Skip to Main Content

Careers at Editas

Director/Senior Director, Business Development – 1135 – Cambridge, MA

Job Description

Location — Cambridge, MA

What if you could repair broken genes? That is the question we ask ourselves at Editas Medicine. We’re focused on translating the power and potential of the CRISPR/Cas9 and CRISPR/Cpf1 (also known as Cas12a) genome editing systems into a robust pipeline of medicines for people living with serious diseases around the world. Our goal is to discover, develop, manufacture, and commercialize trans-formative, durable, precision genomic medicines for many diseases.

We’re looking for talented, dedicated, passionate people to join our team and help us pioneer this field and do big, bold things that have never been achieved before.

Are you full of hope, possibilities, and a belief that, working together, we can truly revolutionize the development of medicines to help patients around the world. If the answer is yes, then Editas Medicine is the place for you.

Editas is looking for a versatile and highly-motivated individual to contribute to the business development activities of a rapidly growing biotech start-up. Reporting to Vice President of Business Development the Director/Senior Director of Business Development will play a key role in driving forward Editas’ strategic initiatives, and will be responsible for the identification, evaluation and execution of transactions. Activities will include business case development, due diligence, strategic and valuation analyses, structuring and negotiating transactions, and executing deals. The successful candidate will be capable of externally representing Editas on each of these facets, and effectively working cross-functionally to analyze, review and gain internal support for business development initiatives.

Responsibilities:
 Collaborate with the VP, Business Development and the Executive Team to define and drive forward new partnerships, in support of overall corporate strategy, financing needs and organizational capabilities.
 Draw upon extensive industry network to routinely source business development opportunities, while also building and fostering new relationships
 Identify, evaluate and pursue relevant opportunities that are consistent with scientific and business objectives
– Attend events (including major partnering, scientific and medical conferences) to help prospect for new opportunities and build relationships with potential partners
– Maintain understanding of landscape and monitor key events related to opportunities of interest
 Develop proactive and persuasive business cases, including financial modeling, ROI analysis, and partnering approach.
– Build a strong and effective partnership with the Research and Development teams to define technical characteristics of partnering opportunities of interest
– Understand range of market potential, including consideration of competitive dynamics
– Proactively anticipate stakeholder interests and concerns and addresses them appropriately
 Plan/prepare/deliver presentations to external parties and routinely lead business discussions
 Organize and lead cross-functional due diligence process and teams. Effectively manage diligence findings, possess conviction and build case to recommend deal or not
 Present strategic opportunities for internal and board discussions
 Deep understanding of creative deal structures and ability to work with legal/deal team to achieve best outcomes
 Manage the contract drafting/review process with legal, and coordinate cross-functional input
 Negotiate and close transactions consistent with business cases and corporate goals
 Provide business development input and support to internal programs as appropriate, includes identifying internal gaps and seeking business development solutions
 Manage the negotiation of amendments with current partners to align with evolving business needs
 Work collaboratively across functions and with senior management to effectively lead and manage the business development area
 Lead/manage special initiatives on ad hoc basis, to support our corporate objectives

Qualifications:
• Undergraduate degree plus MBA or advanced scientific degree required
 Minimum 8 years of experience working in biotech/pharma business development. Consulting, venture capital, and/or banking experience is a plus.
 Sound understanding of drug discovery and development, preferably in gene and cell therapy
 Experience in assessing opportunities for strategic fit with corporate objectives
 Demonstrated track record of executing deals from sourcing to deal close, including analytics, negotiations, structuring, and contracting
 Demonstrated ability to forge relationships and collaborate with many different disciplines both inside and outside the company
 History of cross-functional leadership roles with results demonstrating conflict/issue resolution, time-critical project management, negotiation skills, consensus-building
 Strong asset valuation and financial modeling skills, with accuracy and attention to detail
 Excellent professional communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Effective communicator at all organizational levels
 Adept at making strong professional and credible impressions with senior-level audiences
 Ability to function autonomously and drive strategic decisions with sound business judgement
 Seeking candidate who is resilient, self-directed, highly motivated, and passionate about growing small companies through business development


We are an equal opportunity employer offering a competitive salary and benefits package. All applicants should be legally entitled to work for any employer in the US.

Note to Employment Agencies: Please do not forward any agency resumes. The company will not be responsible for any fees related to resumes that are unsolicited.