As a Director of Business Development, you will be scouting new areas where Ginkgo’s platform is ripe to be a disruptive technology and introducing that expertise to prospective partners. Given your ability to synthesize information and lead with novel hypotheses, you will quickly distill information from prospective customer conversations and secondary sources and advance this thinking into specific deal concepts that meet partner needs and utilize Ginkgo’s Foundry to its fullest potential. As deals progress, you will shepherd them closely, but also keep an eye on the big picture and ensure that your priorities are focused on the best fit and highest likelihood opportunities. Most importantly, you will bring energy to your work and be motivated to help Ginkgo achieve our mission of making biology easier to engineer.

Central to your success in this role will be the ability to develop your own thesis on a given market or partner need, and to advance the path forward. Key enablers of success include synthesizing information quickly, taking action in spite of ambiguity, and using hypothesis-driven problem solving to quickly advance your point of view. Complementing these analytical skills, your success will require an astute ability to pinpoint partner needs, eagerness to establish and build new relationships, and excellence in communicating clearly both internally and externally. You will also be targets-driven and motivated to look down the road at what is required to meet these goals.

Responsibilities

• Build theses on the specific biotech R&D needs of potential customers/partners
• Work jointly with Ginkgo’s Marketing to develop materials that sell Ginkgo’s capabilities
• Actively seek out and establish new relationships with prospective partners
• Conceive of and advance specific deal concepts with prospective partners
• Constantly monitor deal progress and proactively define and mitigate issues
• Work jointly with Ginkgo’s Technical Solutions team to scope proposals for partners
• Work jointly with Ginkgo’s Deal team to define and negotiate deal terms
• Ultimately, be successful in executing and then closing on multiple deals in parallel
• Travel as necessary

Preferred Capabilities and Experience

• Bachelor degree and a minimum of 8 years experience (this can include at least 3 years of post-graduate biology, chemistry, or biotechnology scientific experience-e.g. PhD or a combination of Master’s education and technical work experience).
• At least 2 years of relevant experience in a role requiring complex problem solving (e.g. management consulting) strongly preferred
• Relevant business development experience is strongly preferred with an emerging deal track record (please include a deal sheet with your application if available)
• Enthusiast about pitching, negotiating, and closing new business opportunities .
• Excellent synthesis of complex information, comfort with ambiguity, hypothesis-driven problem solving
• Astute “nose” for sensing emerging concerns held by partners/customers/clients
• Comfort with toggling between strategic thinking and execution
• Eagerness to spot higher likelihood opportunities and drive these to completion
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and mobilize people across the organization, and to learn quickly and thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Interest and willingness to learn and continue learning

Total compensation for this role is market driven, with a starting salary of $150k+, as well as company stock awards.  Base pay is ultimately determined based on a candidate’s skills, expertise, and experience.  We also offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage, health spending accounts, voluntary benefits, leave of absence policies, Employee Assistance Program, 401(k) program with employer contribution, 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown and unlimited Paid Time Off policy.