Business Development Manager

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Proactively identifies, targets, and engages prospective pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients through outreach, networking, referrals, and conference attendance.
• Drives the end-to-end sales cycle, leading client discovery, pipeline progression, and contract execution.
• Collaborates with the Senior Director of Scientific Strategy and Team Leads on capability presentations and proposal development, then shepherds finalized proposals through to close.
• Maintains and grows a healthy sales pipeline; provides regular updates to the Senior Director of Scientific Strategy on pipeline status, opportunity stage, and forecasted revenue.
• Articulates the organization’s scientific capabilities, regulatory expertise, and service differentiators in a way that resonates with both scientific and procurement stakeholders.
• Attends relevant industry conferences, trade shows, and scientific meetings to generate leads and build market presence, within the approved budget.
• Supports preparation and coordinates client proposals and bids in collaboration with the Senior Director of Scientific Strategy and internal scientific staff, ensuring technical accuracy and competitive positioning.
• Supports timely execution of Confidentiality Disclosure Agreements (CDAs) and Master Service Agreements (MSAs), coordinating with appropriate internal stakeholders.
• Buils and maintains trust-based relationships with key contacts at target and existing client organizations, including scientists, project managers, and procurement leads.
• Serves as the primary sales point of contact through the pre-award phase. Stays engaged with existing clients to identify opportunities for repeat business and account expansion.
• Works closely with the Senior Director of Scientific Strategy to ensure sales activity aligns with scientific capacity, operational timelines, and organizational priorities.
• Coordinates with the Client Engagement Director on messaging, tradeshow logistics, and external-facing materials as needed.
• Shares market intelligence, client feedback, and competitive observations with internal stakeholders to support continuous improvement.
• Maintains accurate and up-to-date records of all sales activity, client interactions, and pipeline data in CRM or equivalent systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; degree in a life sciences discipline (biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, or related field) strongly preferred.
• 5–10 years of sales or business development experience in the CRO, pharmaceutical services, or biotechnology industries.
• Direct experience selling bioanalytical services—including immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics (PK), and/or biomarker assays—is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with regulated bioanalysis environments (GLP, GCP) and the associated client decision-making process is a significant advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to meet or exceed sales targets as an individual contributor.
• Experience preparing or contributing to proposals, CDAs, and MSAs in a CRO or related services context preferred.

Competencies

• Sales Drive – Self-motivated and persistent; consistently pursues opportunities and follows through on commitments to close business.
• Scientific Fluency – Comfortable discussing bioanalytical methods, study designs, and regulatory frameworks with scientific stakeholders; builds credibility through knowledge, not just rapport.
• Relationship Building – Develops genuine, durable client relationships grounded in trust, responsiveness, and follow-through.
• Communication – Communicates clearly and persuasively—both in client conversations and in written proposals and correspondence.
• Organization – Manages multiple active opportunities simultaneously without letting details slip; keeps pipeline data current and accurate.
• Collaboration – Works effectively with scientific and operational colleagues; understands their constraints and incorporates that context into client conversations.
• Adaptability – Thrives in a growing, evolving organization where processes and structures are still being built.
• Ethics & Integrity – Represents the organization honestly and professionally in all external interactions.