Sr. Director / VP, Business Development

Manifold Bio•Boston, MA

About The Position

Manifold Bio is seeking an experienced business development leader to source, structure, and close strategic biopharma partnerships. The role sits at the intersection of AI-guided protein design and biopharma partnering, helping translate the company’s platform and programs into partnerships that advance tissue-targeted medicines and drive company value. The successful candidate will own the full deal cycle, from lead generation and initial pitches through term sheets and definitive agreements. Reporting to the COO, this person will lead sourcing and negotiations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners across research collaborations, platform licenses, co-development deals, and asset-level transactions. The role requires strategic deal insight, hands-on transaction expertise, the ability to communicate the value of platform technologies and assets to scientific and business audiences, and the judgment to protect the company’s platform while building durable partner relationships.

Requirements

Hold an advanced degree (MS, PhD, PharmD, JD, or MBA) or have equivalent experience.
Have a deep rolodex of relationships with pharma business development and search-and-evaluation teams.
Have 10+ years of experience in biopharma business development, transactions, or life sciences transactional law.
Provide a deal sheet and demonstrate clear ownership from identifying partners and building relationships through converting outreach into signed transactions.
Have served as lead negotiator on multiple signed biopharma collaboration and license agreements, from term sheet through definitive agreement.
Have deep command of platform biopharma deal structures, market terms, and intellectual property issues.
Understand platform technologies and drug discovery science well enough to craft pitches and translate them into deal terms.
Bring sound judgment, composure, and clear written and verbal communication to high-stakes negotiations.
Be comfortable in a fast-moving startup, setting strategy and doing hands-on work.

Nice To Haves

Transaction experience in biologics, antibody, delivery or shuttle technologies, or oligonucleotide therapeutics.
Experience partnering targeting and delivery platforms, such as AAV capsids, BBB shuttles, conjugate/delivery systems, or radioligand targeting moieties, where the platform remains a component of the partner’s final drug product.
Experience in both big pharma and biotech startups.
Familiarity with asset spin-outs or NewCo structures.
Experience building transaction processes, templates, and playbooks at a growing company.

Responsibilities

Drive lead generation with leadership and represent Manifold externally, including at BIO, JPM, and partnering meetings.
Build and manage the partnering pipeline, mapping target partners for each shuttle and payload combination.
Lead term sheet negotiations across research collaborations, platform and target licenses, options, co-development and co-commercialization deals, and asset sales.
Structure deal economics, balancing near-term cash with long-term value, and build or critically review deal valuation models.
Protect Manifold’s platform in every deal by defining what partners license and what Manifold retains.
Run end-to-end transaction processes, including internal approvals, due diligence, timelines, and cross-functional coordination with R&D, IP, finance, and leadership.
Partner with alliance management, legal, and R&D after signing to make collaborations successful.
Advise leadership and the board on deal strategy, market terms, and comparable transactions.