About Ardena

Ardena is a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and Contract Research Organization (CRO) specializing in precision medicine development. Ardena supports pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in bringing innovative, complex molecules from discovery to market.

The Ardena Group operates from sites across Europe and the United States, employing more than 750 professionals. Ardena’s European sites are located in Oss and Assen (the Netherlands), Ghent (Belgium), and Pamplona (Spain). Ardena’s US facility is based in Somerset, New Jersey.

Ardena provides integrated services spanning drug substance development, drug product formulation, GMP manufacturing, bioanalytical services, clinical logistics, fill & finish, nanomedicine, and CMC regulatory support.

Job Overview

Position: Business Development Officer I

Department: Business Development

Location: Flexible / Hybrid

Ardena is hiring (2) Business Development Officers to join the Business Development team.

This role supports Ardena’s commercial growth by identifying new opportunities, engaging prospective customers, and generating qualified meetings for the Business Development Directors.

Role Description

The Business Development Officer I is a commercial role (1-2 years experience) focused on lead generation, prospecting, and opportunity creation. You will work closely with Ardena’s Business Development Directors to identify and engage biotech and pharmaceutical companies that could benefit from Ardena’s integrated CRO/CDMO capabilities.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys researching companies and development programs, building relationships through digital channels, and uncovering new opportunities within the biotech and pharmaceutical ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Generation — Identify and qualify early-stage through commercial-stage opportunities across biotech and pharma.

• Outbound Prospecting — Execute structured outreach campaigns through email, LinkedIn, and other digital channels.

• Program Hunting — Research company pipelines, funding announcements, clinical milestones, licensing deals, and outsourcing activities to identify potential opportunities.

• Target Account Development — Build and maintain target account lists using prospecting and commercial intelligence platforms.

• Meeting Generation — Generate qualified introductory meetings and opportunities for Ardena’s Business Development Directors.

• Brand Awareness — Introduce Ardena’s integrated CRO/CDMO services to new audiences and ensure consistent market messaging.

• CRM Management — Maintain accurate prospect, account, and opportunity information within CRM systems.

• Event Support — Support conference and event preparation through attendee research, target identification, and meeting-generation campaigns.

• Team Collaboration — Work in close collaboration with Business Development Directors to align outreach priorities, target accounts, conference activities, and follow-up strategies.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration — Coordinate with Marketing and Business Development teams to maximize campaign effectiveness and lead generation efforts.

• Additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Business, or a related field.

• 1-2 years of experience in business development, lead generation, sales development, recruitment, CRO/CDMO, biotech, pharmaceutical services, or a related commercial role.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Demonstrated success in outbound prospecting and lead generation activities.

• Self-motivated, proactive, and persistent in pursuing opportunities and following up with prospects.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within an international team.

Preferred Experience

• Experience within CRO, CDMO, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or life sciences organizations.

• Proven experience executing cold outreach campaigns via email and LinkedIn.

• Experience using prospecting and sales intelligence tools such as Apollo, Closely, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, Lusha, or similar platforms.

• Experience using CRM systems such as HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, or equivalent.

• Familiarity with AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, or similar technologies to support research, account intelligence, and outreach optimization.

• Understanding of drug development, pharmaceutical outsourcing, CMC, bioanalysis, or related service areas is highly desirable.

• Demonstrated persistence, resilience, and disciplined follow-up in a prospecting or lead-generation environment.

• Candidates may come from a Life Sciences background with an interest in business development, or from a business/marketing background with a strong motivation to work in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector. Exposure to both areas is a plus, but not essential.

What Success Looks Like

• Consistent generation of qualified meetings for the Business Development team.

• Increased market awareness of Ardena across target biotech and pharmaceutical accounts.

• Continuous growth and expansion of Ardena’s prospect and customer network.

• High-quality prospect research, account intelligence, and CRM data management.

• Strong outreach activity and engagement metrics.

• Effective collaboration with Business Development Directors and Marketing teams.

• Meaningful contribution to Ardena’s commercial pipeline through targeted prospecting and lead generation activities.

What Ardena Offers

Ardena is a science-driven and people-focused employer. Working at Ardena means contributing to pharmaceutical projects that support the availability, safety, and quality of medicines for patients worldwide.

Ardena offers an international working environment where employees are encouraged to develop their expertise, take ownership, and grow their careers across functions and locations.

Benefits and perks at Ardena include:

• Full-time permanent contract (indefinite).

• Competitive salary and benefits package. (Gross annual salary range: 25.500 – 30.000€)

• International and collaborative work environment across European and US sites

• Access to professional development and training programs

• Meaningful work on pharmaceutical development projects that advance patient health

• A values-driven culture guided by Ardena’s CARE principles: Communicative, Accountable, Reliable, and Excellent

How To Apply

Ready to advance your career in pharmaceutical development? Apply now through the Ardena Careers website at careers.ardena.com.

We Know Development.