Business Development Associate

Business Development Associate MRIGlobal’s Commercial Business Development team identifies, qualifies, and captures new business opportunities aligned with our multidisciplinary capabilities. We are seeking a curious, proactive, and highly organized Business Development Associate to support growth in our pharmaceutical sciences business. This role reports to the Senior Director of Commercial Business Development. This is an individual contributor role that provides the research, prospecting, outreach preparation, pipeline discipline, coordination, and follow-through needed to move qualified prospects and opportunities forward. The Associate supports senior business development professionals, who remain the primary relationship owners and lead discovery, solution development, negotiation, and closing. The Business Development Associate serves as the prospecting and opportunity-development engine for MRIGlobal's pharmaceutical sciences business, helping ensure a consistent flow of qualified opportunities and well-prepared customer engagements for the commercial team. Success in this role means the commercial team is consistently engaging the right pharmaceutical and biotechnology prospects, early interactions are converted into qualified opportunities, senior BD leaders enter customer conversations well prepared, opportunities move forward without unnecessary delay, and Salesforce provides an accurate view of commercial activity and pipeline. Business Development Support and Execution Research, identify, and prioritize pharmaceutical and biotechnology prospects based on funding, pipelines, partnerships, clinical progress, and market trends. Prepare company profiles, account briefs, target lists, and decision-maker research to support outreach and qualification. Draft personalized outreach and follow-up materials designed to engage target organizations and support opportunity qualification, for review and approval by business development leadership. Execute approved outreach, conference prospecting, and follow-up activities across multiple channels; track responses, qualification status, and next steps in Salesforce. Support lead generation and opportunity qualification activities by identifying potential customer needs, coordinating discovery preparation, and ensuring timely follow-up on prospect interactions. Maintain accurate CRM and pipeline data and prepare routine activity and opportunity reports. Coordinate customer and technical meetings, including briefs, logistics, notes, action items, and follow-through. Support ROMs, proposals, and commercial agreements by gathering inputs, tracking progress, and escalating delays. Track client commitments, key dates, risks, and growth opportunities, and connect clients with the appropriate internal teams. Develop knowledge of MRIGlobal’s capabilities, pharmaceutical development, CMC, GMP, customer segments, and commercial processes. Collaborate across Business Development, Marketing, scientific, program, quality, contracts, finance, and operations teams to advance opportunities. As the Associate builds capability and demonstrates readiness, there will be opportunities to take on increased ownership of prospecting and initial customer engagement. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, chemistry, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Working knowledge of the pharmaceutical development lifecycle—including preclinical development, IND activities, and Phase 1–3 clinical development—and related services such as CMC, GMP, and clinical supply, or a demonstrated ability to learn these areas quickly. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft concise, professional, and audience-specific outreach. Strong research and analytical skills, with the ability to synthesize company, market, pipeline, funding, and competitive information into practical business development insights. Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple follow-ups, meetings, deliverables, and deadlines with strong attention to detail. Experience with Salesforce or another CRM platform and proficiency with Microsoft Office applications. Ability to work collaboratively across scientific, operational, and business teams while taking ownership of assigned work. Preferred Experience Experience supporting business development, marketing, sales, account management, or customer engagement activities. Experience in pharmaceutical development, biotechnology, life sciences, contract research, or another technically complex market. Experience using public sources and industry databases to research companies, funding, pipelines, clinical programs, or competitive activity. Familiarity with prospecting tools, digital outreach, conference preparation, proposal coordination, or commercial reporting. Intangibles Curious and coachable, with an interest in learning both the science and the business and applying feedback quickly. Persistent and resourceful, with the judgment to follow up professionally, work through obstacles, and find useful information independently. Highly organized and detail-oriented, with a commitment to accurate records, timely follow-through, and keeping priorities visible. Effective communicator who listens carefully, adapts to the audience, and produces clear, thoughtful, and professional materials. Collaborative team member who builds trust and works effectively across functions while remaining accountable for individual responsibilities. Data- and results-oriented, with the ability to use activity and market information to prioritize effort and improve execution. Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and managing a wide variety of tasks and deadlines simultaneously.