Head of Business Development

More than one million people in the United States today are fighting blood cancer. While a traditional allogeneic stem cell transplant has been the best hope for many, the transplant itself can prove fatal or lead to serious conditions, such as graft vs. host disease. Orca Bio is a commercial-stage biotechnology company redefining the transplant process by developing next-generation cell therapies with the goal of providing significantly better survival rates with dramatically fewer risks. With our purified, high-precision cell therapies we hope to not only replace patients' blood and immune systems with healthy ones, but also restore their lives.

Position Summary:

As Head of Business Development (reporting into CFO/Head of Strategy), you will drive the company's strategic partnership and licensing strategy, serving as the lead external interface for business development initiatives that advance Orca Bio's pipeline and commercial objectives. You will identify, evaluate, and negotiate partnerships with industry leaders, academic institutions, and research organizations to access promising therapeutics, expand our pipeline, and create strategic value.

This role combines deal leadership with strategic business planning, requiring both hands-on deal execution and high-level strategic thinking aligned with the board and executive leadership. You will work with an entrepreneurial spirit, while maintaining close collaboration with Scientific, Clinical, Regulatory, Manufacturing, and Commercial teams to ensure partnerships align with scientific merit, regulatory strategy, and business objectives.

You will be responsible for overseeing the full portfolio of potential strategic partnerships, from sourcing and evaluation through negotiation, execution, and ongoing relationship management, serving as a strategic advisor to the C-suite on market opportunities, partnership trends, and business development strategy.

Lead the development and execution of Orca Bio's business development and partnership strategy in close collaboration with the C-Sute, including long-term roadmap development, pipeline expansion targets, and growth initiatives aligned with company milestones and financing objectives.

Own the full deal lifecycle: identify strategic partnership opportunities consistent with pipeline and therapeutic area focus; develop detailed scientific, technical, and commercial due diligence assessments; lead negotiations with academic partners, biotech/pharma companies, and research institutions; structure and document agreements; and oversee execution and ongoing relationship management.

Build and maintain a comprehensive network of external contacts across academia, biotech, pharma, venture capital, and non-profit sectors to source and evaluate partnership opportunities in cell therapy, immunology, hematology-oncology, and adjacent therapeutic areas aligned with Orca Bio's scientific platform.

Conduct rigorous scientific and strategic evaluation of partnership targets, including assessment of intellectual property, clinical validation, competitive landscape, regulatory pathway, manufacturing feasibility, and value creation potential; present findings and recommendations to executive leadership.

• 12-15+ years of progressive experience in business development, licensing, and strategic partnerships in biopharmaceutical, biotech, or related life sciences industry, with demonstrated track record of sourcing, structuring, and successfully executing multiple partnership transactions.
• PhD, MD, MBA, and/or advanced degree in a relevant scientific or business discipline (immunology, cell biology, cancer biology, business, or related field) strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in oncology, hematology-oncology, cell therapy, or advanced therapeutics development, with deep understanding of clinical development pathways, regulatory strategy, manufacturing considerations, and competitive landscapes in hematology-oncology and/or cell therapy.
• Proven ability to lead complex negotiations, structure creative deal terms, manage multiple concurrent partnerships at various stages of maturity, and drive deals to close under tight timelines and uncertain conditions.
• Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, including ability to evaluate partnership NPV, risk-adjusted valuations, royalty structures, and complex deal economics; ability to build business cases and financial projections.
• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining relationships with key opinion leaders, academic researchers, strategic partners, and industry contacts; ability to develop extensive networks and leverage those networks to identify opportunities.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with ability to articulate complex scientific and business concepts clearly to diverse audiences including scientists, executives, investors, and boards; comfort with public speaking and external visibility.
• Proven ability to operate with high independence and entrepreneurial mindset; self-directed problem-solver who can manage multiple priorities and work effectively across geographies and time zones.
• Strong interpersonal skills and track record of cross-functional collaboration; ability to build credibility and influence with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.