VP, Business Development

About the role

Sana Biotechnology is growing, and we are hiring new team members who believe in the potential of engineered cells as medicines, who want to challenge the status quo, and who lead with the desire to work on novel ideas. As a Vice President of Business Development, you will report to the Chief Business Officer and lead critical activities to access external therapeutic programs and technologies, including the sourcing, evaluation and negotiation of in-licensing, collaboration, M&A, equity, and out-licensing deals.

What you'll do

• Lead the sourcing (including landscaping efforts for prioritized areas of interest), evaluation and negotiation of high-impact collaborations, licensing, equity, and acquisition opportunities
• Enable and lead robust decision-making through all stages of deals, including seeking approval for transactions from the Executive Team and Board of Directors
• Oversee negotiations strategies with prospective partners, including creating collaboration structures aligned with scientific and business needs and making deal recommendations to key executive team stakeholders
• Develop and oversee the execution of short- and long-range business development strategies aligned with the priorities and interests of Sana's corporate strategy
• Concurrently manage multiple projects (5+) of complex business opportunities. Requires prioritizing projects with key stakeholders and aligning with corporate goals
• Set, communicate, and drive implementation of the partnering strategy in collaboration with executive team stakeholders
• Oversee ongoing and active development of world-class business development capabilities, processes and practices
• Serve as the key driver of the business development steering committee
• Manage and grow the business development team, including the Director of Business Development and the Business Development MBA intern program
• Establish collaborative relationships with key internal functions (R&D, Tech Ops, Legal and Finance) to ensure strong relationships with and support for the BD transactions
• Be an ambassador for Sana at external meetings, conferences, and seminars to access new opportunities and develop external networks
• Ensure high-quality opportunity assessments and due diligence reviews.
• Accountable for the achievement of important goals that impact and contribute to the mission of Sana
• Demonstrate ability to engage and effectively influence team members across diverse teams while prioritizing multiple projects and meeting deadlines
• Drive curiosity, scientific rigor and excellent problem-solving skills across a fast-paced, performance-driven environment
• Natural ability to assess talent to help grow the organization and add to Sana's culture

What we're looking for

• MBA, Ph.D., and/or MD required; multiple such advanced degrees preferred.
• At least 9+ years of business development experience and 12+ years of experience in drug development are required
• Experience leading and negotiating complex transactions required (licensing experience required, acquisition experience preferred)
• Experience with drug development; familiarity within the field of cell and gene therapy is preferred
• Experience leading cross-functional business development diligence and deal teams, including in areas outside of technical expertise
• Expert executive communication skills; highly capable of articulating Sana's value proposition and partnering interests too varied audiences
• Strong influencing skills (e. g. up, down and across), preferably with experience navigating and influencing stakeholders with and without authority
• Strong decision-maker, able to appropriately articulate and balance tradeoffs in areas of high complexity
• Excellent analytical and strategic capabilities

How we work together

• Lead from every seat – we seek to understand, act with honesty, and engage in the crucial conversations
• Thrive as a team – we hire amazing people, are intensely curious, and cultivate inclusion and personal connectivity
• Make it happen – we value vigorous debate, alignment around our decisions, and resilient execution

Get to know us

At Sana, we believe that a diverse workforce strengthens us as a company and helps us to achieve our mission to meaningfully change the outcome of many human diseases. This belief is a pillar of our business and is critical to our success. Our goal is that Sana is the place for talented people to bring their authentic selves to work, to have a great career and to deeply, positively impact patients.

Core to our values, we believe there is nothing more important than the health and wellness of you and your family. For benefit eligible employees, we cover 100% of the cost for employee health coverage and offer generous time-off, parental leave, short- and long-term disability, employer paid basic life insurance,  additional voluntary life insurance protection, financial wellness programs including financial planning resources, a 401(k) Plan with an immediately vested employer match, Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, commuter subsidy and a variety of wellness offerings to support each person individually.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental or sensory disability (including the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability), genetic information, actual or perceived HIV or Hepatitis C infection, medical condition (cancer or a record or history of cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), disability, veteran status, political ideology, social class (including caste/caste identity), taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The job description listed above is representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions described above.