Sr. Director / VP, Business Development

 

Manifold Bio is a platform biotechnology company pioneering AI-guided protein design and massively multiplexed in vivo screening to unlock tissue-targeted medicines and organism-scale models of living systems. Using proprietary molecular barcoding technology, we screen hundreds of thousands of protein designs simultaneously in living systems, producing in vivo-validated datasets at a scale no one else can match. The datasets power our computational models, which leads to better drug designs, creating a flywheel that gets stronger with every campaign. Our team of protein engineers, biologists, and computational scientists works  across this full stack to pursue programs both internally and with leading pharma companies.

Position

Manifold Bio is looking for an experienced business development leader to source, structure, and close strategic partnerships.   This role sits at the intersection of AI-guided protein design and biopharma partnering, with direct impact on how a new generation of tissue-targeted medicines reaches patients. Our engine opens up a massive product space, especially in tissue-targeted medicines, creating ample substrate for partnering and internal development. You'll own the full deal cycle, from lead generation to the first pitch to the term sheet to the signed definitive agreement, and turn our platform and programs into the partnerships that drive Manifold's value. Reporting to the COO, you'll lead sourcing and negotiating with pharma and biotech partners across research collaborations, platform licenses, co-development deals, and asset-level transactions.

The ideal candidate combines strategic deal insight with hands-on deal craft and a record of closing complex biopharma transactions. You’re skilled at conveying the value proposition of both platform and assets to scientific and business teams. You can hold a firm position with a much larger counterparty and still keep the relationship that makes a collaboration work for years. You care as much about getting the language right as getting the strategy right, and you learn the science deeply enough to inspire partners to work with us.

Join us in shaping how a first-of-its-kind platform is partnered and protected.

Responsibilities

Drive lead generation with leadership, representing 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.

Bring financial fluency, including building or critically reviewing deal valuation models.

Protect Manifold's platform in every deal, defining what partners license and what Manifold retains

Run end-to-end transaction processes, from internal approvals and due diligence through 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

Required Qualifications

Hold an advanced degree (MS, PhD, PharmD, JD, MBA) or have equivalent experience

Deep rolodex of relationships with pharma BD and search-and-evaluation teams

Have 10+ years of experience in biopharma business development, transactions, or life sciences transactional law

A deal sheet and 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 IP 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

Comfortable in a fast-moving startup, setting strategy one day and doing the hands-on work the next

Preferred Qualifications

Transaction experience in biologics, antibody, delivery or shuttle technologies, or oligonucleotide therapeutics

Experience partnering targeting and delivery platforms (e.g., AAV capsids, BBB shuttles, conjugate/delivery systems, radioligand targeting moieties), where the platform remains a component of the partner’s final drug product.

Experience in both big pharma and in biotech startups

Familiarity with asset spin-outs or NewCo structures

Experience building transaction processes, templates, and playbooks at a growing company

If you're excited to structure and negotiate the partnerships that bring a new generation of tissue-targeted medicines to patients, please apply!

Base Salary Range: $250,000-$350,000

This reflects the typical offer range for this role, based on experience, role scope, and internal equity. Final compensation decisions are made using a consistent leveling framework and consider the candidate’s experience, interview performance, and expected impact.

This role is eligible for:

Annual performance-based target bonus

Stock options

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) plan

Flexible paid time off and holidays

Perks including on-site gym, onsite lunch, and commuter support

Our compensation ranges are reviewed annually to ensure alignment with market trends and internal equity.

We value different experiences and ways of thinking and believe the most talented teams are built by bringing together people of diverse cultures, genders, and backgrounds.