Director, Corporate Development

Illumina•San Diego, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role serves as a strategic leader, leading high‑impact M&A, partnership, and investment initiatives across the deal lifecycle. The Director is accountable for translating enterprise priorities into actionable external opportunity agendas, shaping investment strategy through rigorous analysis, and delivering executive‑level recommendations that inform capital allocation and long‑term growth. The individual brings a combination of deep scientific and technical insight and strategic investment rigor to independently assess complex external opportunities, develop and defend investment theses, and integrate scientific, commercial, financial, and operational perspectives into clear recommendations. The role involves navigating complex, cross‑functional dynamics to align stakeholders, resolve competing priorities, and advance high‑stakes transaction decisions. The Director leads cross‑functional deal teams, facilitates governance and decision forums, and ensures disciplined execution from sourcing and thesis development through diligence, negotiation support, integration planning, and value capture tracking. Success requires influence without authority, strong judgment, and the ability to reconcile competing stakeholder priorities to drive outcomes on initiatives with significant enterprise impact.

Requirements

Demonstrated leadership in corporate development and transaction execution, including leading key components of M&A and business development activities with structured rigor
Strong investment judgment and strategic thinking, with the ability to evaluate risk, value creation potential, and strategic fit, and to frame clear recommendations on high-stakes decisions
Ability to synthesize scientific, market, and financial inputs into clear, actionable insights
Highly effective executive communication and stakeholder influence, with the ability to influence decisions without direct authority
Deep scientific and technical acumen in life sciences, including understanding of R&D pipelines and clinical development
Proven ability to lead across global, highly matrixed organizations, driving alignment and outcomes across functions, geographies, and competing priorities
Strong results orientation with a focus on value creation, execution quality, and measurable outcomes across the transaction lifecycle
Bachelor’s degree required
Typically requires 18 years of relevant experience OR advanced degree with 8–12+ years of relevant experience, with 10+ years of Management experience
Experience in corporate development, M&A, investment banking, or strategy within life sciences or healthcare
Strong understanding of life sciences or healthcare markets
Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives in a matrixed environment
Ability to operate effectively in a global, highly matrixed organization
Demonstrated ability to influence without authority
Strong executive presence
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed, approximately 25% of the time

Nice To Haves

PhD in life sciences or related field strongly preferred
Experience at a top-tier consulting firm or investment bank
Experience supporting life sciences transactions or asset evaluation
Exposure to integration planning and value capture

Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate cross-functional workstreams across corporate development and M&A transactions, with accountability for scope, prioritization, and delivery from assessment through diligence and integration planning
Develop, own, and defend investment theses that integrate scientific, clinical, commercial, and financial insights, translating complex analyses into clear recommendations for senior leadership decision-making
Lead comprehensive due diligence efforts across scientific, market, and commercial dimensions, ensuring key risks, opportunities, and assumptions are identified, validated, and appropriately factored into investment judgements
Partner closely with R&D and cross-functional stakeholders to assess scientific differentiation, technical feasibility, and development risk, and incorporate these perspectives into transaction evaluations
Lead the development of executive-level materials, including investment memos and recommendation decks, synthesizing cross-functional inputs to support governance forums and key investment decisions
Partner with senior leadership on transaction structuring, negotiation, and execution, providing strategic, analytical, and risk-based input to advance transactions through key decision points
Lead integration planning and value creation strategy aligned to deal rationale, including defining key value drivers, identifying execution risks, and partnering with functional leaders through early implementation
Develop and manage the pipeline of potential targets, aligning external activity with enterprise priorities and active portfolio considerations
Partner with Finance to assess valuation approaches, return profiles, and key financial assumptions, ensuring alignment between investment theses and expected financial outcomes
Support post-deal performance tracking against investment theses, identifying variances, surfacing insights, and informing learning for future investment decisions
Drive alignment and execution across a global, highly matrixed organization by facilitating trade-offs, resolving misalignment, and influencing outcomes
Lead cross-functional deal teams and coordinate external advisors
Provide mentorship and guidance to team members and stakeholders

Benefits

access to genomics sequencing
family planning
health/dental/vision
retirement benefits
paid time off
variable cash programs (bonus or commission)
equity as part of the compensation package
inclusive environment where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute to our mission
zero-net gap in pay, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or race
Employee Resource Groups (ERG) that deliver career development experiences, increase cultural awareness, and offer opportunities to engage in social responsibility