VP, Business Development

About Chai Discovery

Chai Discovery builds frontier AI models to design molecules and transform how medicines are made. We are a craft-obsessed team setting out to re-architect drug discovery and save lives.

The Chai founding team brought together leading researchers in this space and top Silicon Valley operators. Their founders led seminal accomplishments at top AI-for-biology programs and labs, co-invented protein language modelling, built state-of-the-art folding algorithms, and sold AI adopted by top-10 pharma companies.

Stage & Funding

Chai Discovery was founded in 2024 by world-leading researchers in AI and molecular modeling from OpenAI, Meta FAIR, Google X, VantAI, and Absci, including co-inventors of protein language models. They have raised $100M from top-tier investors, including Thrive Capital, Menlo Ventures, Dimension, OpenAI, Conviction, Lachy Groom, Amplify, and many more.

Why Now?

Deal volume and complexity continue to grow, especially post-launch of Chai-2. With many transactions in motion, Chai Discovery is seeking a VP, Business Development to serve as the operational engine behind high-stakes pharma partnership deals. This person will play a key role in shaping innovative transaction structures and novel IP frameworks for a revolutionary AI drug discovery platform.

About the role

The VP, Business Development will partner with our founders to advance and secure strategic partnerships essential for Chai’s growth. As a strong operator with a growth-mindset, exceptional project management and problem-solving skills, and a passion for driving transactions to completion, this executive will play a key role in the evolution of the business at a critical juncture.

Key Responsibilities

• Cultivate, manage, and push each deal forward. Lead negotiation of business points and translate the company’s business model and pricing strategy into clear, actionable deal structures. Serve as the operational lead managing all timelines, workflows, and cross-functional threads required to keep deals moving forward.

• Participate in the creation and management of “deal maps”, outlining each partnership’s path, key decision points, gatekeepers, and anticipated interpersonal, political, and business dynamics.

• Own the full contracting workflow, including drafting cycles, redlines, internal reviews, and coordination with external counsel, while maintaining momentum across all legal components of each deal, ensuring strategic partnerships progress smoothly from initial discussion through close.

• Help define and maintain the IP strategy supporting partnerships.

• Oversee contracts beyond partnerships, including CRO agreements and data-generation partners.

Ideal Experience and Qualifications

• Execution-focused deal operator with legal grounding (JD preferred) and experience drafting, reviewing, and driving complex contracts forward.

• Background in biotech/pharma, or alternatively in startups/technology companies handling complex enterprise deals involving sensitive IP, software, AI models, or regulated data.

• Experience in a law firm supporting biotech, pharma, or regulated technology clients is also highly relevant.

• Demonstrated ability to run multi-step deals end-to-end, managing many simultaneous conversations, legal processes, and cross-functional threads.

• Detail-oriented and intellectually sharp, with strong judgment and the ability to spot risks, implications, and structural issues early.

• Hungry, thoughtful, and highly reliable, someone who founders and executives can trust with day-to-day deal mechanics.

• Track record of operating effectively in lean, founder-led, high-growth environments.

Personal Characteristics

• Highly motivated by impact, responsibility, and the opportunity to shape a high-growth company’s commercial trajectory.

• A smart and thoughtful force multiplier, with strong judgment and the ability to reason clearly across legal, commercial, and operational dimensions.

• Detail-oriented operator who takes pride in precision, thoroughness, and getting the mechanics right.

• Low-ego collaborator who builds trust quickly with founders, executives, partners, and cross-functional teams.

• Proactive and resourceful, able to anticipate needs, identify gaps, and implement solutions without being asked.

• Curious and growth-oriented, excited to learn the nuances of AI-driven discovery and partnership structures.

• Comfortable with ambiguity, shifting priorities, and wearing multiple hats in a lean team. Can clearly articulate comp