Senior Director, Corporate Development — Life Sciences

Emulate, Inc.; United States; Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Emulate, Inc. seeks a Director / Senior Director, Corporate Development to shape and execute strategic growth opportunities across partnerships, transactions, and market expansion in Organ‑on‑Chip and AI-enabled drug discovery.

Based in Boston, MA, this hands-on role leads strategy, diligence, deal structuring, and closure while collaborating with R&D, Legal, Finance, Product, and executive leadership to translate scientific capabilities into partner-ready value propositions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience in corporate development, business development, strategic partnerships, licensing, M&A, venture, or related roles within life sciences, biotech, pharma, life sciences tools, AI/drug discovery, or adjacent sectors.
• Demonstrated track record independently negotiating and closing corporate development transactions.
• Experience leading transactions from initial strategy and partner identification through diligence, deal structuring, negotiation, and execution.
• Strong understanding of strategic partnerships, licensing agreements, collaborations, and other corporate development deal structures.
• Ability to build financial models, business cases, market analyses, and valuation frameworks to support deal recommendations.
• Strong scientific and commercial judgment, with the ability to evaluate technical platforms and translate complex science into business opportunities.
• Experience working directly with executive leadership and cross‑functional teams, including Legal, Finance, R&D, Product, and Commercial.
• Ability to operate as a hands‑on individual contributor in a fast‑paced, resource‑constrained company environment.
• Strong communication skills, executive presence, and ability to influence without authority.
• Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to create structure, process, and momentum where none may exist.

Responsibilities

• Lead corporate development initiatives from opportunity identification through diligence, negotiation, execution, and close.
• Identify and prioritize strategic partners across pharma, biotech, life sciences tools, AI-native drug discovery, data/analytics, CROs, and related technology organizations.
• Develop and pressure‑test business cases for partnerships, licensing opportunities, collaborations, market expansion, data partnerships, and other strategic transactions.
• Structure, negotiate, and close corporate development transactions, including strategic partnerships, licensing agreements, collaborations, data partnerships, and other value‑creating deals.
• Build financial models, valuation analyses, deal scenarios, and strategic recommendations to support executive and board‑level decision‑making.
• Evaluate partner fit, strategic rationale, commercial opportunity, scientific value, operational feasibility, and transaction risks.
• Work cross‑functionally with R&D, Commercial, Product, Legal, Finance, and executive leadership to align transaction strategy with company priorities.
• Translate Emulate’s scientific and technical capabilities into compelling partner‑facing value propositions.
• Identify opportunities where Emulate’s platform and proprietary human‑relevant biological data could create strategic value for pharma, biotech, and AI‑enabled drug development companies.
• Support alliance management and governance for strategic partnerships after execution, ensuring clear ownership, milestones, communication, and value capture.
• Track relevant market trends, including AI‑enabled drug discovery, NAMs, Organ‑on‑Chip technologies, advanced cell models, regulatory tailwinds, and competitive activity.
• Represent Emulate externally with credibility, strategic judgment, and strong executive presence.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

Financial modeling

Cross-functional collaboration

Deal execution

Executive presence

Communication skills

Independent contributor

Ambiguity tolerance

Education

Advanced scientific degree

MBA

Job description

Emulate, Inc. seeks a Director / Senior Director, Corporate Development to shape and execute strategic growth opportunities across partnerships, transactions, and market expansion in Organ‑on‑Chip and AI-enabled drug discovery.

Based in Boston, MA, this hands-on role leads strategy, diligence, deal structuring, and closure while collaborating with R&D, Legal, Finance, Product, and executive leadership to translate scientific capabilities into partner-ready value propositions.