Lead and scale academic, industry, and clinical partnerships for microbiome biomarker discovery. Develop BD strategy, build tracking systems and KPIs, create scientific collateral, negotiate study agreements, manage IRB approvals, and translate research into commercial opportunities to grow pipeline and partner engagement.
Director, Partnerships and Business Development
Compensation
BiomeSense is a life sciences startup building novel technologies (GutLab, MetaBiome) to transform gut microbiome biomarker discovery & translation. Our partners include UCSF, UCSD, NIH & the University of Chicago. We are backed by LabCorp Ventures, Bluestein Ventures, Seerave Foundation & Emil Capital Partners.
Role Summary
An entrepreneurial leader to own & develop BiomeSense’s partnership function – from academic / industry partner development to negotiation and end-to-end collaboration in high-impact studies to establish us as the go-to microbiome partner for translational research.
Key Responsibilities
Partner & BD Strategy
Operational Leadership
Qualifications
Compensation
- $150K - $225K salary commensurate with experience
- 0.25% - 0.5% equity
- Competitive benefits
BiomeSense is a life sciences startup building novel technologies (GutLab, MetaBiome) to transform gut microbiome biomarker discovery & translation. Our partners include UCSF, UCSD, NIH & the University of Chicago. We are backed by LabCorp Ventures, Bluestein Ventures, Seerave Foundation & Emil Capital Partners.
Role Summary
An entrepreneurial leader to own & develop BiomeSense’s partnership function – from academic / industry partner development to negotiation and end-to-end collaboration in high-impact studies to establish us as the go-to microbiome partner for translational research.
Key Responsibilities
Partner & BD Strategy
- Translate emerging market trends into strategic planning for academic, biotech & pharma partnership growth
- Identify gaps in partnership approach & develop solutions for a scientific audience
- Work with research, hardware, operations & bioinformatics to execute near- and long-term partnership strategies
Operational Leadership
- Develop scientifically compelling collateral to communicate BiomeSense’s value proposition to new partners
- Build a partnership-tracking system and KPIs for academic and clinical collaborations
- Serve as primary partner liaison with academic researchers, oncology investigators & industry partners conducting interventional or translational studies
- Negotiate study agreements, manage IRB approvals & deliver results through creative partnerships that align incentives
- Translate microbiome and biomarker breakthroughs into further commercial opportunities and compelling content that builds partner and investor confidence
Qualifications
- 5+ years in a life sciences discipline in business development roles; startup experience preferred
- Track record managing academic or clinical research partnerships in translational medicine or biomarker discovery
- Proven ability to build systems and processes from scratch, including OKR tracking
- Knowledge of microbiome science, translational research & academic research
- Credible relationship builder with academic investigators, research administrators & industry partners
- Ability to translate complex science into compelling partnership narratives
- Self-starter with a collaborative, confident, humble and adaptable approach
Similar Jobs
Big Data • Food • Hardware • Machine Learning • Retail • Automation • Manufacturing
Lead SnackFutures Ventures investments in early and growth-stage companies, manage deal sourcing, screening, negotiation, and portfolio oversight, coordinate cross-functional teams, contribute to investment strategy, and support exits or handovers to Corporate Development.
AdTech • Digital Media • Marketing Tech
Lead an engineering team to design, build, and support a high-scale video advertising platform. Own full SDLC, review architecture and code, troubleshoot production systems, produce technical documentation, and collaborate globally with product and operations to deliver reliable, mission-critical distributed systems.
Top Skills:
Agentic AiAgileC++Db DesignDistributed SystemsGoNetwork ProgrammingSdlc
Fintech • Financial Services
10-week commercial banking summer internship offering hands-on experience in research and financial analysis, supporting relationship managers and credit underwriters, participating in training, networking, and speaker sessions, and developing analytical, communication, and compliance skills while working on team deliverables.
Top Skills:
Ai-Powered Productivity ToolsChat-Based AssistantsMicrosoft CopilotExcelMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerpointMicrosoft Word
What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene
With vibrant neighborhoods, great food and more affordable housing than either coast, Chicago might be the most liveable major tech hub. It is the birthplace of modern commodities and futures trading, a national hub for logistics and commerce, and home to the American Medical Association and the American Bar Association. This diverse blend of industry influences has helped Chicago emerge as a major player in verticals like fintech, biotechnology, legal tech, e-commerce and logistics technology. It’s also a major hiring center for tech companies on both coasts.
Key Facts About Chicago Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 245,800; 5.2% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: McDonald’s, John Deere, Boeing, Morningstar
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, fintech, software, logistics technology
- Funding Landscape: $2.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Arch Venture Partners, MATH Venture Partners, Jump Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners
- Research Centers and Universities: Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory



