Senior Director, Business Development

Alpha-9 Oncology
Boston, MA
On-siteCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

Aimed at senior business development professionals with biopharmaceutical experience who can lead complex negotiations and operate in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 12+ years in biotech or pharma business development and a history of closing deals
    — “12+ years of business development, corporate development, or strategic partnerships experience within the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.”
  • Individuals who have led cross-functional diligence processes and can coordinate with multiple departments
    — “Lead cross-functional diligence processes, partnering with Research, Clinical Development, CMC, Regulatory, Finance, Legal, and other teams to assess opportunities.”
  • Candidates with strong scientific and commercial acumen in oncology and radiopharmaceuticals
    — “Strong understanding of drug development, including the scientific, clinical, regulatory, and commercial factors that influence asset value.”

Things to consider

  • Travel expectations are moderate but may require frequent trips to industry events and partner meetings
    — “Willingness to travel up to 20–30% as needed for partner meetings, conferences, and industry events.”
  • The role demands direct engagement with executive leadership and strategic decision-making
    — “helping identify, evaluate, and execute strategic opportunities that advance our pipeline and create long-term value for the Company.”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with radiopharmaceuticals or oncology-specific transactions in your resume and interviews
    — “proprietary scaffolds ... enable targeted radiation delivery to cancer cells.”
  • Emphasize your ability to develop financial models and valuation assessments for biopharmaceutical deals
    — “Experience developing financial models and valuation analyses to support business development decisions.”
  • Showcase your track record in building and maintaining relationships with biotech and pharma stakeholders
    — “Build and maintain a strong network across biotechnology, pharmaceutical, academic, and other relevant organizations.”
  • Demonstrate leadership in cross-functional teams and transaction execution in your interview responses
    — “Lead cross-functional diligence processes ... and develop clear recommendations for executive leadership.”
  • Position yourself as an expert in evaluating opportunities from scientific, clinical, and financial angles
    — “Evaluate potential opportunities from scientific, clinical, commercial, strategic, and financial perspectives.”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Company

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • identified and executed strategic partnerships
  • evaluated and closed transactions
Typical background
business developmentcorporate strategy

Skills & requirements

Required

Business DevelopmentStrategic PartnershipsTransaction ManagementFinancial Modeling

Preferred

BiotechnologyPharmaceutical Industry Knowledge

Stack & domain

BiotechnologyPharmaceuticalFinancial ModelingValuation AssessmentsBusiness Development

About the role

Original posting from Alpha-9 Oncology via Greenhouse

Your Impact 

Alpha-9 Oncology is seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Director, Business Development, to join our team during an important stage of the Company’s growth.

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, you will drive Alpha-9’s investor relations and business development activities, helping identify, evaluate, and execute strategic opportunities that advance our pipeline and create long-term value for the Company. You will play a central role in maintaining our investor materials, investor tracking and developing our external partnership strategy, building relationships across the biopharmaceutical industry, and leading transactions from initial opportunity through diligence, negotiation, and execution.

This is a visible, hands-on opportunity to work closely with the CFO, Corporate Strategy, and leaders across Research, Clinical Development, CMC, Regulatory, Finance, Legal, and other functions. As part of an early stage and collaborative organization, you will have meaningful ownership and direct exposure to executive decision-making, with the opportunity to help shape Alpha-9’s strategic direction and growth as the Company continues to advance its pipeline.

How You’ll Contribute 

Lead the development and execution of Alpha-9’s business development strategy in alignment with the pipeline, corporate strategy, and long-term growth objectives.

Identify, source, and cultivate external opportunities, including licensing, collaborations, strategic partnerships, and other transactions that could strengthen Alpha-9’s pipeline, capabilities, or strategic position.

Evaluate potential opportunities from scientific, clinical, commercial, strategic, and financial perspectives, including competitive landscape, intellectual property, development potential, valuation, and overall strategic fit.

Build and maintain a strong network across biotechnology, pharmaceutical, academic, and other relevant organizations, representing Alpha-9 at industry conferences, partnering meetings, and other external events.

Lead cross-functional diligence processes, partnering with Research, Clinical Development, CMC, Regulatory, Finance, Legal, and other teams to assess opportunities, coordinate external diligence, and develop clear recommendations for executive leadership.

Lead business development transactions through the full lifecycle, from initial opportunity and diligence through transaction structuring, negotiation, execution, and closing, in partnership with the CFO, Finance, Legal, and other stakeholders.

Develop transaction analyses, financial models, valuation assessments, and executive-level materials to support opportunity evaluation, transaction decisions, and broader corporate strategy.

Partner closely with the CFO and Director, Corporate Strategy & Chief of Staff to evaluate external opportunities in the context of portfolio priorities, corporate strategy, and the Company’s long-term objectives.

Support the ongoing management of strategic partnerships and collaborations, helping ensure Alpha-9 meets its commitments and captures the intended value of its transactions.

The Skills You Bring 

Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Business, or a related field; advanced degree such as a Ph.D., M.D., or MBA preferred.

12+ years of business development, corporate development, or strategic partnerships experience within the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.

Proven track record of sourcing, structuring, negotiating, and closing biopharmaceutical transactions.

Experience with licensing, collaborations, strategic partnerships, and other forms of external innovation.

Strong understanding of drug development, including the scientific, clinical, regulatory, and commercial factors that influence asset value.

Experience developing financial models and valuation analyses to support business development decisions.

Strong understanding of transaction structures, deal economics, and key business terms.

Demonstrated ability to lead complex negotiations and cross-functional diligence processes.

Strong strategic thinking and business judgment, with the ability to assess opportunities and make clear recommendations.

Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage effectively with senior executives and external partners.

Highly collaborative and comfortable operating independently in a lean, fast-paced environment.

Willingness to travel up to 20–30% as needed for partner meetings, conferences, and industry events.

Company Summary

Alpha-9 Oncology is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering radiopharmaceutical innovation for solid tumors. Our proprietary scaffolds, composed of optimized binders, linkers, chelators, and radioisotopes, enable targeted radiation delivery to cancer cells, minimizing harm to surrounding healthy tissue. Focusing on innovative targeting moieties, we develop molecules tailored for precise tumor targeting.

Our comprehensive platform integrates imaging and therapeutic studies to ensure effective radiation delivery and improved patient outcomes. With a robust pipeline entering clinical trials and strong support from leading healthcare investors, Alpha-9 is positioned for rapid growth and advancement in cancer therapy.

More about Alpha-9 Oncology

Alpha-9 Oncology is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, family status, national origin, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, provincial, or local laws where we operate.

We are dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees to ensure that everyone can perform their essential job functions in an inclusive environment. For inquiries regarding accommodations in the hiring process or for current employees, please contact a member from our Talent Acquisition team.

Source: Alpha-9 Oncology careers (Greenhouse)

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