Vice President, Business Development
CDMO Large Molecule – Europe
Role Overview
The Vice President of Business Development, Large Molecule – Europe will lead and scale commercial growth across biologics CDMO services, including monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, and related modalities. This role is responsible for defining and executing the European BD strategy, building senior-level client relationships, and driving sustainable revenue growth across early-stage through commercial programs.
The role will partner closely with Technical Operations, Manufacturing, MSAT, Quality, Regulatory, and Executive Leadership to position the organization as a preferred CDMO partner for complex large-molecule programs.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Strategy & Growth
- Develop and execute the European business development strategy for large-molecule CDMO services.
- Drive new business acquisition across discovery, development, clinical, and commercial biologics programs.
- Identify emerging market opportunities and align CDMO capabilities to client needs.
Client & Account Leadership
- Build and maintain executive-level relationships with biotech and pharmaceutical sponsors.
- Serve as a senior commercial and strategic partner to clients, guiding them through CMC, manufacturing, and outsourcing decisions.
- Lead strategic account planning to expand scope, deepen partnerships, and maximize long-term value.
Deal Leadership & Contracting
- Own complex, high-value deal processes from opportunity qualification through contract execution.
- Lead negotiations for MSAs, SOWs, development agreements, technology transfers, and commercial supply agreements.
- Partner with Legal, Finance, and Technical teams to structure commercially sound and executable deals.
Cross-Functional & Executive Collaboration
- Act as a senior interface between clients and internal technical/manufacturing teams.
- Translate complex CMC and manufacturing considerations into clear commercial value propositions.
- Provide market intelligence and business insights to executive leadership to support strategic decision-making.
Leadership & Team Development
- Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing European BD team.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and customer focus.
- Serve as both a strategic leader and, when required, a hands-on commercial contributor.
Qualifications & Experience
- 15+ years of progressive experience in business development within CDMO, biologics, or pharmaceutical manufacturing environments.
- Deep expertise in large-molecule biologics, including mAbs, recombinant proteins, and vaccines.
- Proven track record of driving significant revenue growth in Europe within a CDMO or outsourced services model.
- Strong understanding of Biologics CMC, manufacturing, analytics, and regulatory considerations.
- Extensive experience negotiating complex development and commercial manufacturing agreements.
- Demonstrated ability to operate at executive level with both internal leadership and external clients.
- Experience leading and scaling geographically distributed BD teams across Europe.
- Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences or related field; advanced degree preferred.
Leadership Attributes
- Strategic, commercially driven, and client-centric
- Credible technical communicator with strong CMC fluency
- Comfortable operating in both individual contributor and people-leader capacities
- Collaborative, decisive, and highly accountable
- Experienced working across cultures and European markets
Why This Role
This is a highly visible leadership position with the opportunity to shape the European growth strategy of a biologics CDMO, influence executive decision-making, and build long-term partnerships with leading biotech and pharmaceutical innovators.