Vice President Search & Evaluation

Pleased to meet you! We are Galapagos, headquartered in Belgium and growing our executive team in the U.S., with a mission to deploy our capital to secure and advance transformative, clinical-stage assets, primarily in immunology and oncology, to transform patient outcomes.

Scope of the job

As our Vice President Search & Evaluation, you will lead the identification and evaluation of business development targets, from deal sourcing to scientific due diligence. In this role, you will report to the Chief Business Officer (CBO) and will collaborate closely with the Chief Strategy Officer and broader leadership team, helping shape BD strategy, prioritize opportunities, and provide scientific and strategic rigor throughout the evaluation process.

Our Business Development team will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Your role

Deal Sourcing Process

• Establish a structured process and cadence of meetings for opportunity sourcing

• Maintain strong relationships with top-tier venture capital firms; regularly meet to communicate GLPG’ strategic interests and review portfolio opportunities

• Represent GLPG at major scientific meeting as well as partnership and banking conferences, including 1:1 meetings with potential partners

• Conduct comprehensive screening of databases (e.g., Clarivate, BCIQ, PitchBook) to identify opportunities that meet GLPG’ criteria

Infrastructure and Process Building for Deal Sourcing

• Establish standardized processes for target idea and deal tracking and logging

• Evaluate and implement appropriate software solutions (e.g., Excel, Inova, Backstop, DealCloud) for target idea and deal tracking

• Deliver quarterly analytics to track sourcing KPIs (e.g., deals evaluated, therapeutic areas, sources, geography) to calibrate strategy

Triaging and Due Diligence

• Triage inbound opportunities based on strategic alignment and technical merits

• Lead preliminary and formal scientific/technical due diligence on prioritized opportunities, leveraging internal expertise as well as external advisors (e.g., toxicology, CMC, chemistry, and other subject matter experts)

• Prepare investment memoranda and presentation decks for leadership and board decision-making

• Oversee the formal due diligence process as projects advance to the deal stage

BD Strategy Input

• Partner with the Chief Strategy Officer and leadership team to refine BD strategy (e.g., therapeutic areas, stage of development, geography)

• Conduct “deep dives” and landscape analyses in prioritized thematic areas to inform opportunity identification, triaging, and investment theses

Who are you?

• MD and/or PhD in Life Sciences, with strong expertise in drug discovery and development

• Prior senior-level role in search & evaluation or life sciences venture capital, with a proven track record of identifying and advancing high-value opportunities

• Demonstrated scientific rigor and ability to lead due diligence processes across multiple therapeutic areas and modalities.

• Strong business acumen, with the ability to connect scientific insights to commercial and strategic value

• Broad network across pharma, biotech, venture capital, and academia, with strong external presence and relationship-building skills

• Experience presenting recommendations to executive leadership and boards, with excellent communication and storytelling skills

• Proactive, analytical, and structured, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving environment

What’s in it for you?

At Galapagos, we prioritize your continuous growth and development, fostering a culture of empowerment. Our employees are the driving force behind our mission to lead in pharmaceutical research and innovation.

Base compensation for this position ranges from $313,000 to $406,900. Actual base compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors including experience, qualifications, job-related knowledge, demonstrated skills and geographic location. The company reserves the right to modify base salary ranges at any time. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Galapagos’ performance bonus plan and long-term incentive program. We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support important moments in life.

Galapagos is dedicated to ensuring equal employment opportunities. Our hiring decisions are based on merit, considering qualifications, skills, performance, and achievements. We strictly prohibit discrimination against any employee or job applicant based on personal characteristics that are unrelated to their job.

We are Galapagos: together we can make it happen…!