Business Development Manager/Director

Business Development Manager/Director

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We’re proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development.

Business Development Manager / Director (France)

We are seeking an ambitious and commercially driven Business Development Manager / Director to join our growing team. In this high-impact role, you will be responsible for driving new business opportunities and building long-term partnerships with biotechnology companies and small to mid-sized pharmaceutical organisations across France.

This is an exciting opportunity for a consultative sales professional with a strong understanding of the clinical development landscape and proven experience selling Phase II and Phase III clinical research services. You will play a key role in expanding our presence within the French market, working closely with cross-functional teams to deliver tailored solutions that support our clients' drug development goals.

While France-based candidates are preferred, we welcome applications from individuals located elsewhere in Europe who are fluent in French and willing to travel within France.

What You Will Be Doing

• Drive new business development activities across France, with a focus on biotechnology and small to mid-sized pharmaceutical companies.
• Develop and execute strategic territory plans to identify, engage, and win new client partnerships.
• Build strong relationships with key decision-makers, including executives, clinical development leaders and procurement stakeholders.
• Lead the full sales cycle from opportunity identification through proposal development, contract negotiation and successful close.
• Position and promote Phase II and III clinical development solutions, demonstrating a clear understanding of client needs and market dynamics.
• Collaborate closely with operational, proposal, therapeutic and executive teams to develop competitive and compelling client solutions.
• Maintain a strong understanding of industry trends, competitor activity and the evolving clinical research landscape.
• Represent the company at industry conferences, networking events and client meetings throughout France.
• Deliver against revenue targets and contribute to the continued growth of the organisation.

Your Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Business, or a related field. Advanced degree preferred.
• Proven track record of business development and sales success within the CRO, clinical research, or pharmaceutical services industry.
• Experience selling Phase II and Phase III clinical trial services to biotech and pharmaceutical clients.
• Strong understanding of drug development, clinical trial operations and the outsourcing landscape.
• Established network within the French biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to engage and influence stakeholders at multiple levels, from operational teams to C-suite executives.
• Self-motivated, strategic, and results-driven with a demonstrated ability to exceed revenue targets.
• Fluent in both French and English.
• Willingness to travel within France as required.

What ICON can offer you:
Our success depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well-being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

Our benefits examples include:

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family’s needs.
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24-hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialized professionals who are there to support you and your family’s well-being.
• Life assurance
• Flexible country-specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidized travel passes, health assessments, among others.

Visit our careers site to read more about the benefits ICON offers.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here

Interested in the role, but unsure if you meet all of the requirements? We would encourage you to apply regardless – there’s every chance you’re exactly what we’re looking for here at ICON whether it is for this or other roles.

Are you a current ICON Employee? Please click here to apply