Commercial Partner

Syenex; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Syenex, Inc. is seeking a Scientific Commercial Partner to apply deep scientific training beyond the bench at the intersection of science, strategy, and sales.

You will work with cell and gene therapy developers to understand delivery challenges, translate Syenex technology into solutions, and prove our platform fits into their pipelines. You will own biotech accounts, pursue new business, and craft audience-specific messaging through emails, calls, presentations, and live demos.

Qualifications

• PhD or masters in molecular biology, cell biology, virology, immunology or related field.
• No prior commercial experience required, internships or consulting ok.
• Strong desire to move into commercial or technical sales in biotech.

Responsibilities

• Own a portfolio of biotech accounts and build relationships with scientists and leaders.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities through outreach and research.
• Translate Syenex's delivery platform into customer-facing messaging and demos.
• Collaborate with our scientific team to scope and support experiments.
• Support deal progression with technical discussions and proposals.
• Represent Syenex at conferences and events.

Skills

Strong communication

Commercial mindset

CRM familiarity

Biotech storytelling

Travel willingness

Independent worker

Outreach and networking

Education

PhD in molecular biology or related field

Master's degree in related field (optional)

Tools

CRM platforms

AI-assisted research tools

Virtual presentation tools

Job description

About Syenex

Syenex is building the delivery infrastructure for the next generation of genomic medicines. Our platform combines cell-specific delivery vectors with programmable payload systems, giving cell and gene therapy developers a faster, more precise way to deliver engineered therapies — designed from the outset to scale into rapid clinical validation through streamlined CDMO+CRO channel partnerships and comprehensive pre-clinical support. We're a small, scientifically-driven team, and we're now building Syenex's first commercial function to bring these tools directly to the biotech developers who need them.

About The Role

Syenex is hiring a Scientific Commercial Partner — a recent PhD who wants to apply deep scientific training beyond the bench, at the intersection of science, strategy, and sales. You'll work directly with cell and gene therapy developers to understand their delivery challenges, translate Syenex's technology into solutions for their programs, and help them prove out how our platform fits into their pipeline.

What You'll Do

• Own a portfolio of prospective and existing biotech accounts — building trusted relationships with scientists and leaders, including CSOs, Heads of R&D, and process development leads, at cell and gene therapy companies
• Proactively identify and pursue new business opportunities through outbound prospecting, digital tools, market research, and networking at scientific conferences and events
• Translate Syenex's delivery technology — cell-specific delivery vectors and programmable payload systems — into compelling, audience-specific technical and commercial messaging via email, calls, presentations, and live demonstrations
• Partner with customers to scope and support experiments that validate Syenex's platform for their specific application, working cross-functionally with our scientific team
• Take a consultative approach to selling — understanding a customer's program and biology deeply enough to identify where Syenex creates real value, rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all pitch
• Support deal progression alongside the Head of Commercial: technical discussions, proposal development, and coordination through negotiation and close
• Feed customer and market insights back into the product and scientific roadmap, helping Syenex prioritize what to build next
• Represent Syenex at scientific and industry conferences (e.g., ASGCT, CAR-TCR, BIO International, ISCT), including partnering, presentations and events where relevant

What You'll Bring

• PhD or masters in molecular biology, cell biology, virology, immunology, synthetic biology, or a related field (completed or defending soon)
• No prior commercial experience required — some exposure to industry, technology translation, or customer-facing work (internships, consulting projects, entrepreneurial side projects) is a plus but not expected
• Genuine curiosity about the business side of biotech and a desire to build a career in commercial or technical sales rather than continue at the bench
• An extroverted, entrepreneurial mindset — energized by talking to people, comfortable with ambiguity, and motivated by results rather than a fixed research agenda
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex biology into clear, compelling messaging for a range of audiences
• Comfort adopting modern commercial tools quickly — CRM platforms, AI-assisted research and writing tools, and virtual presentation/demo tools
• Willingness to travel meaningfully (roughly 30–50%) for customer visits and conferences
• Ability to operate independently in a fast-moving, still-being-defined commercial function, while staying closely aligned with the Head of Commercial

Why Join Syenex

This is a rare chance for a scientist to move directly into a commercial career without first doing a multi-year bench postdoc or industry R&D stint. You'll be mentored directly by our Head of Commercial, given real ownership over accounts and strategy from day one, and positioned to grow into senior commercial or business development leadership as Syenex scales.