Junior Business Developer – Amsterdam Neuroscience

Working at Amsterdam UMC

Junior Business Developer – Amsterdam Neuroscience

Do you want to contribute to better treatments for brain diseases by connecting cutting-edge research with the pharmaceutical and biotech industry? Come strengthen our team of Business Developers at IXA-ANS (Amsterdam Neuroscience).

About your role

As a dedicated Junior Business Developer for IXA-ANS, you will support the search for acquiring new collaborative research projects with external parties, particularly pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Appointed within the Innovation eXchange Amsterdam (IXA) team of Amsterdam UMC, you will be the liaison for ANS with the market, seeking external leads based on deep market intelligence that provides insight into the field. The focus for this role is on preclinical and translational research.

You will learn to be involved in the team’s key responsibilities including:

• Identifying and pursuing new opportunities for collaboration with companies for research into brain diseases, together with clinicians and researchers within ANS, aiming to generate visible research funding from external sources for ANS research.
• Building strong connections and acting as a trusted point of contact, both for ANS researchers and for external partners, particularly in pharma and biotech.
• Developing your own network, for instance through attending conferences (both scientific and business-oriented).

About you

• A finished education at graduate academic level (PhD) in the field of Neuroscience is required; knowledge of preclinical research at Amsterdam Neuroscience Research institute or an MBA or relevant business experience in life sciences is a plus.
• Interest in working with the life sciences biotech or pharmaceutical industry.
• Excellent communication skills in English, preferably also fluent in Dutch (you should be able to understand Dutch).
• A proactive, goal-oriented working attitude.
• Ambition to develop a sales-oriented and objective-driven attitude together with the matching communication skills aimed at a commercial business setting.
• Eager to acquire more knowledge and curious about brain diseases, including multiple sclerosis, psychiatric disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
• Affinity for financial and legal aspects of public-private research collaborations and valorization initiatives, including IP, publication rights, and budgeting standards; willingness to acquire these skills (if absent).
• Ambition to learn negotiation skills (experience negotiating with industry partners is a plus).

Our offer

• One-year contract, with possibility of extension.
• The first period you will be trained as a junior business developer. Subsequently, we aim for a long-term working relationship, with the opportunity to grow into a more senior BD position.
• Classification in salary scale 10: € 3.493 to € 5.504 gross for full-time employment (depending on education and experience).
• From July 1st, 2025, there will be a salary increase of 3%, up to the maximum amount of scale 11.
• In addition, we offer 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• Vacation hours: 190.4 per year for full-time and possibility to save additional hours.
• Free and unlimited access to our online learning environment GoodHabitz.
• Pension accrual with the ABP, of which we pay 70% of the premium.
• A reimbursement of your public transport expenses. Do you prefer to come by bike? Then we have a good bicycle scheme.
• An active staff association and Jong Amsterdam UMC association, both of which organize fun (sports) activities and events.

About your workplace

You’ll be part of the IXA-ANS team at the IXA Office Amsterdam UMC, working closely with 20 experienced Business Developers, a dedicated support team, and ANS researchers, offering plenty of opportunities for peer learning. We value an inclusive, collaborative, and open work environment.

Amsterdam UMC has an open culture. This means that we hope that everyone feels welcome in our organization and that we strive to offer equal opportunities to everyone. We therefore cordially invite all interested parties to respond to this vacancy.

"If you have any questions about this position, please feel free to contact Pieter van Bokhoven, Team Lead and valorisation officer ANS via +31 641880326 or via p.vanbokhoven@amsterdamumc.nl or Joris Heus, Head of IXA Office Amsterdam UMC via +31 20 5667911 or via j.heus@amsterdamumc.nl"