Sr. Director, Commercial Transactions

Ginkgo Bioworks
paid time off, paid holidays, 401(k)
United States
April 24, 2024
Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Ginkgo is constructing, editing, and redesigning the living world in order to answer the globe's growing challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. Our bioengineers make use of an in-house automated foundry for designing and building new organisms. Must have Life Sciences Industry experience. Job Description Ginkgo is a well-funded, high-growth biotech company in Boston's Seaport District that is redesigning the living world to solve some of the globe's growing challenges in health, energy, food, material, and more. Our mission to "make biology easier to engineer" is poised to disrupt multiple industries by leveraging our innovative data, automation, and scale capabilities in biological engineering. Come join our dynamic, passionate and collaborative team dedicated to executing new business partnerships within Ginkgo's areas of interest. As the Sr. Director of Transactions, you sit at the intersection of a number of internal functional areas (business development, legal, alliance management and various technical experts) and work cross-functionally to help drive deals from conception, through negotiation and, ultimately, to signing. You will be a trusted advisor to sales leaders by providing commercial and deal strategy, while leading the negotiation, structuring and execution of innovative transactions. Successful candidates will be able to comprehend the nuances of legal contracts and have extensive experience with life science or industrial biotech companies and the types of transactions that regularly occur in this space. Further, successful candidates will be able to draw on this experience to help structure and negotiate deals and in thinking of creative solutions to issues that invariably arise during the deal-making process. Perhaps most importantly, we want you to be excited about Ginkgo and eager to help us achieve our mission of making biology easier to engineer. Responsibilities Drive the deal transaction process, in partnership with business development, legal, finance/accounting, and other internal stakeholders to frame, negotiate and close deals spanning across industries and using a variety of deal structures that supports Ginkgo's growth targets. Provide deal strategy and negotiate term sheets to frame initial deal structure. Review and negotiate definitive agreements to help ensure such agreements reflect market-terms and the agreed to business deal Support BD activities, as needed, even as deals move to the transaction stage. Manage the deal transaction pipeline and assist with seamless transition from deal signing to deal implementation. Work on various initiatives to improve scalability of the deal-making process, including developing innovative deal structures that can be standardized Develop processes and enhance strategies for the management of various transaction types to improve quality of deals. Engage with external partners, vendors, and collaborators and represent Ginkgo Bioworks on agreement related activities. Minimum Requirements Bachelor's degree in business or related science field; MBA and/or J.D. required (+7 years of experience post-graduate school, with preference for those with experience in the Life Sciences sector). We have found that senior attorneys who want to make a transition from law into a business role often excel in this position. Ability to read and understand legal contracts and comment on proposed changes to legal contracts. Relevant experience with various transactions, including negotiation, due diligence, valuation, financial, legal, and operational considerations. Understanding of key drivers of value for transactions and how they can be measured and quantified. Genuine interest in biotechnology or science-related fields is critical. Experience in a law firm and/or in-house pharmaceutical or biotechnology company environment overseeing and managing contracts is a plus. Skilled about pitching, negotiating, and closing new business opportunities (please include a deal sheet with your application if available). Approaches problems with a collaboration mindset Embraces a learning mentality Finds energy and enjoyment in a fast-paced environment Detail oriented Cultivates an ability to organize and prioritize. Enthusiastic about being a part of Ginkgo's mission. We also feel it's important to point out the obvious here - there's a serious lack of diversity in our industry and it needs to change. Our goal is to help drive that change. We hope to continue to build a company whose culture promotes inclusion and embraces how rewarding it is to work with individuals from all walks of life. Making biology easier to engineer is a tough nut to crack - we can't afford to leave any talent untapped. It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants. Total compensation for this role is market driven, with a starting salary of $minimum of range 230K+, as well as company stock awards. Base pay is ultimately determined based on a candidate's skills, expertise, and experience. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage, health spending accounts, voluntary benefits, leave of absence policies, Employee Assistance Program, 401(k) program with employer contribution, 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown and unlimited Paid Time Off policy. To learn more about Ginkgo, visit or check out some curated press below: We also feel that it's important to point out the obvious here - there's a serious lack of diversity in our industry, and that needs to change. Our goal is to help drive that change. Ginkgo is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its practices, especially when it comes to growing our team. Our culture promotes inclusion and embraces how rewarding it is to work with people from all walks of life. We're developing a powerful biological engineering platform, so we must remain mindful of the many ways our technology can - and will - impact people around the world. We care about how our platform is used, and having a diverse team to build it gives us the best chance that it's something we'll be proud of as it continues to grow. Therefore, it's critical that we incorporate the diverse voices and visions of all those who play a role in the future of biology. It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees, employment applicants, and EOE disability/vet. Privacy Notice I understand that I am applying for employment with Ginkgo Bioworks and am being asked to provide information in connection with my application. I further understand that Ginkgo gathers this information through a third-party service provider and that Ginkgo may also use other service providers to assist in the application process. Ginkgo may share my information with such third-party service providers in connection with my application and for the start of employment. Ginkgo will treat my information in accordance with Ginkgo's . By submitting this job application, I am acknowledging that I have reviewed and agree to Ginkgo's as well as the privacy policies of the third-party service providers used by Ginkgo's associated with the application process.