Director, Business Development - Early Phase

Description

The Director, Business Development is responsible for driving sales growth across an assigned geographic territory for our Early Phase services. This role blends targeted hunting activities with strategic account farming with — balancing the pursuit of new opportunities with proactive expansion of existing accounts. By developing tailored engagement plans, building trusted relationships, and orchestrating multi-functional solution development, the Director, BD drives both immediate impact and develops long-term value. Leveraging data-driven insights, this leader prioritizes time and resources to maximize territory performance and elevate Syneos Health’s presence within the biopharmaceutical industry.

Core Responsibilities

• Develops and executes a comprehensive sales strategy for a defined book of business and geographic territory, balancing new client acquisition with growth of existing accounts.
• Manages an optimized territory through data-informed prioritization of time, client opportunity, and market potential.
• Identifies, engages, and nurtures key client relationships with decision-makers, influencers, and stakeholders at all levels.
• Leads the orchestration of tailored, multi-touchpoint sales strategies based on client needs, pipeline dynamics, and strategic goals.
• Drives expansion playbooks, including therapeutically aligned strategies, renewal opportunities and next-phase conversions, to deepen account value.
• Collaborates closely with cross-functional teams—including operations, therapeutic strategy, deal strategy, and delivery —to co-develop solutions that address client-specific challenges.
• Acts as a client champion internally by sharing insights on client culture, preferences, and strategic priorities to enable effective team alignment and proposal development.
• Educates clients on Syneos Health’s differentiated value proposition, clinical and commercial capabilities, and evolving service offerings.
• Conducts regular territory performance reviews, forecasts pipeline progression, and adjusts plans based on shifting client and market needs.
• Maintains up-to-date records of client activity, pipeline, and sales progress within CRM platforms such as Salesforce.
• Stays current on industry trends, competitor developments, and emerging client needs to continuously refine engagement strategies.
• Represents Syneos Health at client meetings, industry conferences, and other relevant events to build brand presence and uncover new opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required, advanced degree preferred
• Experience in healthcare, life sciences, or biopharma in a business development, commercial, or strategic sales role.
• Experience selling Phase I / Early Phase services
• Proven success managing complex B2B sales cycles and navigating mid- to executive-level client relationships.
• Strong consultative selling skills with a demonstrated ability to uncover client needs and co-create impactful solutions.
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing, and negotiation abilities with a collaborative leadership style.
• Highly organized with the ability to prioritize effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Data-driven decision maker with strong business acumen and strategic thinking capability.
• Proficient in Salesforce or similar CRM platforms; Microsoft Office Suite experience required.
• Ability to travel up to 40% for client meetings, conferences, and internal events.