Associate Director/ Director of Business Development & Licensing

Basecamp Research • Boston, MA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Basecamp Research is seeking a highly capable and proactive Associate Director/ Director of Business Development & Licensing to join our Business Development Team. This role is based in Cambridge/Boston MA, and will report directly to the Chief Business Officer. You will be responsible for therapeutic drug-specific deals - structuring, negotiation, and closing in-licensing and out-licensing transactions with biopharma companies, biotech partners, and academic institutions. You will also support our leadership team on larger, more complex transactions, acting as a key analytical and operational contributor across the full deal lifestyle. You have a strong scientific foundation, hands-on experience in BD&L deal execution, and the commercial instinct to translate Basecamp Research’s unique biological data assets and therapeutic assets into compelling partnership propositions.

Requirements

• 5-8+ years of experience in business development, licensing, or strategic alliances within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences sector.
• Demonstrated track record of contributing to or leading complex BD&L transactions, including in-licensing, out-licensing, or co-development deals across drug discovery or early development stages.
• Strong scientific or technical foundation - you can engage credibly with researchers and understand the value of biological data assets, assay platforms, and early-stage therapeutic programmes without needing everything translated.
• Solid grasp of drug development and commercialisation processes, including an understanding of preclinical and clinical development, regulatory pathways, and IP considerations.
• Hands-on experience in financial modelling and deal valuations, including NPV, risk adjustment, and scenario analysis.
• Proven ability to manage end-to-end deal cycles and coordinate cros–functional teams across diligence and execution.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and presentation skills - able to engage effectively with both scientific and business stakeholders and distill complexity clearly.
• Based in Cambridge / Boston, MA, with willingness to travel for partner meetings and industry events.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree (PhD, PharmD, or MBA) in a relevant scientific or business discipline.
• Experience at a high-growth biotech, TechBio, or AI-driven life sciences company, ideally in a role where you built processes or deal motion from an early stage.
• Familiarity with AI/ML applications in drug discovery, protein design, genomics, or related fields.
• Existing network of BD and alliance management contacts across mid-to-large pharma and biotech organisations.
• Experience with non-standard or creative deal structures - data access partnerships, platform licensing, option-to-license arrangements, or co-development economics.
• Prior exposure to partnership or licensing models in adjacent sectors such as agricultural biotech, industrial biology, or research tools.

Responsibilities

• Identify, prioritise, and pursue out-licensing and in-licensing opportunities aligned with Basecamp Research’s therapeutic strategy, covering early-to mid-stage assets, platform access, and data collaboration models.
• Conduct landscape mapping and competitive intelligence across therapeutic areas to surface relevant partnering leads and anticipate market demand.
• Build and maintain a disciplined, high-quality deal pipeline - from initial lead identification through qualification, business case formation, and stakeholder alignment.
• Represent Basecamp Research at key industry conferences, partnering events, and scientific meetings to cultivate a strong external network and generate inbound interest.
• Lead or support end-to-end deal processes: opportunity assessment, scientific and commercial due diligence, term sheet negotiation, and contract execution.
• Coordinate cross-functional diligence teams (science, legal, finance,product) and hold team members accountable for timely, high-quality deliverables.
• Build and validate financial models, valuations, and business cases to support deal structuring and internal governance approvals.
• Draft, review, and negotiate key deal documents including CDAs, term sheets, license agreements, and collaboration frameworks, in partnership with legal counsel.
• Support more senior leaders on larger, more complex transactions - including platform-wide licensing deals, strategic alliances, and co-development arrangements.
• Serve as a credible scientific and commercial interface with external partners - engaging confidently with VP-level BD, research, and legal counterparts at pharma and biotech organisations.
• Work closely with Basecamp Research’s product and science teams to ensure commercial commitments are grounded in product reality and to surface partner requirements that should inform our roadmap.
• Prepare high-quality materials for governance review, including opportunity reports, management presentations, and deal memoranda.
• Contribute to the development of Basecamp Research’s BD&L playbook, including process design, evaluation frameworks, and partner-facing materials.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Equity
• Pension plan
• Healthcare so strong that most employees' family members opt into our plan over their own
• Twice yearly promotion opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level