Business Development & In-Licensing Director

We are Hiring!

We have an exciting new opportunity at Scope for a Business Development & In-Licensing Director to join our team! 

We are looking for people who can connect their own personal vision and values into some of what we do at Scope. 

Our vision as a company is to become a leading force in Eyecare, with people at our core.

The Compensation & Benefits for this role include (but not limited to):

• Performance related bonus 
• 24 days annual leave (pro rata).
• Healthcare allowance beginning post probation and increasing at 2 and 5 years service.
• Pension contributions through Zurich beginning post probation and increasing at 2, 5 and 8 years service.
• Company sick pay scheme
• Further Education policy
• Professional Membership

Please read below the full job description for the role and if this is something that you would be interested in, please click apply and a member of the Scope team will be in touch regarding your application.

Business Development & In-Licensing Director

The Business Development and In-Licensing Director reports to the CEO and will build and lead Scope’s capability for identifying, evaluating and securing new assets and strategic partnerships. Reporting to the CEO, the role will lead the independent assessment of opportunities, bringing together scientific, clinical, commercial and financial perspectives to support high-quality investment decisions.

This is a build role with responsibility for shaping the strategy, establishing robust evaluation and governance processes, developing the opportunity pipeline and growing the team as the function evolves. Working closely with the leadership team, Board and key cross-functional partners, the Director will lead priority transactions from initial evaluation through negotiation, completion and structured handover into the business.

This is a significant opportunity for a scientifically credible and commercially astute dealmaker to shape the future portfolio of a growing international eyecare business.

Please note, this role can be based in the UK, Ireland, or the USA.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and leadership

•         Set the business development and in-licensing strategy in line with Scope’s therapeutic focus areas and long-range plan.

•         Build and lead the function, starting with the recruitment of a Market Intelligence & Opportunity Specialist and growing the team as the pipeline develops.

•         Chair the internal business development screening committee and make clear recommendations on which opportunities should progress to full evaluation, in line with agreed governance and decision-making authority.

•         Work in partnership with Scope’s established commercial evaluation lead, who builds the commercial case alongside your scientific appraisal.

•         Establish an effective operating rhythm, governance framework and reporting approach for business development activity.

Opportunity identification and pipeline management 

•         Build and maintain a high-quality pipeline of assets, technologies and partnership opportunities aligned with Scope’s strategic priorities.

•         Establish clear sourcing priorities and use market intelligence, external networks and industry activity to proactively identify and assess relevant opportunities.

•         Design and embed a consistent stage-gate evaluation process and standard investment case template, ensuring opportunities are assessed efficiently, transparently and against agreed criteria.

•         Maintain clear oversight of the pipeline, with defined status, ownership, next steps and decision points for each opportunity.

•         Document the rationale for all progression and no-go decisions, ensuring a clear and consistent decision-making record.

•         Partner with Commercial, Medical, Regulatory, Quality and Supply Chain to assess Scope’s ability to develop, launch and support each potential asset successfully.

•         Monitor market, competitor, scientific and transaction developments, using these insights to inform sourcing priorities and Scope’s wider portfolio strategy.

Scientific evaluation

•         Lead the scientific evaluation of every prospective asset including mechanism of action, clinical data, target product profile and development risk.

•         Form an independent view that can differ from the seller’s and make that case clearly to the leadership team and the Board.

•         Translate complex science into concise, board-ready investment cases.

•         Commission external scientific due diligence and key opinion leader input where needed.

Commercial and financial evaluation 

•         Partner with Commercial and Finance to assess market potential, competitive positioning, valuation, investment requirements, deal affordability and risk-adjusted returns. 

•         Develop and test deal scenarios, including upfront payments, development and commercial milestones, royalties, earn-outs and other contingent considerations. 

•         Ensure investment recommendations clearly set out key assumptions, sensitivities, risks, dependencies and value-creation potential. 

Due diligence and risk management 

•         Coordinate cross-functional due diligence across scientific, clinical, commercial, financial, legal, intellectual property, regulatory, quality, supply and operational areas. 

•         Ensure material risks, assumptions, information gaps and dependencies are clearly identified, documented and reflected in decision-making. 

•         Oversee external advisers, diligence budgets, data-room activity and information requests as required. 

•         Ensure appropriate confidentiality arrangements, decision records and approval documentation are maintained throughout the process. 

Deal execution

•         Lead licensing, partnership and acquisition negotiations from term sheet to signature, working closely with Finance and Legal.

•         Set deal-structuring principles across upfront payments, milestones, royalties and earn-outs.

•         Present full investment cases at Scope’s Portfolio Review and to the Board and defend them under challenge.

•         Maintain momentum and strong relationships throughout complex and potentially sensitive negotiations. 

Post-deal transition

•         Lead the structured handover of completed transactions into the relevant commercial, medical, regulatory, supply and finance teams.

•         Ensure key commitments, milestones, risks and dependencies are clearly understood and assigned.

•         Support the establishment of appropriate alliance governance and monitor whether the original investment case remains on track.

•         Capture lessons from completed and discontinued opportunities to continuously improve Scope’s evaluation and deal processes.

External relationships

•         Build and own relationships with biotech companies, academic institutions, investors and advisers.

•         Represent Scope at key partnering and industry events such as EURETINA, AAO, Eyecelerator and BIO-Europe.

•         Establish Scope as a credible, fast-moving partner of choice in eyecare.

Future scope

•         The role is expected to extend to out-licensing of Scope’s own assets from 2028, and the Director will help design how that works.

Measures of Success

•         A clear business development and in-licensing strategy aligned with Scope’s long-range plan.

•         A robust pipeline of prioritised opportunities within agreed therapeutic focus areas.

•         Consistent, timely and well-evidenced investment recommendations.

•         Effective progression of priority opportunities through evaluation, negotiation and completion.

•         Successful integration and handover of completed transactions into the relevant Scope functions.

•         Strong external recognition of Scope as a credible and responsive partner in eyecare.

Qualifications

• PhD, MD or equivalent scientific or clinical qualification in ophthalmology or a directly adjacent field, such as retina, ocular surface, ocular drug delivery or ophthalmic devices.
• Business Degree or MBA

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• 8+ years in pharma, biotech or medtech business development, licensing or corporate development.
• A demonstrable track record of personally leading multiple licensing, partnership or acquisition transactions through screening, due diligence, negotiation and senior approval, including completed transactions.
• Has presented investment cases to a board or executive committee and defended them under challenge.
• An established ophthalmology network across biotech, academic tech transfer, investors and clinical key opinion leaders.
• Experience in a growing or lean organisation where resources are tight, not only in large pharma.
• Out-licensing experience.
• Experience across Irish, UK and US regulatory environments.
• Able to take apart a clinical data package independently and reach a well-reasoned view, including one that differs from the sellers.
• Commercial literacy: reads a valuation model and connects the science to commercial outcomes.
• Influences without authority across Commercial, Medical, Regulatory and Supply Chain.
• Clear, concise written and verbal communication, including board-level papers.
• Independent judgement, and the confidence to say no to an exciting asset when the evidence isn’t there.
• Comfortable building from scratch and bringing structure where none exists.
• High standards of confidentiality and integrity.
• Energised by pace and by a hands-on role working directly with the CEO.
• Willing and able to travel regularly (approx. 30%).

Scope provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.