Director of Commercial Partnerships, Biopharma at SandboxAQ

About the Role:

As Director of Commercial Partnerships, AI Simulation, Biopharma, you will pave the way for the future of therapeutic discovery. Partnering with the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies, you’ll mastermind first-of-their-kind deals that redefine what’s possible in drug discovery and development.

Working alongside the VP of Partnerships, you’ll serve as the lead negotiator and relationship architect, bringing strategic creativity, sharp instincts, and executive gravitas to close transformative collaborations that accelerate therapies of tomorrow. You will provide commercial leadership in every room, complementing technical expertise with business vision, financial acumen, and relational mastery.

This is a once-in-a-career opportunity for someone who thrives at the intersection of science, business, and strategy; Motivated by the opportunity to change the trajectory of therapeutic discovery through bold, impactful collaborations.

What You'll Do:

• Leverage your industry network to generate high-value, top of funnel opportunities.
• Architect and lead negotiations for partnerships, structure aligned incentives, and licensing deals where there is no playbook. This includes: M&A, joint ventures, licensing, and equity investments spanning the full lifecycle from strategy formulation and evaluation to negotiation and closing.
• Act as a core member of deal teams, working closely with engineering, science, legal, and finance stakeholders to manage transactions from initial partner interactions through final execution.
• Redefine how pharma and biotech engage with AI simulation, creating new partnership models that unlock transformative therapeutic breakthroughs.
• Structure and analyze complex financial terms for all corporate development opportunities, leveraging your deep expertise in business planning, financial modeling, and P&L analysis.
• Be the trusted commercial leader in the room, complementing deep technical expertise with business vision, financial acumen, and relational mastery.
• Provide direct business and operational consultancy to senior and executive management, advising on strategic decisions that shape our current and future product portfolio.
• Anticipate and resolve issues quietly and effectively, maintaining momentum and strengthening trust across stakeholders and customers.
• Develop decision frameworks and prepare comprehensive deal presentations for executive management, effectively communicating the strategic rationale and financial implications of potential transactions.
• Cultivate and expand C-suite relationships across pharma and biotech, ensuring SandboxAQ becomes the partner of choice for strategic innovation.
• Drive account growth by ensuring continuous value creation, long-term trust and expanding offerings.
• Represent SandboxAQ at industry forums and thought-leadership platforms, amplifying our impact and reputation.

About You:

You are a seasoned professional with a robust background in both strategic finance and corporate development, bringing a unique blend of financial acumen and deal-making expertise. You thrive in a dynamic, high-stakes environment and are passionate about the potential of emerging technology.

• You are a master negotiator, with a proven track record of structuring and closing a wide range of complex, strategic, and high value deals.
• You have deep knowledge of the biopharma ecosystem, with strong executive relationships and credibility.
• You are a cross-functional leader who can effectively coordinate teams, external advisors and influence stakeholders at all levels of an organization.
• You are a trusted account leader, who executes with a sense of urgency
• You have strong executive presence and can inspire confidence, command the room, and build trusted connections at the highest levels
• You are a strategic and proactive thinker, consistently identifying and pursuing opportunities for growth and partnership, able to invent new partnership models that advance both science and business.

Minimum Qualifications

• You have 10-15 years of experience in biopharma technology business development, strategic transactions, and/or commercial leadership, with a significant portion of that time as a negotiation lead.
• You have secured Biopharma deals with a minimum of $20M+ upfront and biobucks milestones exceeding $100M. Bonus if your deals have been featured in FiercePharma or FierceBiotech
• You possess strong financial modeling, business planning, and P&L analysis skills and are able to structure, model, and communicate detailed financial models and complex term sheets.
• You possess a deep understanding of legal frameworks governing biotech and pharma transactions.
• You have demonstrated proficiency in Salesforce and its customizations for customer management and revenue tracking
• You are willing to travel up to 30%, as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• You are an expert at navigating complex deals where novel scientific software and technical capabilities are core components. You can speak the language of both scientists and business leaders to create novel partnership models.
• While an advanced degree such as an MBA or PhD in a biology, chemistry, or related field is advantageous, we prioritize candidates with a proven track record of building and executing transformative commercial partnerships in the biopharma and tech-bio industry.
• You have architected first of its kind high profile deals that have been featured e.g. in FiercePharma or FierceBiotech

The US base salary range for this full-time position is expected to be $192k - $269k per year. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. This role may be eligible for annual discretionary bonuses and equity.