Strategic Business Development Lead

Location: The Francis Crick Institute, London

Short summary

The Strategic Business Development Lead plays a central role in advancing the Francis Crick Institute’s translational and commercial strategy. You will help shape and deliver high-impact partnerships, deals and spin-out activity that translate world-class research into real-world benefit. 

The role combines strategic commercial leadership with hands-on deal-making, requiring deep expertise in innovation, IP and commercialisation. You will work closely with the Head of Business Development, build trusted academic and industry relationships, and ensure the Crick continues to deliver excellence while protecting its charitable mission.

Key Responsibilities 

These include but are not limited to: 

• Negotiate and secure commercial and translational deals, supporting delivery of the Crick’s translation strategy.
• Deliver market, competitor and financial analysis to inform commercialisation of the translational pipeline and portfolio.
• Provide commercial and translational portfolio analysis, including forecasting and resourcing.
• Produce high-quality insights, reports, briefings, presentations and data visualisations.
• Secure follow-on investment for translational projects and spin-outs emerging from Crick research.
• Work with Business Office Operations to ensure accurate collection and maintenance of commercial data.

About you

You will have:  

• Strong liaison and negotiation skills across academic and commercial partners.
• Proven experience in opportunity assessment, marketing, licensing and complex agreements, evidenced by a deal sheet.
• Extensive network across investment, pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.
• Highly organised, with experience delivering in demanding academic or industry environments.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly.
• Degree in bioscience or related discipline, or equivalent experience.

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases.

An independent organisation, its founding partners are the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, UCL, Imperial College London and King’s College London.

The Crick was formed in 2015, and in 2016 it moved into a new state-of-the-art building in central London which brings together 1500 scientists and support staff working collaboratively across disciplines, making it the biggest biomedical research facility under in one building in Europe.

The Francis Crick Institute will be world-class with a strong national role. Its distinctive vision for excellence includes commitments to collaboration; developing emerging talent and exporting it the rest of the UK; public engagement; and helping turn discoveries into treatments as quickly as possible to improve lives and strengthen the economy.

To apply for this role, please click on the 'Apply' button above.

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