Associate Director, Business Development

Illumina•San Diego, CA

16d

About The Position

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity? At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients. Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible. Position Summary: Reporting to the Global Head of Clinical & Commercial Partnering, the Associate Director, Business Development is a strategic leader responsible for collaboratively defining and executing partnering strategy, with a focus on clinical & commercial partnerships. This role leads a dedicated team and collaborates cross-functionally and globally to source, structure, and manage high-impact partnerships that accelerate revenue growth and strategic positioning. With responsibility for navigating complex deal landscapes and translating deep regional insights into globally aligned strategies, this leader plays a key role in delivering on the company’s global growth agenda.

Requirements

Typically requires a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in business development, commercial strategy, or partnerships within the life sciences, healthcare, or related industries, with 7+ years of Management experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Expertise in developing and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
Deep familiarity with AMR healthcare markets and commercial landscape.
Strong conceptual thinking, with the ability to anticipate and address ambiguous, high-stakes challenges.
Proven ability to persuade and influence at senior levels and in sensitive or high-impact negotiations.
Giving Executive-level presentations in a convincing, persuasive manner is paramount for this role.
Track record of managing cross-functional initiatives with operational and strategic oversight.
Must be able to travel domestically and internationally up to 30% of the time to support team collaboration, attend key business meetings, and engage with stakeholders across multiple locations. A valid passport is required and/or additional documentation (e.g., travel visas) may be necessary based on destination-specific requirements.
Must provide a deal sheet, detailing successful execution of complex deal structures with strategic partners

Responsibilities

Lead the strategic development and execution of the assigned partnering roadmap, ensuring alignment with global objectives and regional market realities, acting as a thought-partner with Regional General Managers.
Act as the primary dealmaker for AMR commercial partnerships; accountable for all aspects of opportunity assessment, partner engagement, due diligence, financial modeling, negotiation of business terms, and deal closure.
Develop and negotiate complex partnership structures that create long-term value, balancing commercial opportunity with risk and operational feasibility.
Partner cross-functionally with Legal, Finance, Commercial, Regulatory, and other internal stakeholders to guide deals from initial concept through term sheet, contract execution, and handoff to implementation teams.
Build and maintain strong external partner relationships, positioning the company as a preferred partner in the region.
Provide leadership and oversight to a regional Business Development and Alliance Management team, supporting their contributions to pipeline development and partnership execution.
Works to continuously develop team members through new assignments, constructive feedback & coaching and complex deal exposure.
Ensure governance frameworks are established for each partnership, defining success metrics, key performance indicators (KPIs), and communication protocols.
Proactively monitor and address challenges or risks to partnership performance, serving as executive sponsor for key alliances in the region.
Deliver critical AMR market insights to inform global partnering strategies, portfolio prioritization, and opportunity evaluations.
Drive cross-regional collaboration and knowledge-sharing to help build a globally aligned, locally responsive Partnering function.
Review regional partnership dashboards and course-correct as needed to ensure each collaboration delivers on agreed success metrics.