Business development - drug discovery & ai

Business Development Manager – Drug Discovery & AI
Overview
We are seeking a commercially driven Business Development Manager (~10 years’ experience) with strong expertise in competitive intelligence and the drug discovery landscape. The candidate should be comfortable navigating drug discovery platforms (small molecules), understanding their capabilities, and translating insights into business value.
This role focuses on building partnerships, leveraging market insights on internal programs and AI-driven trends to identify growth opportunities, shape strategy, and drive partnerships, alliances, and investor engagement. Experience with small molecule drug discovery platforms and AI/ML applications is highly desirable.
Key Responsibilities
1. Competitive Intelligence & Strategy
Analyse competitors, AI/ML platforms, and drug discovery trends
Track pipelines (clinical, deals, financing) and market movements
Benchmark capabilities (technology, pricing, positioning)
Develop insights (dashboards, reports) to guide strategy
Identify market gaps and growth opportunities
2. Market & Opportunity Development
Identify new AI-driven use cases and market opportunities
Build business cases for partnerships and new initiatives
Translate competitive insights into actionable BD and growth strategies
Support product positioning and go-to-market strategy
3. Business Development & Partnerships
Identify and manage partnerships across pharma, biotech, CROs, and tech
Support deal structuring, negotiations, and alliance management
Drive pipeline growth and revenue generation
Support investor engagement, financial modelling, and fundraising activities
Represent the company at industry conferences and events
4. Cross-functional Collaboration
Partner with Product, Sales, and Marketing teams
Support AI roadmap, positioning, and commercial strategy
Enable internal teams with competitive insights
5. Reporting & Operations
Deliver executive insights on market trends and positioning
Track KPIs (pipeline, conversion, market penetration)
Maintain CRM, reports, and presentation materials
Qualifications/ Experience
Ph D in Life Sciences (MBA preferred)
~10 years’ experience in BD/Strategy within drug discovery or healthcare
Experience with AI/ML platforms and data-driven technologies
Strategic thinking with ability to convert insights into action
Strong understanding of drug discovery (small molecules preferred)
Proven track record in partnerships and growth
Strong analytical, negotiation, and communication skills
Ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams
Experience with CRM and market intelligence tools
Strong presentation and storytelling skills
Key Attributes
Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen
Insight-driven and proactive
Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills
Adaptable in fast-paced, innovation-driven environments
Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
Curiosity and continuous learning mindset (especially in AI trends)
High ethical standards and integrity.
KPIs
Revenue and pipeline growth
Strategic partnerships closed
Market penetration
Impact of competitive intelligence