Chief Business Officer

💼 Chief Business Officer💻 AI Protein Structure Prediction💰 $500k Base + Milestones + Equity📍 San Francisco, CA (Onsite)CompanyThis start-up have built a market‑leading protein structure prediction platform, funded by OpenAI, NVIDIA and founded by alumni of META FAIR, OpenAI, Harvard, and Stanford. Their platform is used by top drug discovery teams and consistently outperforms competing approaches on accuracy, speed, and scalability for protein structure and interaction prediction.Role OverviewThe Chief Business Officer will own and lead all commercial activities with existing and new large pharma partners. This person will ensure joint programs hit scientific, technical, and commercial milestones, while protecting long‑term value for both our company and our partners. The ideal candidate brings prior experience managing external collaborations or BD transactions at a major pharma or large biotech.ResponsibilitiesServe as primary operational and relationship lead for key pharma alliances, from onboarding through late‑stage development and option/exercise events.Track and communicate progress against scientific, technical, and commercial milestones; ensure both parties meet contractual obligations and timelines.Build and lead cross‑functional internal teams (science, product, ML, legal, finance, commercial) to deliver on joint workplans and resolve issues quickly.Anticipate and mitigate risks related to scope, IP, data sharing, and resourcing; drive structured decision‑making and escalation when needed.Prepare and run governance forums (steering committees, JSC/JWGs), including agendas, materials, minutes, and follow‑up actions.Maintain responsibility for new and expansion opportunities, providing alliance health insights and helping shape deal terms for successful execution.Oversee team that ensures accurate documentation of commitments, budgets, forecasts, and key decisions across partnerships.Qualifications15+ years of experience in a leadership position at Pharma corporate/business development, or external innovation at a large pharma/biotech or equivalent buy‑side role.Advanced degree, PhD in Chemistry or a related scientific discipline.Deep understanding of drug discovery and development (small molecules, biologics, or protein‑based modalities); comfort engaging with R&D leaders.Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi‑stakeholder relationships and navigate ambiguity with calm, clear communication.Strong analytical, project management, and negotiation skills; highly proficient with productivity tools (e.g., Excel, PowerPoint, project tracking).Hands‑on, low‑ego mindset suited to a fast‑paced startup; able to work independently while fostering highly collaborative internal and external teams.QualitiesThrives under pressure.Detail-oriented and fast-movingCuriousEmpatheticAmbitiousPlease apply above with a resume/bio or contact a.benhsain@strativgroup.com to learn more. **Please note due to high volume of applicants there may be a delay in response and/or inability to provide in-depth feedback**