Business Development Associate

MRIGlobal•Kansas City, MO

1d•$60,000 - $68,000

About The Position

MRIGlobal is seeking a curious, proactive, and highly organized Business Development Associate to support growth in its pharmaceutical sciences business. The role is part of the Commercial Business Development team, which identifies, qualifies, and captures opportunities aligned with MRIGlobal’s multidisciplinary capabilities. It is an individual-contributor position that provides research, prospecting, outreach preparation, pipeline discipline, coordination, and follow-through. Senior business development professionals remain the primary relationship owners and lead discovery, solution development, negotiation, and closing. The Associate reports to the Senior Director of Commercial Business Development. The Associate helps the commercial team consistently engage relevant pharmaceutical and biotechnology prospects, convert early interactions into qualified opportunities, prepare senior BD leaders for customer conversations, and move opportunities forward efficiently. The role also helps maintain an accurate Salesforce view of commercial activity and pipeline. As the Associate builds capability and demonstrates readiness, there may be opportunities to take on greater ownership of prospecting and initial customer engagement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, chemistry, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Working knowledge of the pharmaceutical development lifecycle, including preclinical development, IND activities, and Phase 1–3 clinical development, and related services such as CMC, GMP, and clinical supply; alternatively, demonstrated ability to learn these areas quickly.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft concise, professional, audience-specific outreach.
Strong research and analytical skills, including the ability to synthesize company, market, pipeline, funding, and competitive information into practical business development insights.
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple follow-ups, meetings, deliverables, and deadlines with strong attention to detail.
Experience with Salesforce or another CRM platform and proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
Ability to collaborate across scientific, operational, and business teams while taking ownership of assigned work.
Curious and coachable, with interest in learning the science and business and applying feedback quickly.
Persistent and resourceful, with the judgment to follow up professionally, work through obstacles, and find useful information independently.
Highly organized and detail-oriented, with a commitment to accurate records, timely follow-through, and keeping priorities visible.
Effective communicator who listens carefully, adapts to the audience, and produces clear, thoughtful, professional materials.
Collaborative team member who builds trust and works effectively across functions while remaining accountable for individual responsibilities.
Data- and results-oriented, with the ability to use activity and market information to prioritize effort and improve execution.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and managing a wide variety of tasks and deadlines simultaneously.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting business development, marketing, sales, account management, or customer engagement activities.
Experience in pharmaceutical development, biotechnology, life sciences, contract research, or another technically complex market.
Experience using public sources and industry databases to research companies, funding, pipelines, clinical programs, or competitive activity.
Familiarity with prospecting tools, digital outreach, conference preparation, proposal coordination, or commercial reporting.

Responsibilities

Research, identify, and prioritize pharmaceutical and biotechnology prospects based on funding, pipelines, partnerships, clinical progress, and market trends.
Prepare company profiles, account briefs, target lists, and decision-maker research to support outreach and qualification.
Draft personalized outreach and follow-up materials for review and approval by business development leadership.
Execute approved outreach, conference prospecting, and follow-up activities across multiple channels, tracking responses, qualification status, and next steps in Salesforce.
Support lead generation and opportunity qualification by identifying potential customer needs, coordinating discovery preparation, and ensuring timely follow-up.
Maintain accurate CRM and pipeline data and prepare routine activity and opportunity reports.
Coordinate customer and technical meetings, including briefs, logistics, notes, action items, and follow-through.
Support ROMs, proposals, and commercial agreements by gathering inputs, tracking progress, and escalating delays.
Track client commitments, key dates, risks, and growth opportunities, and connect clients with appropriate internal teams.
Develop knowledge of MRIGlobal’s capabilities, pharmaceutical development, CMC, GMP, customer segments, and commercial processes.
Collaborate across Business Development, Marketing, scientific, program, quality, contracts, finance, and operations teams to advance opportunities.