Business Development

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Nearly 37 million Americans are currently affected by Chronic Kidney Disease. 37 million.

At Akebia we take that number very seriously and every day we come to work, with the purpose of bettering the lives of each person impacted by kidney disease and the renal community that serves them.
Our tenacious, passionate employees' challenge the status quo and work to develop unique therapeutics that have the potential to set new standards of care for people living with kidney disease.

This is life-changing work, and we are all in, are you?

Reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Business Officer will be a major contributor in the strategic development and shaping the success of Akebia Therapeutics. The Chief Business Officer will be providing oversight and leadership for the business development, corporate development, strategic planning, alliance management activities and relationships of Akebia. The Chief Business Officer will be widely viewed as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team with responsibility for influencing the thinking and decisions behind the Company's overall strategies, plans and operations. The ability to create long-term vision for the company and to design and implement the resulting corporate and business strategy to optimize value and impact with be critical to the CBO's success.

• Work closely with members of the executive leadership team to formulate and execute upon the company's corporate vision, strategy, and business plan.
• Business Development - oversee the execution of transactions in line with corporate strategy, and as needed support deal execution.
• Working closely with members of the executive leadership team to drive and lead all business development and fundraising aspects of the company.
• Design, plan, and implement, business development strategies to enable long-term vision and growth of the company.
• Corporate Development - responsible for leading the organization through the analysis, execution and integration of mergers, acquisitions, business partnerships and licensing agreements.
• Strategic Planning - as the Company grows, important decisions around clinical development initiatives, product portfolio analysis and commercial expansion will need to be addressed; the Chief Business Officer will be a significant contributor to these discussions and, in some cases, lead these activities.
• Alliance Management - responsible for ensuring robust relationship are built and maintained with Akebia's strategic partners.

Other functions and duties could be designated to the incumbent, dependent on the person appointed.

Basic Qualifications:

• BSc/BA in Business Administration or relevant field; MSc/MBA is a plus.
• 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and/or biotech industry.
• Minimum of 7 years business development and licensing experience with a prove track record of creating and managing impactful deals.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills; exceptional executive presence and business acumen.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, with proven ability to influence across management levels, functions, and organizations.
• Self-starter, comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to lead outreach and identify collaboration partners, negotiate complex transactions, and proven track record of delivering licensing and collaboration deals.
• Demonstrated fundraising experience with track record of leading and closing financing rounds.
• Highly networked individual within the venture and biotech ecosystems.

Are you an Akebian?

An Akebian is curious, empathetic, and values making connections to people and ideas. Akebian's aren't afraid of diving in and owning a process or a problem, because we all want to deliver a great solution. Akebian's believe that we are better together because we are all working toward a common purpose - to better the life of each person impacted by kidney disease. Want to learn more about what it means to be an Akebian? Visit our website:

COVID 19 Vaccination: All Akebia new hires will be required to provide documentation that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or, if not, that they are legally entitled to an accommodation due to a medical condition or a sincerely held religious belief. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and Akebia will consider, among other things whether a proposed accommodation would create an undue hardship. Please note that it is unlikely that accommodations can be granted for customer-facing positions.

Akebia is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all job applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.