Director of Business Development

NOETIK
NOETIK

Sales & Business Development

United States

Posted on Aug 7, 2026

About Noetik

Noetik is an AI-native biotechnology company using self-supervised machine learning and high-throughput spatial biology to change how cancer drugs are discovered, positioned, and matched to patients. Our team has built one of the largest collections of multimodal human tumor data in the world and used it to train OCTO — the Oncology Counterfactual Therapeutics Oracle — a massively multimodal, transformer-based world model of cancer biology, along with OCTO-VC, a virtual cell foundation model trained on tens of millions of spatially resolved human cells.

The Opportunity

Noetik is hiring a Director of Business Development to build and own the top of the commercial funnel. This is a new-revenue role: you will develop pipeline strategy for Noetik’s AI oncology models, scout and qualify partnership opportunities globally, and carry relationships from a first informal conversation through to structured, executable deals with pharma and biotech.

You will join at the inflection point immediately following an anchor partnership — with a proven deal template, credible external validation, and a mandate to replicate and diversify it. The Director will be the systematic engine behind that expansion: finding the right counterparties, engaging the right people inside them, and making sure every conversation moves toward a defined next step.

What You’ll Own

New revenue streams and pipeline strategy

  • Develop and execute the commercial pipeline strategy for Noetik’s AI oncology platform, including model licensing, subscription frameworks, bespoke dataset generation, co-development, and biomarker and translational collaborations.
  • Identify and build the case for new revenue streams beyond the current partnership model — new indications, new buyer profiles, and new commercial constructs.
  • Build and maintain the target account map: which pharma and biotech organizations need Noetik’s models, why, when, and through which internal sponsor.

Search, evaluation, and top-of-funnel generation

  • Own top-of-funnel generation for asset in-licensing end to end: source, scout, and assess partnership opportunities globally across large pharma, mid-cap biopharma, and clinical-stage biotech.
  • Evaluate and prioritize opportunities against pipeline fit, indication relevance, data needs, deal size, and probability of execution — bringing a clear, defensible point of view on where Noetik should spend its resources.
  • Maintain a systematic, strategic approach to coverage rather than opportunistic outreach: segmented targeting, deliberate sequencing, and disciplined qualification criteria.

Selling to pharma and biotech

  • Articulate Noetik’s science and platform value proposition credibly to both scientific and commercial audiences — from discovery and translational research leaders to AI and data science, oncology R&D, and business development counterparts.
  • Translate complex model capabilities into concrete partner problems solved: target discovery, patient stratification, response prediction, indication selection, and clinical asset positioning.
  • Support deal shaping and structuring in partnership with the Chief Business Officer and leadership, including commercial framing, term development, and negotiation preparation.

Lead tracking, follow-up, and meeting readiness

  • Track leads, contacts, conversation history, and deal detail rigorously — maintaining an accurate, current, and trustworthy view of pipeline health and stage progression.
  • Drive appropriate follow-up, clear next steps, and forward planning on every open thread; nothing goes cold for lack of discipline.
  • Ensure Noetik is having the right conversations with the right people, and that internal teams are fully prepared for every meeting — briefing documents, stakeholder profiles, objectives, and anticipated objections.

Stakeholder management, internal and external

  • Serve as the connective tissue between external partners and Noetik’s internal teams — research, computational biology, data generation, legal, and executive leadership.
  • Coordinate scientific subject-matter experts into partner conversations at the right moment and with the right framing.
  • Manage external stakeholder relationships across multiple levels and functions within partner organizations, building durable multi-threaded coverage rather than single points of contact.

Representing Noetik

  • Represent Noetik across the full spectrum of engagement: informal networking and introductions, first meetings, scientific conferences, seminars, partnering events, and formalized negotiations.
  • Recognize that this role is always “on” — every interaction is an opportunity to learn, share, position, and advance Noetik’s standing in the market.
  • Bring back market intelligence: competitive positioning, partner strategy shifts, emerging buyer needs, and pricing signals that sharpen Noetik’s commercial strategy.

What You’ll Bring

Required

  • 7+ years in business development, corporate development or commercial strategy roles within biotech, pharma, techbio, or life-sciences platform companies.
  • An existing relationship network you can activate. Demonstrated ability to bring warm, credible relationships across pharma and biotech — R&D, oncology, translational, data science and AI, and business development organizations — and convert them into qualified opportunities.
  • Track record of sourcing, shaping, and possibly closing partnership or licensing agreements with pharma or biotech counterparties, with clear personal ownership of the outcome.
  • Oncology domain fluency: comfortable discussing tumor biology, immuno-oncology, biomarkers, patient stratification, and clinical development strategy with expert audiences.
  • Genuine comfort with AI and machine learning platform technology — able to represent foundation models, spatial and multimodal data, and computational methods accurately and confidently without a translator in the room.
  • Systematic operating discipline: structured pipeline management, rigorous CRM and lead hygiene, strong meeting preparation, and reliable follow-through.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication; able to build materials and narratives that hold up in front of pharma executives.
  • High integrity, sound judgment, and discretion in business discussions, preparation, and strategic planning.
  • Willingness to travel domestically and internationally for conferences, partnering meetings, and on-site engagements.

Preferred

  • Experience commercializing a platform or data asset rather than a single therapeutic program — SaaS-style, subscription, or licensing constructs are especially relevant.
  • Management consulting or life-sciences strategy consulting background preferred but not required — the structured problem-framing, market assessment, and executive-facing communication skills transfer directly to this role.
  • Advanced degree in a life-sciences field (PhD, MD, MS) and/or an MBA.
  • Prior exposure to spatial biology, multi-omics, computational pathology, or precision oncology biomarker development.
  • Experience building a business development function or process from an early stage rather than inheriting a mature machine.
  • Established presence at major partnering and scientific venues such as JPM, BIO, AACR, ASCO, SITC, and Biotech Showcase.

Attributes We Index On

  • Strategic and systematic. You build a coverage model and work it deliberately; you do not run on inbound and luck.
  • Credible in the room. Scientists trust you, and so do commercial leaders. You earn the second meeting.
  • Relationship-led. You have spent years building a network, and you treat it as an asset to be stewarded, not spent.
  • Prepared, always. Every meeting has an objective, a brief, and a next step.
  • High integrity. Judgment and trustworthiness are non-negotiable in a business built on partner confidence and proprietary data.
  • Comfortable with ambiguity. Early-stage, fast-moving, and category-defining — the playbook is being written, and you want to write it.

Location and Work Model

Noetik is headquartered in San Francisco. This role is open to candidates who are in-office, hybrid, or fully remote. Regardless of location, the Director is expected to travel regularly for partner meetings, conferences, and periodic time with the San Francisco team.

Compensation and Benefits

Competitive base salary, and meaningful equity participation, plus comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage. Compensation is calibrated to experience, level, and location.

Noetik is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.