Business Development Program Director

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Department: CU Innovations

Job Title:

Business Development Program Director

Position #:  

- Requisition #:39151

Job Summary:

The Business Development Program Director is responsible for developing and managing strategic industry partnerships that advance the commercialization and translational impact of innovations emerging from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. With a strong focus on large, multi‑year partnerships with leading healthcare, life sciences, and health technology companies, this role spans the full spectrum of biotechnology and health technology opportunities, including intellectual property, platform and emerging technologies, clinical and translational capabilities, digital health assets, and innovation programs.

The Program Director will lead efforts to identify, structure, and execute high‑value opportunities across licensing, strategic partnerships, co‑development, sponsored research, joint ventures, and new venture creation. While deal execution is a core responsibility, the role is equally focused on building durable, long‑term alliances that generate sustained research collaboration, revenue, and institutional impact. Working closely with Innovations leaderships, strategy and licensing teams, the Business Development Program Director serves as a primary relationship owner for Innovations' top priority industry partners, coordinating closely with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment and performance across the partnership lifecycle.

The Business Development Program Director will support revenue growth and impact by executing partnership and business development strategies across the Innovations portfolio. This role provides strategy and coordination across business development, licensing, strategy, and operations, ensuring a cohesive and partner‑focused approach. The ideal candidate is a strategic, analytical professional with a proven ability to advance complex partnerships while operating effectively as both a leader and individual contributor.

The Program Director will help expand Innovations' business through strategic alliances, co‑development agreements, sponsored research collaborations, and other partnership models, sourcing and negotiating opportunities that deliver mission‑aligned value. This includes accelerating the opportunity pipeline, supporting the translation of medical innovations to market, and leading business development and partnership activities.

Key Responsibilities:

* Develop and implement business development and partnership strategies that advance CU Innovations' priorities and support commercialization, and research collaboration.

* Recommend and execute business development strategies that identify high‑value opportunities and drive revenue growth.

* Identify leading assets in the Innovations portfolio and collaborate with internal teams to develop partner-facing materials.

* Build and maintain a robust pipeline of potential deals for the Licensing team and other strategic Innovations partnership opportunities.

* Cultivate relationships with industry partners across pharma, biotech, med‑tech, diagnostics, digital health, and other sectors.

* Source, structure, negotiate, and close high‑value deals, including licensing agreements, partnerships, and strategic collaborations.

* Lead due diligence on activities related to technologies, markets, partners, and ventures, including financial analysis and risk assessments.

* Support ongoing partnership management, including tracking progress, addressing issues, and identifying opportunities to expand collaboration.

* Manage cross‑functional teams with a hands‑on, collaborative approach.

* Provide feedback from industry partners to Licensing, Marketing, and Strategy teams to guide next steps in asset development and commercialization.

Work Location:

Hybrid - this role is eligible for a hybrid schedule of 4 days per week on campus and as needed for in-person meetings.

Why Join Us:

CU Anschutz Innovations is an integral part of The University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus, a top-tier academic medical institution, collaborating with pioneering…