Business Development Executive (UK/Europe) in Cambridge

We are looking to hire a Business Development Executive across the UK/Europe region, designed for candidates ready to transition or have already transitioned from the lab into a commercially impactful role without stepping away from science. This is a scientist-first BD role, where your technical expertise remains central to every client interaction and decision.

You will work closely with senior VP BD leaders for respective regions to:

• Engage with biotech and pharma clients on cutting-edge drug discovery programmes
• Contribute to the development of scientific proposals and partnership discussions
• Coordinate discovery programmes between clients and global delivery teams
• Build and nurture relationships across key biotech ecosystems

This role is a structured pathway from bench science to commercial leadership.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Business Development & Outreach
  • Support the regional VP of BD in identifying and cultivating new client relationships across biotech, pharma, and academic drug discovery groups
  • Co-develop and expand client relationships across biotech, pharma, and academic drug discovery groups within your assigned region
  • Leverage your network to generate leads and introductions
  • Assist in preparing and delivering compelling scientific proposals, capability overviews, and responses to RFPs and RFQs
  • Attend client meetings, site visits, and scientific conferences to represent o2h discovery in the field
  • Maintain accurate CRM records, including contacts, opportunities, proposals, follow-up actions, and pipeline status
• Programme & Project Management Support
  • Act as a key liaison between US clients and the o2h scientific delivery team in Ahmedabad, India and the UK, ensuring clear communication of project scope, timelines, and expectations
  • Support onboarding of new collaborations across chemistry, biology, DMPK/ADME, and integrated drug discovery programmes
  • Assist in milestone tracking, progress reporting, and client communication throughout active programmes
  • Contribute to the continuous improvement of BD workflows and client experience processes
• Scientific Knowledge & Market Intelligence
  • Stay current with drug discovery trends, therapeutic area developments, and the biotech funding landscape
  • Contribute to capability presentations, case studies, scientific blog content, and conference materials
  • Participate in internal scientific and BD knowledge-sharing sessions to deepen understanding of o2h's expanding service portfolio
  • Support the BD team in preparing for client visits, due diligence meetings, and partnership discussions

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Preferred
  • PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Biology, or a closely related discipline
  • Practical hands-on experience in at least one area of drug discovery: organic synthesis, target biology, DMPK, hit identification, or lead optimisation
  • Strong communication skills — written and verbal; able to present complex science clearly to a range of audiences
  • Genuine passion for drug discovery and the broader life science and biotech ecosystem
  • Comfortable working independently and proactively in a remote, hybrid environment
  • Willingness and ability to travel regularly across the USA for client meetings and conferences
  • Collaborative, cross-cultural communication skills — effective working with teams in India and the UK
• Advantageous
  • Post-doctoral experience or early-career industry experience in a CRO, biotech, or pharma setting
  • Existing professional network in the US biotech ecosystem (Boston/Cambridge, MA, Bay Area, San Diego, Seattle)
  • Familiarity with the CRO outsourcing landscape and how discovery programmes are structured commercially
  • Experience with project management tools, ELNs, CRM platforms, or scientific data management systems
  • Interest in or prior exposure to commercial activity — client communication, consulting, or scientific outreach

What You’ll Gain

• A clear path into commercial leadership in biotech
• Mentorship from experienced BD leaders
• Exposure to global clients and discovery programmes
• Hybrid flexibility with meaningful in-person engagement
• Competitive salary with performance-linked incentives

Apply via email to neetu@o2h.com

o2h discovery is a multi-award-winning integrated drug discovery Contract Research Organisation (CRO), headquartered at The Mill SciTech Park, Cambridge, UK, with a world-class research centre in Ahmedabad, India — home to over 800+ scientists across synthetic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, analytical chemistry, in vitro biology, DMPK, ADME, PK studies, peptide synthesis, and IND-enabling capabilities. Founded in 2005 and part of the o2h group, our DNA is centred on seeding new ideas in life science and technology — co-investing, co-creating, and co-executing with our partners. Alongside o2h Ventures (early-stage life science investment) and o2h co-work labs (Cambridge incubation hub), we offer a uniquely integrated innovation ecosystem spanning discovery, capital, and incubation. Our key markets — UK, Europe, and the United States — represent a rapidly growing share of our discovery revenues, with strong momentum across both coasts of the US and major European biotech clusters. As part of our next phase of growth, we are expanding our commercial footprint across these regions, building a new generation of scientist-led business development talent to accelerate client partnerships and programme delivery globally.