Head of Life Sciences Partnerships

Amae Health•San Francisco, CA

4d•$160,000 - $190,000•Onsite

About The Position

Amae Health is hiring its first Head of Life Sciences Partnerships, a senior, hands-on individual contributor responsible for originating and closing the organization’s first pharma and biotech partnerships. Reporting to and partnering directly with the founder and CEO, this person will identify how Amae’s clinical, research, measurement, and data capabilities can address meaningful problems for life sciences companies, and turn emerging buyer needs and use cases into commercially viable opportunities. The role owns the commercial process from initial outreach through signed agreement. The Head of Life Sciences Partnerships will engage potential buyers across medical affairs, HEOR, R&D, commercial, and other functions; qualify opportunities; coordinate internal input; and lead proposals, pricing discussions, negotiations, and contracting alongside Legal and Compliance. Amae’s clinical and research experts will lead scientific scoping and delivery. The immediate priority is closing deals, not hiring a team. The position is based in San Francisco and involves travel of up to 30%. In the first year, success means gaining access to relevant decision-makers, building a qualified pipeline with clear buyer needs, budget owners, and actionable next steps, and securing Amae’s first signed, revenue-generating pharma or biotech collaborations. The role may expand into partner growth and building the function as the business matures.

Requirements

Typically 7+ years in life sciences business development, partnerships, or related commercial roles, with substantial hands-on experience selling to pharma or biotech.
A demonstrated individual-contributor track record of personally sourcing, developing, and closing pharma or biotech business.
Experience creating opportunities while the offering, buyer, or use case was still being defined, rather than relying on a mature product and established sales motion.
Ability to gain access to relevant decision-makers, build relationships from scratch, identify budget owners, and navigate complex pharma buying processes.
Commercial judgment to explore medical affairs, HEOR, R&D, commercial, and other functions without assuming in advance where demand will be strongest.
Scientific and clinical fluency sufficient to ask good questions, triage opportunities, and collaborate credibly with psychiatrists, researchers, data scientists, and pharma leaders; independent study scoping is not required.
Strong commercial execution, including meeting preparation, persistent follow-through, proposals, negotiation, and sustaining momentum through long, multi-stakeholder sales cycles.
Independence and judgment to operate as a senior partner to a founder CEO, challenge ideas constructively, work through ambiguity, and take ownership without a large team or established playbook.
An advanced scientific degree is not required.

Nice To Haves

An existing network in CNS and psychiatry at pharma or biotech.
Familiarity with real-world evidence, HEOR, digital biomarkers, novel endpoints, or the current psychiatry pipeline.

Responsibilities

Build a focused target list with the CEO and secure meetings with relevant pharma and biotech decision-makers.
Lead conversations across medical affairs, HEOR, R&D, commercial, and other groups to uncover needs, identify decision-makers and budget owners, and qualify commercial opportunities.
Prepare substantive meetings with the CEO, lead follow-up, map stakeholders, coordinate internal input, and drive clear next steps.
Develop early interest into qualified opportunities with identifiable champions, budgets, and a path forward.
Translate buyer needs into opportunity briefs for clinical, research, and data teams, and partner with those teams on feasibility and scientific scope.
Own commercial proposals, pricing discussions, negotiations, and contracting alongside Legal and Compliance, while keeping clinical independence and patient trust central.
Maintain a disciplined, lightweight pipeline and use market feedback to refine focus on promising use cases and buyer groups.
Progress opportunities from initial meeting to signed agreement, with first-year goals centered on qualified pipeline and revenue-generating partnerships.