Associate Director, Business Development - 12 month Maternity Cover

Job Title: Associate Director, Business Development – Maternity CoverLocation: London or Edinburgh Job Type: Full-time, 12 months rolling contractAre you passionate about making life science life changing and delivering impact for patients? We want to hear from you. 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 patientsLead 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 appropriateRepresents LifeArc at conference and events, with speaker slots where possibleDrives external networking to build awareness of LifeArc’s areas of focus, always acting as an ambassador for LifeArc strategy to external communityBuilds relationships within key organisations to assess potential partnership opportunitiesProvide 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 preferredExperience leading negotiations and contracting Experience communicating verbally and in writing to drive senior level decision makingExperience representing organisation externally, networking and building relationships in support of strategic goalsEducation: PhD or equivalent in life sciences, but relevant business degree will also be consideredAbout 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.Please note that in certain situations, such as high volumes of applications, it may not be practical to interview all eligible candidates. In these cases, we may need to select those who best meet the essential criteria. (At LifeArc, the Disability Confident Scheme’s ‘minimum criteria’ is referred to as ‘essential criteria’)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. Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, for example, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At LifeArc we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so whatever your background or lived experience, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. Our top priority is finding the best candidate, and you may be just right for this or other roles. We all have potential. At LifeArc, you’ll discover what you can really do with it.