Senior Director, Business Development Pharma AI

About us

Basecamp Research is dedicated to solving major challenges in the life sciences by exploring Beyond Known Biology. Our teams build frontier AI models using BaseData, the world's largest ethically-sourced and globally representative biological dataset. Our Global Research Team collects and curates our own biological data through partnerships with more than 152 organizations in 28 countries, giving its AI access to genetic diversity that doesn't exist for models trained on public database sources. This enables Basecamp Research to design novel protein sequences and biological systems that can accelerate therapeutic research and development.

The Role

The global pharmaceutical industry is undergoing a once-in-a-generation shift. AI is becoming central to how drugs are discovered, and the companies that control the richest, most biologically diverse training data will define what is possible. Basecamp Research sits at exactly that frontier, and we are looking for a Senior Director, Business Development Pharma AI to build and lead our most strategically important commercial relationships with global pharma. This is a senior, high-impact role reporting directly to the Chief Business Officer.

Key Responsibilities

• Own Basecamp Research’s global pharma partnership strategy - mapping the landscape of major pharmaceutical companies, identifying where Basecamp’s biological AI and BaseData platform and therapeutic drug discovery capabilities can most powerfully intersect with their R&D and AI strategies.

• Develop and execute a playbook for entering, deepening, and scaling enterprise relationships with global pharma, covering target identification, value proposition design and long-term partnership management.

• Stay closely attuned to how major pharma companies are evolving their approach to AI in drug discovery - including build vs. buy vs. partner decisions, training data procurement strategy, and computational platform partnership - and position Basecamp Research ahead of that demand.

• Identify and develop novel commercial models suited to enterprise pharma: multi-year platform access agreements, co-development of biological foundation models, exclusive data collaboration windows, and milestone-linked R&D partnerships.

• Build and manage a portfolio of C-Suite, Chief Scientist, and VP R&D relationships at priority pharmaceutical accounts, acting as Basecamp Research’s senior face in strategic commercial conversations.

• Lead the full deal lifecycle for enterprise pharma transactions - from opportunity origination, through commercial structuring and scientific scoping, to term sheet negotiation and contract execution - operating as a commercial extension of the leadership team.

• Design creative, balanced deal structures that reflect the strategic value of long-term relationships: multi-year data access tiers, co-development economics, milestone and royalty arrangements, exclusivity provisions, and equity components where applicable.

• Maintain a disciplined, high-quality partnership pipeline and bring rigour to forecasting and deal velocity without unnecessary process overhead.

• Act as a credible scientific commercial translator - distilling Basecamp Research’s complex biological and AI capabilities into clear, differentiated value propositions for pharma R&D audiences spanning computational biology, drug discovery, genomics, and precision medicine.

• Work closely with Basecamp’s science, product, and engineering teams to ensure partnerships commitments are technically grounded and to surface partner requirements that should share our platform roadmap.

• Represent the voice of global pharma customers internally, translating what major R&D organisations actually need from biological AI and biodiversity data into product, data, and capability priorities.

• Produce high-quality partner-facing materials, scientific narratives, and commercial proposals that credibly represent the frontier of what Basecamp Research is building.

• Represent Basecamp Research at major life sciences and AI conferences, pharma partnering events, and industry forums - cultivating a strong personal network and generating inbound interest from major pharma organisations.

• Contribute to Basecamp Research’ external positioning and thought leadership at the intersection of biological AI, biodiversity data, and drug discovery.

• Help build the commercial foundation for a growing enterprise partnerships function - contributing to hiring, process design, and team culture as deal volume and relationship complexity scales.

Required Skills and Experience

• 8+ years of experience in business development, strategic alliances, enterprise partnerships, or commercial strategy within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or AI/ML-driven life sciences sector.

• Proven track record of building and closing high-value, complex strategic partnership with global pharmaceutical organisations at the enterprise level - not transactional licensing but multi-year platform or data collaborations.

• Deep familiarity with how major pharma companies approach AI and external innovation: how they think about computational platforms, training data procurement, foundation model development, and strategic data partnerships.

• Credible scientific or technical fluency in AI/ML applied to drug discovery, computational biology, genomics, or related fields - able to engage meaningfully with researchers and computational scientists, not just commercial counterparts.

• Strong executive presence and comfort operating at the C-Suite and VP level with sophisticated, scientifically literate counterparts at global pharma companies.

• Experience designing and negotiating non-standard, creative deal structures - comfortable inventing commercial frameworks, not just filling in templates.

Advantageous Skills and Experience

• Prior experience in a TechBio, BioPharma, AI drug discovery, or AI data company in a BD, partnerships or commercial role.

• Existing senior network within global pharma R&D, computational biology, or AI strategy functions at major pharmaceutical companies.

• Familiarity with the economics and commercial architecture of therapeutic licensing and AI-pharma partnerships - including how training data, fine-tuning, and platform access deals are structured and valued.

• Background in a high-growth, early-stage environment where you have built partnership motion, commercial infrastructure, or team capability from the ground up.

• Exposure to biodiversity, genomics, protein design, or related frontier biology - either through prior work or deep personal interest.

• Advanced degree (PhD, MBA, or equivalent) in a relevant scientific or business discipline.