Business Development Director

acelabio; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

AcelaBio, a San Diego-based specialty histopathology lab, seeks a Business Development Director to drive growth across North America. You will pursue new opportunities, build sponsor relationships, and lead strategic sales initiatives in a fast-paced, client-focused setting.

You’ll work cross-functionally to move proposals from initial contact through bid defenses and contracts, with a focus on EST-based clients and complex, multi-stakeholder negotiations.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree or higher with 5–8 years in life sciences sales.
• Experience in B2B sales or business development in CRO or related sector.
• Strong ability to translate market insights into sales strategies.

Responsibilities

• Drive sales growth within a defined region, expanding the client base.
• Lead proposals, cost estimates, and contract negotiations with sponsors.
• Coordinate with operations and marketing to support bids and client meetings.
• Maintain CRM records and report market trends to leadership.

Skills

Communication

Proposal development

Contract negotiation

Market analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

HubSpot/Salesforce CRM

Job description

About AcelaBio

AcelaBio is a CAP- and CLIA-accredited specialty histopathology laboratory based in San Diego, CA. We deliver anatomic histopathology, immunostaining, digital image analysis, spatial transcriptomics, and biomarker endpoints to pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors. Our team is scientifically driven, client-focused, and committed to advancing translational research through rigorous, reproducible methods.

The Opportunity

The Business Development Director plays a key role in driving growth within a designated region or customer segment, helping expand AcelaBio’s partnerships and market presence. This is a highly collaborative, client-facing role that combines strategic thinking, relationship management, and commercial leadership in a fast-paced environment.

In this role, you will identify and pursue new business opportunities, build strong sponsor and partner relationships, develop targeted sales strategies, and lead initiatives that support AcelaBio’s continued growth. You’ll work closely with internal teams and external stakeholders to deliver high-quality solutions from proposal development and client meetings through to bid defenses and contract negotiations.

The ideal candidate is commercially driven, proactive, and energized by building lasting partnerships, navigating complex opportunities, and contributing to the success of an innovative, client-focused organization.

Positions Available: 1; Primarily focused on East Coast coverage in North America (Canada/US).

The Role

Sales Growth and New Business Development (50-60%)

• Achieve annual sales target objectives for a defined region and build the client base in new markets.
• Develop and lead client presentations; manage the internal proposal development process including draft proposals, cost estimates, and quality control of proposal documents.
• Support the VP and Contracts team throughout the contract negotiation cycle; lead negotiations for select clients.
• Lead BD marketing activities by attending trade and scientific conferences and collaborating with the Marketing and Scientific team to develop brochures, web content, and presentations.

Client Management and Sales Strategy Support (25-35%)

• Assist with strategic sales planning and implementation and support geographic or new market expansion planning.
• Regularly meet with existing and prospective sponsors to ensure a clear understanding of AcelaBio’s capabilities and gauge satisfaction levels.
• Partner with the Project Operations team to keep abreast of project updates and milestones to strengthen client relationships with regular updates, address ongoing issues, and manage expectations throughout the project life cycle.
• Maintain CRM system (HubSpot or Salesforce) is updated to ensure accurate, complete and current records for all leads, contacts, opportunities and customer interactions.
• Analyze and report on market trends and competitor offerings; contribute sales and client perspectives when the organization is developing new products, services, or market growth strategies.

Partner and Vendor Development and Support (15-25%)

• Support Operations teams in identifying and sourcing new vendors in compliance with AcelaBio and industry standard requirements.
• Assist with creation, review, and selection of vendor and partner RFPs; lead or support vendor meetings and negotiations as required.
• Support the Contracts team with contract finalization and the QA team with vendor qualification requirements; monitor vendor budgets on an ongoing basis.

About You

• Undergraduate degree (Bachelor’s or Honors Bachelor’s) with 5-8 years of related experience; OR college diploma with a minimum of 8 years of related experience.
• Ability to cover EST-based clients.
• Science or business degree preferred; industry experience required. Continuous training and professional development expected.
• Proven track record in B2B sales and business development in clinical research, CRO, or a related life sciences services sector.
• Ability to analyze market trends, assess competitor positioning, and translate insights into actionable sales strategies. Strong communication skills across technical, scientific, and executive audiences; experience with proposal development, RFP responses, and contract negotiation.
• Strategic business development with demonstrated ability to grow a regional client base in a CRO or life sciences environment.
• Executive-level client relationship management and complex negotiation across multi-stakeholder environments.