Director, Life Science & Biopharma Accounts

Owkin; Greater London; Remote; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work organization

Friendly and informal environment

International team with high technical

Opportunity to work across Sales, etc.

Job summary

Owkin is seeking a results-driven sales professional to join our commercial team. You will target pharmaceutical, biotech, CROs, VC/PE and life sciences firms, with a primary focus on North American markets.

This role is a new business development contributor position requiring you to build relationships from first contact through contract signature. You will sell solutions that address drug discovery, translational research and portfolio decision-making, shaping our offerings with customer

Qualifications

• Track record of winning new business in the USA within complex B2B sales.
• Experience creating pipelines and closing opportunities with multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to engage credibly with scientific and business audiences.
• Strong prospecting, discovery, qualification, presentation, negotiation, and value-selling skills.
• Willingness to travel internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

• Own a focused portfolio of target accounts with strong NA emphasis.
• Generate and qualify pipeline through proactive prospecting and network activity.
• Open and develop relationships with senior stakeholders across pharma, biotech, CRO and VC/PE.
• Own the full sales cycle from discovery to close.
• Lead consultative conversations to uncover priorities and value.
• Translate needs into proposals, pilots, or broader Owkin K Pro opportunities.
• Collaborate with Sales, Partnerships, Product, Delivery, Legal, Finance, and Marketing to shape solutions.

Skills

New business development USA

Pipeline generation

Consultative selling

Stakeholder engagement

Sales cycle ownership

Forecasting & CRM (Salesforce)

Travel willingness

Tools

CRM (Salesforce)

Job description

About Us

Owkin is an agentic AI company pioneering Biological Artificial Superintelligence to solve problems in biology where human researchers alone have failed.

About K Pro

Owkin builds K Pro - an AI scientist for pharmaceutical research and strategic decision-making. K Pro orchestrates a suite of AI skills and tools to decode complex biology, accelerate research, and dramatically increase productivity.

K Pro is built on Owkin's unrivalled multimodal patient data network, state-of-the art AI for biology and a decade of experience working with pharmaceutical partners.

The position can be based remotely in the UK, with a strong focus on the US market

About The Role

Owkin is looking for a sales professional to join our commercial team. Targeting pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, CROs, VC/PE firms and selected investor-backed life sciences organizations, you'll have a particular focus on the North American markets.

This is a new business development focused, individual contributor role, perfect for someone who enjoys creating commercial opportunities from the ground up while working closely with colleagues across Sales, Partnerships, Technical Sales, Product, Delivery and Marketing. You will identify and build relationships with scientific, digital, innovation, commercial, and executive stakeholders, and guide complex opportunities from first conversation through contract signature.

You’ll be selling solutions more than simply a technology platform. Your role will be to help customers understand how K Pro can support their challenges in areas such as drug discovery, translational research, clinical development, and portfolio decision‑making. In turn, your customer insight will help the wider commercial team recognise market demand and refine our proposition, messaging, and approach.

You will be able to engage credibly with life sciences customers, ask the right questions, identify value quickly, and move opportunities forward to conclusion. Every success moves you towards winning the large partnership opportunities that Owkin is achieving with K Pro.

In Particular, You Will

• Own a focused portfolio of target accounts, with a strong emphasis on the North American market and aligned with the wider sales strategy and team priorities.
• Generate and qualify pipeline within your portfolio through proactive prospecting, referrals, networks, events, and account-based activity.
• Open and develop relationships with senior stakeholders across pharmaceutical, biotech, CRO and VC/PE organizations.
• Own the full sales cycle, from qualification and discovery through proposal, negotiation and close.
• Lead consultative conversations that uncover scientific, operational, and business priorities.
• Translate customer needs into clear proposals, business cases, pilots, feasibility studies, or broader Owkin K Pro opportunities.
• Work with Technical Sales, Product, Delivery, Legal, Finance, and Marketing to shape practical solutions and move deals forward.
• Build internal champions and maintain momentum across complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles.
• Keep CRM activity, pipeline, and forecasts accurate.
• Bring customer feedback and market intelligence back to Sales, Marketing, Product, and leadership.
• Help refine our positioning, target segments, sales materials, and commercial approach as our markets develop.

About You

Required qualifications / experience:

• A track record in winning new business in the USA within complex B2B sales, strategic account development, or consultative selling environments.
• Experience in proactively creating pipelines and closing opportunities with multiple stakeholders.
• Familiarity with life sciences, healthcare, technology, data, AI, SaaS, research services, or other technically complex environments; an established platform of connections in these arenas would bring a significant advantage.
• A demonstrated ability to engage credibly with both scientific and business audiences.
• Strong prospecting, discovery, qualification, presentation, negotiation, and value-selling skills.
• Commercial judgment and the ability to identify where Owkin can create differentiated value.
• Curiosity, resilience, and the ability to operate with autonomy in a fast-moving company.
• Rigorous efficiency in how you plan, prioritise and execute your sales and development activities.
• Experience using Salesforce or a similar CRM, with sound forecasting and pipeline discipline.
• Willingness to travel internationally as needed.

Preferred Qualifications/bonus

Experience in at least one of the following would be advantageous:

• Pharmaceutical R&D, biotech, CROs, AI or data platforms, drug discovery, clinical development, biomedical research, investment or PE/VC backed life sciences firms.
• An academic background in life sciences, technology, or business is welcome but not essential.

What success could look like in the first 3, 6 to 9 months

• Clear insight into customer needs, competitive differentiation, and the strongest use cases for Owkin and, in particular, K Pro.
• A focused portfolio of target accounts, a qualified pipeline aligned with team priorities and a plan of priorities and engagement tactics.
• Rekindled existing connections and built new relationships leading to commercial opportunities across priority customer segments.
• Early wins through pilots, feasibility studies, or broader solution engagements.

This is an opportunity to join a high-performing commercial team at an important stage in K Pro’s development. You will have the autonomy to build relationships and create opportunities within your portfolio, while working closely with colleagues across Sales, Partnerships, Product, Technical Sales, Delivery, and Marketing to develop the strongest approach for our customers.

What we offer

• Flexible work organization
• Friendly and informal working environment
• Opportunity to work with an international team with high technical and scientific backgrounds

Equal Opportunity Employer

Owkin is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status or on the basis of disability.