Senior Director, Search & Evaluation

Waters Corporation; Wilmslow; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Waters Corporation is seeking a high‑impact Search & Evaluation (S&E) leader with deep life sciences expertise and proven BD experience to architect and manage a portfolio of inorganic and partnering opportunities that complement Waters’ internal investments.

You will lead due diligence, build an external network, and collaborate with Finance M&A, Strategy, R&D and Commercial teams to deliver strategic insights and recommendations to leadership.

Qualifications

• MD/PhD/PharmD or equivalent degree is preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in life sciences tools or related biotech/healthcare with significant S&E business experience.
• Proven ability to lead multiple projects in a matrixed environment with independence.

Responsibilities

• Lead S&E efforts for broad BD opportunities aligned to Waters’ strategic plan.
• Lead scientific and clinical due diligence with cross-functional teams.
• Build and maintain an external network of bankers, VCs and incubators for deal sourcing.
• Collaborate with Finance M&A, Enterprise Strategy, R&D and Commercial teams; support partner negotiations.
• Provide regular updates to the Business Development Committee and manage a watch list of opportunities.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Leadership

Strategic planning

Cross-functional

Communication

Due diligence

Education

MD/PhD/PharmD or equivalent

Job description

Overview

The Search & Evaluation (S&E) candidate will possess strong scientific expertise in the life sciences and relevant business development experience, as well as the strategic skills to architect and manage a portfolio of inorganic and partnering opportunities that complement Waters’ organic investments – building scientific and commercial leadership within the industry.

Overview

The Search & Evaluation (S&E) candidate will possess strong scientific expertise in the life sciences and relevant business development experience, as well as the strategic skills to architect and manage a portfolio of inorganic and partnering opportunities that complement Waters’ organic investments – building scientific and commercial leadership within the industry. The candidate will have the ability to think holistically and long-term across a broad spectrum of industry trends, issues and platform approaches to communicate long term business objectives and priorities through external partnerships. The candidate is required to have strong interpersonal skills and work with multiple internal stakeholders to drive and support highly visible and time-sensitive business development projects. Furthermore, the candidate will be able to partner with the M&A team in our Finance organization to develop and deliver scientific, clinical, technical and commercial assessments and evaluations relevant to Waters strategic goals.

Responsibilities

• Lead S&E efforts for BD opportunities across all of Waters, linking to the strategic plan and managing a robust portfolio of opportunities for maximum impact
• Build and execute an efficient process to conduct initial assessment of select opportunities; lead scientific and clinical due diligence with cross functional teams
• Build a robust external network including bankers, VC, incubators etc. that will help to identify and initially qualify partnering or acquisition opportunities
• Demonstrate leadership and scientific rigor while collaborating closely with internal Finance, Enterprise Strategy, R&D and Commercial stakeholders and potential external partners and other sources of opportunities
• Multi-task in balancing large book of work while ensuring consistent attention and prioritization of most critical and visible projects
• Partner with stakeholders and cross-functional teams to deliver assessments of technical/commercial risks and team recommendations of external opportunities for high-level stakeholder input and senior management review
• Lead updates to the Business Development Committee on a monthly basis, while maintaining and active ‘watch list’ based on strategic needs
• Foster connections between minority investments and Waters’ businesses
• Collaborate with Finance M&A colleagues and support agreement negotiation and contracting as needed
• Lead or support the Diligence Team:
• Facilitate diligence planning
• Lead diligence interactions with external parties
• Prepare high quality deliverables for diligence findings and recommendations
• Collaborate with Strategy & Transformation colleagues to support critical initiatives as agreed by leadership, including deal integration and transformation as needed

Qualifications

• MD, PhD, PharmD, or other advanced degree in the life sciences field preferred
• Minimum 10 years of experience within the life sciences tools industry or related biotech/healthcare field (e.g., consulting, investment banking, venture capital, academia) and significant relevant business experience in S&E
• Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills
• A proven record of leading business development projects
• Proven ability to efficiently lead multiple projects in a matrixed environment with a high degree of independence
• Creative thinker with ability to envision new combinations of capabilities that can push the boundaries of science

Company Description

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, our innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology. We collaborate with customers around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, ensure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combating antibiotic resistance. Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, our passionate team of ~16,000 colleagues turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide.

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our core values at Waters Corporation. It benefits our employees, our products, our customers and our community. Waters complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Waters is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All hiring decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.