Business Development Associate

About 5 Prime:

5Prime Sciences uses human genetics to accelerate drug development. Over the past four years, we’ve helped pharmaceutical, biotech, and venture partners accelerate and de-risk pipelines—enabling some to move from target to Phase 2 in two years. Our mission is to deliver medicines to patients in need.

We are a premier partnership business, working side-by-side with pharma, biotech, and venture groups as trusted specialists. Most new work comes through referrals—approximately 80% of revenue is generated from recurring partnerships.

Role Overview:

Join our multidisciplinary team to advance genetics-first drug discovery. You will plan and run targeted outreach, represent 5Prime at conferences and meetings, and prepare clear pre-meeting research and emails that enable high-yield introductions to clients. You’ll work with colleagues in genetics, bioinformatics, medicine, and software development to scope scientific projects, keep teams aligned, and ensure partners receive timely, accurate updates.

Success in this role requires a science-led, trust-first mindset, clear writing and speaking, strong organization, and the ability to move comfortably between science and business. By studying materials and working with the team, you’ll compile and present the value of our genetics-first approach to inform high-level partnership proposals.

Success will be measured by:

● Establishing high-yield business leads and introductions to potential clients.

● Attending and presenting at scientific conferences and meetings to establish business leads.

● Generate clear meeting summaries, with next steps, owners, and deadlines, and accurate updates.

● Establishing trust and scientific credibility with senior R&D stakeholders

Key Responsibilities:

Represent 5Prime:

○Seek, identify, and build relationships in pharma, biotech, and venture through targeted outreach (quality over volume).

○Represent 5Prime at North American conferences and meetings with a professional presence and graduate-degree fluency in genetics.

●Build the partnership pipeline:

○Grow a focused pipeline of priority companies; run tailored outreach to companieswhere our genetics methods are relevant; schedule introductions.

○Keep our client our tracking system (e.g., Jira/Sheets) up to date with contacts,touchpoints, meeting outcomes, and brief weekly pipeline summaries.

●Explain the science:

○Clearly explain how human genetics informs indication selection, target validation, and biomarkers—and how genetic evidence improves the likelihood of drug

development success.

○Maintain a working understanding of GWAS, ExWAS, MR, and multi-omics.

● Support strategic deals:

○Draft clear pre-reads, agendas, and proposal outlines (scope and milestones) for senior review.

○Learn pricing and terms; assist with negotiation preparation with a path to greater ownership over time.

○After meetings, deliver timely notes, summarize decisions and next steps in plain language, name who is responsible and when each task is due, and share updates

with the right teammates.

●Work as one team:

○Contribute as a key member of a small BD team to achieve ambitious goals.

○Work closely with 5Prime scientists to understand their methods and how they canassist partners.

●Track the market:

○Keep an eye on partner updates and competitor news.

○Produce concise insights to update target client lists, messaging, and scopes.

Required Qualifications:

Candidates must meet all of the following to be considered

● Location & on-site: Based in Montreal or willing to relocate; available 3 days/week on-site at our HQ.

● Travel: Able to regularly travel in North America for conferences, partner meetings, and workshops, attending at least one-to-two meetings per quarter.

● Education: Graduate degree in Genetics or a related field (MSc or PhD required).

● Methods: Working knowledge of GWAS, MR, ExWAS and multi-omics

● Communication: Clear, direct, low-hype style; strong email writing; accurate note-taking; timely follow-ups; the successful candidate will be able to build trust with senior R&D stakeholders.

● Language: Excellent written and spoken English.

Other Helpful Qualifications

● French language skills (asset for Montreal team and local ecosystem engagement).

● Experience or internships in early-stage drug discovery, translational genomics or similar.

● Familiar with human genomics resources such as gnomAD, GTEx, and Open Targets .

● Business degree or diploma (completed or in progress).

● Conference operations experience (run-of-show, suite/booth coordination, on-site logistics).

Location:

This role is Montreal-based, hybrid: 3 days/week on-site at our Montreal-based headquarters, with regular travel to meetings, conferences and workshops in North America. As the face of 5Prime for clients, on-site time is essential to learn our culture, understand how we work, and speak with scientific credibility. Relocation and immigration support are available for candidates who wish to live and work in Canada.