Senior Director, Early Partnerships & Transactions Lead

CSL Plasma • Waltham, MA

41d • Hybrid

About The Position

CSL's R&D organization is accelerating innovation to deliver greater impact for patients. With a project-led structure and a focus on collaboration, we’re building a future-ready team that thrives in dynamic biotech ecosystems. Joining CSL now means being part of an agile team committed to developing therapies that make a meaningful difference worldwide. Could you be our next Senior Director, Early Partnerships Lead? The job is in our King of Prussia PA or Waltham MA Office. This is a hybrid position and is onsite three days a week. Position Description Summary Lead deal maker for early-stage external innovation opportunities, including MTAs, research collaborations, and creative partnership structures. This role requires a strong business development background in pharma, a proven track record of innovative deal-making, and the ability to shape strategies that create competitive advantage in onboarding and advancing external assets.

Requirements

• 15+ years in biopharma business development, alliance management, or external innovation roles, with 10+ years in senior leadership positions.
• Demonstrated success in structuring and closing complex deals, including early-stage collaborations and creative funding models.
• Strong network within pharma BD organizations, biotech, and investment communities.
• Exceptional negotiation, relationship-building, and strategic thinking skills.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree preferred (MBA, PhD, or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Lead Early-Stage Deal-Making: Drive MTAs, research collaborations, options-to-license, and other innovative structures to accelerate external innovation.
• Source Strategic Assets: Partner with big pharma BD teams to identify and onboard deprioritized assets; maintain strong relationships with academia, biotech, and investors.
• Develop Partnership Strategy: Create onboarding advantages and transaction pathways that position the organization as a preferred partner.
• Align and Influence: Communicate deal vision and strategic rationale internally; collaborate with BD to amplify priorities to banks, VCs, and the investment community.
• Innovate Models: Design new partnership and funding approaches to expand deal-making capabilities.
• Ensure Governance & Performance for Early Partnerships: Set success metrics, monitor progress, and deliver value through disciplined execution.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees