Corporate Development Lead, Life Sciences

The shape of it

In the posting’s own words

The ideal candidate combines deep life sciences domain knowledge with technical fluency in AI and a record of closing complex transactions. You understand how R&D, clinical, and regulatory workflows actually run, you can tell a durable AI-native business from a thin wrapper, and you can assess a target's science, data, and compliance posture as rigorously as its financials. You care about AI safety and Anthropic's mission to build AI systems that are helpful, harmless, and honest, and you recognize the stakes of applying AI where patient safety and scientific integrity are on the line.

What it asks for · 8

• Have led complex M&A, investment, or partnership transactions from sourcing through close
• Understand the drug development lifecycle, from discovery through clinical trials, regulatory submission, and commercialization
• Have strong technical fluency in AI and software, gained as an engineer, product manager, scientist, or technology investor
• Bring strong analytical and financial modeling skills
• Can engage credibly with scientists, engineers, executives, and regulators
• Are comfortable in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with competing priorities
• Write and speak clearly, and can influence at all levels
• Have a deep interest in AI safety and Anthropic's mission

Also a plus

• Have 8-12 years of experience across corporate development, investment banking, or investing, with at least 5 years focused on life sciences, biotech, or healthcare technology
• Hold an advanced degree in the life sciences (PhD, MD, PharmD) or an MBA
• Have worked at a pharmaceutical company, biotech, CRO, or life sciences software company
• Have experience with AI/ML applied to biology, chemistry, or clinical operations
• Bring an established network among life sciences founders, healthcare VCs, and pharma business development leaders
• Have diligenced or integrated businesses operating under GxP, HIPAA, or similar regulatory regimes
• Have led post-merger integration or built a new business unit
• Have experience with cross-border transactions, particularly in the US, EU, and UK life sciences markets

What the job covers

• Define and execute Anthropic's corporate development strategy in life sciences, covering acquihires, tuck-in acquisitions, minority investments, and strategic partnerships
• Build and maintain a target pipeline across AI-native companies in drug discovery, clinical development, regulatory and medical writing, lab automation, and healthcare data infrastructure
• Lead end-to-end transaction processes, from sourcing through diligence, negotiation, signing, and integration
• Partner with research, product, engineering, and go-to-market teams to assess the technical, scientific, and commercial value of opportunities
• Run sector-specific diligence, including scientific and data validation, regulatory posture (FDA, EMA, GxP, 21 CFR Part 11), data privacy (HIPAA, GDPR), quality systems, and IP
• Assess build/partner/buy tradeoffs and competitive dynamics against incumbents, AI-native entrants, and other frontier AI labs
• Structure and negotiate complex deals, including earnouts, milestone-based consideration, and licensing arrangements, working closely with legal, finance, and policy teams
• Build financial models and valuation analyses suited to life sciences businesses, including services-heavy and usage-based revenue models
• Drive post-transaction integration, with particular attention to retaining scientific and technical talent and maintaining regulated customer commitments
• Build relationships with founders, life sciences and healthcare VCs, pharma and biotech corporate development teams, and academic research institutions
• Present strategic recommendations to executive leadership and the board
• Support Anthropic's partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, CROs, and research organizations

Tools and skills named

Words the posting leans on

• life sciences12×
• development7×
• build5×
• regulatory5×
• research5×
• strategic5×
• transactions5×
• ai-native4×
• biotech4×
• clinical4×
• corporate development4×
• data4×
• healthcare4×
• investment4×
• partnerships4×
• scientific4×

Counted from the posting after the mission statement and the legal notices are set aside. The ones near the top are the ones a screener is looking for.

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