Director, Business Development

About the role

Ceva is looking for a Director of Business Development to drive disciplined execution of its North American external growth and external innovation deals, from qualification through close. The role owns opportunities in the middle of the pipeline, where strategic intent must turn into signed, value-creating agreements, and leads complex, multi-stakeholder transactions such as in-licensing, partnerships, distribution arrangements and acquisitions of products, portfolios or technologies across major animal species. It reports to the Strategic Alliances VP and works closely with Commercial, Finance, Legal, Regulatory, R&D and global strategy and business development teams.

Key responsibilities

• Sourcing and assessment: partner with internal and external stakeholders to source and evaluate opportunities, supporting critical or major projects when time permits.
• Deal execution and closing: advance diligence, structure terms, drive negotiations and secure internal approvals to close deals on target timelines.
• Pipeline management: manage a portfolio of active opportunities, remove bottlenecks and keep deals moving through stage gates.
• Cross-functional coordination: run diligence and deal teams across Finance, Legal, Regulatory, R&D, Marketing and Supply Chain, resolving competing priorities.
• Commercial and financial structuring: build and pressure-test deal models, valuations and business cases with Finance, and structure terms with Legal.
• Negotiation: lead or co-lead commercial and contractual negotiations with partners, licensors and counterparties.
• Governance and approvals: prepare opportunity reviews, deal recommendations and investment committee submissions for North American and Global leadership.
• Transition to integration: hand off closed deals to commercial, operational, R&D and integration owners with documented terms and value drivers.
• Market intelligence and reporting: track the competitive, regulatory and partnering landscape and give leadership timely visibility into deal status, risks and probability.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in business, life sciences, finance or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in business development, corporate development, transactions, strategic marketing or commercial roles, with a record of closing deals.
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional transactions from diligence through close.
• Animal health, pharmaceutical, biotech or related industry experience strongly preferred.

Required skills

• Deal structuring, valuation and financial modeling (DCF, NPV, scenario analysis)
• Contract and commercial negotiation
• Due diligence management across functions
• Knowledge of animal health, pharmaceutical or life sciences markets and partnering dynamics
• Understanding of regulatory, IP and supply considerations for product and portfolio transactions
• Project and stakeholder management, executive-level communication and presentation