commitments align with organizational resources and scientific development timelines.

Alliance Management and Team Leadership: Establish frameworks for managing strategic partnerships, joint steering committees, contractual obligations, and issue resolution. Monitor collaboration performance and identify opportunities for renewals, expansion, and additional programs. Build and lead business development and alliance management functions as the organization grows. Establish performance objectives, reporting processes, and accountability across distributed teams. Collaborate with research, technology, operations, finance, and legal departments.

Required Qualifications: 15+ years of progressive experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, life sciences business development, or related fields. At least 5 years of senior leadership experience in business development, strategic partnerships, licensing, or corporate strategy. Demonstrated success negotiating and closing pharmaceutical or biotechnology partnerships and licensing transactions. Strong understanding of drug discovery and development, including the commercial implications of scientific and clinical risks. Familiarity with AI-enabled drug discovery, computational biology, or data-driven research platforms. Experience developing business cases, transaction valuations, financial models, and commercial forecasts. Excellent executive communication, negotiation, relationship management, and cross-functional leadership skills. Bachelor's degree in life sciences, business, finance, or a related discipline.

Preferred Qualifications: Previous experience as a Chief Business Officer, Head of Business Development, or VP/SVP of Corporate or Business Development. Established relationships with pharmaceutical business development teams, biotechnology executives, and life sciences investors. Experience in AI-driven biotechnology or technology-enabled research collaborations. Experience supporting fundraising, strategic investments, or mergers and acquisitions. Experience building commercial functions within a startup or growth-stage organization. An MBA, PhD, MD, PharmD, or another relevant advanced degree.

First-Year Priorities: Define a focused business development strategy and identify priority partners. Establish a qualified opportunity pipeline and a consistent deal evaluation process. Develop partnering materials, commercial proposals, and transaction assessment criteria. Advance priority opportunities toward agreements with realistic scientific and financial commitments. Implement an alliance management framework for active collaborations. Develop a hiring and resource plan for the business development function.

Performance Expectations: Success in this role will be evaluated against agreed objectives, including: Quality and progression of the strategic partnership pipeline. Strategic value and financial terms of completed agreements. Partner-funded research, licensing proceeds, or revenue, as applicable. Collaboration performance, partner retention, and expansion opportunities. Accuracy of commercial forecasts and effectiveness of cross-functional execution.

Compensation and Benefits: Annual base salary: $300,000–$450,000 USD, depending on experience, qualifications, and demonstrated transaction success. Performance-based incentives and potential equity participation. Full-time, remote work arrangement. Occasional travel for leadership meetings, partner discussions, and industry events. Additional benefits and employment terms will be discussed during the interview and offer process.

How to Apply: Interested candidates should submit a current resume and a brief summary of their relevant business development experience. Please include examples of partnerships, licensing agreements, or strategic transactions you have led, outlining your responsibilities and outcomes without disclosing confidential information. We welcome applications from experienced life sciences executives with the strategic vision, commercial expertise, and leadership capabilities to advance AI-driven drug discovery and development.