Business Development Director

About Catalyx Catalyx is a private equity-backed global life sciences company helping pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations improve, automate and optimise their manufacturing operations. We operate through two distinct but complementary business areas: Products & Solutions – We design, develop and deploy our own technologies and engineering solutions that help automate and improve pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, alongside broader automation and systems integration capabilities. Professional & Managed Services – We provide specialist technical talent, dedicated project teams, Functional Service Provider (FSP) solutions and fully managed services to life sciences organisations globally. Our customers include many of the world's leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. We have established relationships and approved-vendor status across a significant number of global organizations. However, we recognize that global pharma companies are effectively collections of individual sites, functions and business units. Being an established partner at one site does not automatically create business at another. That's why we're looking for people who can open doors. The Opportunity We are expanding our Professional & Managed Services commercial team and are looking for experienced, highly motivated business development professionals to drive new business across the life sciences sector. This is fundamentally a hunter sales role. We are looking for people who enjoy developing new relationships, identifying opportunities and methodically turning target accounts into active customers. You may currently be selling professional services, engineering services, consulting, staffing or workforce solutions into pharmaceutical and biotechnology organisations. Alternatively, you may be a successful life sciences recruiter who has always owned your own business development, built your own client base and enjoys the commercial side of recruitment more than simply servicing existing accounts. What matters most is that you are comfortable creating business rather than waiting for business to come to you. What You Will Sell Our Professional & Managed Services offering ranges from individual specialist resources through to large-scale outsourced teams and managed service programmes. Solutions include: Professional Services and specialist technical resources Functional Service Provider (FSP) models Managed Services Embedded technical teams Project-based engineering and technical teams Workforce transition and consolidation solutions Scalable technical resource programmes We support customers across disciplines including Engineering, Automation, CQV, Validation, Quality, Manufacturing, Project Management, Supply Chain and other specialist functions within regulated life sciences environments. A significant differentiator is Catalyx's wider automation and technology capability. Our commercial team can bring customers more than a people-based solution: we can combine specialist resources and managed teams with automation, engineering, technology and Catalyx-developed products and solutions. What You Will Do You will take ownership of developing new Professional & Managed Services business within your territory and target accounts. You will: Build and execute a structured territory and account development plan. Identify high-potential pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life sciences organisations, sites and programmes. Develop new relationships with senior stakeholders across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Automation, Operations, Procurement, HR and other relevant functions. Prospect consistently and confidently through telephone, email, LinkedIn, industry events, referrals and face-to-face networking. Secure meetings with new stakeholders and turn those conversations into qualified opportunities. Map large global pharmaceutical accounts to identify opportunities beyond Catalyx's existing relationships. Leverage existing Catalyx customer relationships to expand into additional sites, functions and geographies. Develop relationships from initial introduction through discovery, proposal, negotiation and close. Identify opportunities to move customers from individual resource requirements towards larger FSP and Managed Service solutions. Work closely with Catalyx Talent and Delivery teams to ensure opportunities can be successfully delivered. Collaborate with our Products & Solutions and Automation teams to identify broader opportunities across customer accounts. Maintain disciplined CRM, pipeline management, forecasting and opportunity qualification. Develop a strong understanding of customer investment programmes, site expansions, capital projects and operational challenges. Represent Catalyx at relevant industry conferences, networking events and customer meetings. You Won't Be Doing This Alone Catalyx already has strong relationships with many of the world's largest pharmaceutical organisations. We also work with a network of highly experienced strategic advisors with extensive senior-level relationships across the life sciences industry. These relationships can help facilitate introductions and accelerate access to key accounts. Our leadership team, delivery organisation, technical SMEs and wider commercial organisation will also support account development. However, introductions are an accelerator – not the sales strategy. We need someone who can take an introduction and turn it into a relationship, but who is equally comfortable identifying a target account, finding the right stakeholders and opening the door themselves. Requirements The Person We're Looking For You are commercially driven, resilient and comfortable operating in a new-business environment. You have a repeatable and methodical approach to business development. You understand that successful enterprise sales is rarely about one meeting or one contact; it requires account mapping, consistent follow-up, multiple stakeholder relationships and persistence. You are comfortable walking into a pharmaceutical site or organization where Catalyx may already be an approved supplier, but where we have limited local relationships and building the account from the ground up. Ideally, you will have experience in one or more of the following: Selling professional services into pharmaceutical, biotechnology or life sciences customers. Selling engineering, technical or consulting services into regulated manufacturing organizations. Selling staffing, workforce or outsourced resource solutions into life sciences. Business development within a life sciences recruitment organization. Building FSP, managed service, outsourced or project-based solutions. Developing new accounts and expanding existing global accounts into new sites and functions. An Alternative Profile We'd Consider While this is primarily a hunter role, we would also consider an experienced life sciences Account Manager or commercial leader who brings a strong, demonstrable network within the target market. For this profile, we would expect evidence that you have personally developed trusted relationships with decisionmakers within pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations and can leverage those relationships to create new opportunities. Having worked with major pharmaceutical companies is not enough. We are interested in the strength, relevance and portability of your personal network. What Success Looks Like In your first year, we would expect you to: Build a clearly defined target-account strategy for your territory. Develop a meaningful network of new senior customer relationships. Generate a consistent pipeline of qualified Professional & Managed Services opportunities. Expand Catalyx relationships into new sites and functions within existing global customers. Win new logos and create new revenue streams. Identify opportunities capable of developing from individual resource requirements into larger teams, FSPs and Managed Services. Build sustainable account relationships that can grow over multiple years. What You'll Bring Demonstrable success in new-business development. Experience selling into life sciences, ideally pharmaceutical or biotechnology organizations. A strong understanding of consultative and solution-based selling. Evidence of personally generating and closing new business. A structured approach to prospecting, account planning and pipeline development. Confidence engaging senior customer stakeholders. Strong commercial judgement and negotiation skills. The persistence and resilience required for enterprise business development. Ability to operate independently while collaborating effectively with delivery, talent and technical teams. Willingness to travel regularly across your territory to meet customers face-to-face. Why Catalyx? This is an opportunity to join a growing, private equity-backed organization with an established global life sciences customer base and an ambitious growth strategy. Unlike a traditional staffing company, Catalyx combines people, engineering, automation and technology. Our ability to provide specialist individuals, build dedicated technical teams, assume responsibility through FSP and Managed Service models, and combine those services with automation and proprietary technology creates a differentiated proposition in the market. For the right salesperson, that creates significant scope to build strategic, multi-service relationships with some of the world's largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations. Benefits At Catalyx we understand that our people are our greatest asset. For this reason and many others, we take care of them. The team in Catalyx benefits from a Total Rewards package. This includes great personal benefits and professional growth opportunities. Catalyx is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are valued, respected, and supported. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of background, and strive to create a welcoming environment for everyone.