Director of Business Development

Position Title:  Director of Business Development

FLSA Status: Exempt – Full time

Job Summary: Vala Sciences Inc. is a privately-held, pioneering biotechnology firm based in San Diego, California. We are seeking candidates with expertise in Business Development for drug discovery services and systems, and the engagement and development of collaborations/alliances. The Director of Business Development will qualify and develop leads with pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies for drug discovery service contracts and IC200-KIC platforms as a springboard to forming partnerships to identify new drug targets and develop new preclinical drug candidates. This role requires a deep understanding of: Vala’s Kinetic Image Cytometry (KIC) and High content screening (HCS); HCS/KIC assay development and validation, particularly with iPSC disease models; diseases and targets of interest to prospective customers; and how to build a collaborative work plan to use Vala’s proprietary approach to achieve the customer’s drug development goals.

Responsibilities & Duties:

1. Qualify and develop leads with pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies (provided by way of your network of contacts and Vala’s: website and marketing, business development channels, personnel and consultants, and referrals) for drug discovery service contracts and IC200-KIC platform sales as a springboard to
2. Forming partnerships to identify new drug targets and develop new preclinical drug candidates
3. Respond to all inquiries from the website and other marketing channels
4. Schedule and lead detailed scientific presentations describing Vala’s proprietary screening, iPSC disease model, and platform expertise and the advantages of them with potential customers, and lead the follow-up communications and teleconferences
5. Draft and finalize contracts, including statements of work with the experimental design, and proposals, with the assistance of the Chief Research Officer (CRO), CEO and other Vala scientists
6. Assist with marketing efforts, including website updates, social media postings, and attending conferences and other networking events
7. Identify new opportunities and possibilities for expansion and development

Qualifications & Skills:

• Ph.D. in Science and experience in drug discovery assay development and validation, and screening tools, particularly related to HCS
• MBA is a plus
• Experience with human iPSC-derived neurons, cardiomyocytes and skeletal muscle cells, and readouts of fast kinetics is a plus.
• Strong organizational, and written & verbal communication skills.
• Capable of working independently and in a team environment

Job Type:   Full-time

Salary:   Base salary and commission TBD, depending on experience

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

About Vala Sciences:

Vala Sciences, Inc., builds high-speed (AKA super-slow motion) video microscopy instruments (IC200-KIC) for single-cell analyses of fast kinetics (action potentials, calcium transients, contraction, etc.) of human stem cell-derived brain, heart, muscle, and other cell types; develops and manufactures biological models, KIC/HCS AI-augmented tools; and creates and validates assays and screens for use in early drug development by pharmaceutical companies; and partners with clients to develop new medical therapies.