Growth Strategy Director

About Us

At Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition, we are making significant advances in food and health with new ideas and innovative technologies. We are seeking candidates with energy and enthusiasm to be part of our growing team throughout North America. As an Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition employee, you are part of a diverse, innovative, and collaborative community committed to enhancing lives through nutrition and health. Our team is committed to providing amino acid-based solutions that create better lives for all.

Overview

The Director of Business Development will lead the strategy in evaluating and executing new business through partnerships/alliances, acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures. This role will specifically focus on driving growth in healthcare and biotechnologies related businesses including gene & cell therapy manufacturing, regenerative medicine and medical foodswithin the AJINOMOTO Group.

Qualifications

EDUCATION, CERTIFICATIONS, AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree in business, finance, economics, science, engineering, or a related field. M.B.A is preferred.
• Experience 6+ years of experience in a strategic consulting firm or corporate development team in a large corporation for growth strategy development in advanced therapy, biotech, or healthcare related industries, including experience leading market intelligence, ideation, scoping, strategic planning, strategic partnership development, M&A activities, venture investments, deal structuring, and post-deal integration processes.
• Experience facilitating the execution of strategies with business, investment, or R&D teams, including planning, deal structuring and post-deal processes for partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, or venture investments.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Excellent strategic planning, project management, critical thinking, and leadership skills.
• Solid practical understanding of corporate strategy, business development, and M&A principles
• Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills; ability to engage and influence different levels across the organization.
• Ability to analyze, interpret, and utilize data to make sound business decisions; strong quantitative data analysis skills, including financial modeling.
• Ability to develop business cases, including establishing assumptions with supporting data, identifying key performance drivers, developing financial pro forma, and highlighting opportunities and risks that could drive more aggressive or conservative scenarios.
• Excellent presentation skills, including strong oral and written capabilities; ability to clearly communicate and adapt presentation style to deliver compelling messages to senior leaders, key stakeholders, board members, and external business partners.
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse team of different backgrounds to efficiently complete cross-functional initiatives.

Working Conditions / Physical Requirements

OCCUPATIONAL DEMANDS:

• Domestic and international travel for business is required (up to 25% of the time)

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Office commute at least 3 times a week (Cambridge Office)

Responsibilities

• Gather and assess crucial insights and benchmarking data, such as competitor intelligence, operational performance, innovations, and market trends from various internal and external sources to develop strategic options. • Develop a local innovation network and ecosystem, including biotech, startups, and academia. Host events and attend conferences to gather insights and promote open innovation.• Lead the development of robust innovation and growth strategies and build a pipeline of future business opportunities to drive growth objectives, primarily in advanced therapy and other healthcare- and biotechnology-related business in collaboration with research & development (R&D), corporate venture capital (CVC), business leaders and other key stakeholders.• Support the business development and R&D teams in executing an innovation and growth strategy as part of a cross-functional team. Responsibilities include strategic planning, feasibility validation, preparing and approving business cases, executing deals, and collaborating afterward.• Closely collaborate with CVC and key stakeholders to propose venture investment opportunities and create avenues for future growth.• Partner with senior management and business leaders to identify, develop, and execute inorganic growth initiatives -including partnerships, alliances, mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures--aligned with broader Ajinomoto group objectives. • Cultivate key external relationships (e.g., with strategic consulting advisors, investment banks, and other channels to support early insights into relevant opportunities and generate steady deal flow • Support the mobilization of partnerships/alliances or post-deal integration activities and teams to ensure the achievement of strategic objectives, partnership goals and synergies. • Manage one or more market and technological intelligence, who will be focused on market and technological analyses and strategic planning.

Salary Range

EEO Statement

Ajinomoto is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, disability, age (40 or older) or genetic information (including family medical history) for recruitment, hiring, and promotion decisions.