Executive Director

Overview

The newly formed Alabama nonprofit organization, Birmingham Bio Innovation Corporation, is searching for its founding Executive Director. This full-time role will lead the organization's efforts to promote economic development in the life sciences and establish Birmingham as a global destination for biotechnology. The Executive Director will build and lead a team focused on place-based growth in Birmingham’s Southside, building upon a unique constellation of biotech assets and institutions. The Executive Director will manage and engage a variety of public, private, and civic stakeholders to: (a) deliver a dynamic set of workforce development and training programs; (b) anchor and empower early-stage biotech companies; (c) foster an environment for investment in residential, retail, and commercial real estate; (d) establish an R&D corridor that facilitates innovation-led job growth; and (e) connects community and economic goals for residents.

About Birmingham Bio Innovation Corporation

Business and government leaders in Birmingham have come together to develop and support a shared vision for the region to become the premier biotech hub in the Southeast. There are a few critical ingredients to making that happen: (1) skilled, workforce-ready biotech professionals, from entry-level positions to executive leadership; (2) wet lab space and entrepreneurship support resources for early-stage biotech companies; (3) development density of biotech and pharmaceutical companies; and (4) proximity to basic and translational research and development expertise. To advance these collective goals, Birmingham Bio Innovation Corporation (BBIC) was formed as an Alabama nonprofit corporation in December 2023. IRS tax exemption is pending but is expected by August 2024. The BBIC was a centerpiece of the Birmingham Biotech Hub application for the Regional Tech Hubs grant. The proposal was one of 31 that earned the “Tech Hub” designation by the U.S. Department of Commerce, positioning it for substantial follow-on funding. Additionally, BBIC received funding from the State of Alabama in 2024 to develop biotech workforce programming, in addition to charitable contributions from leading companies in the area.

Executive Director Job Profile

The Executive Director will help develop, refine, and implement BBIC's unique mission as a place-based, mixed-use, urban research park and a pillar of Birmingham’s economic development strategy. The Executive Director will be the visible, vocal champion of our biotech ecosystem to recruit talent, attract investment, and promote innovation and commercialization. The Executive Director will report directly to the Board of Directors for Birmingham Bio Innovation Corporation, which is chaired by Dr. Sanjay Singh.

This leader will enable each of the aforementioned ingredients of successful urban research parks by facilitating and promoting the growth and development of an R&D corridor to be located adjacent to The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the State of Alabama’s largest employer, and Southern Research (SR), a translational research institution with a long history of biotech and pharmaceutical research and commercialization, on land currently owned or controlled by the Housing Authority Birmingham District (HABD). BBIC envisions a world-class R&D corridor, physically designed and actively curated to leverage its unique assets – regional accessibility and proximity to major anchor institutions.

           Building on the successful examples of the Cortex Innovation Community (St. Louis, Missouri), University of Maryland BioPark (Baltimore, Maryland), and 16Tech (Indianapolis, Indiana), BBIC will serve as the backbone organization for the R&D corridor’s operations and economic development programs. The Executive Director, therefore, will oversee governance, operations, and strategy development for the R&D corridor, with responsibilities including, but not limited to:

• working alongside the City of Birmingham to establish the R&D corridor as authorized by HB336/SB336;
• leveraging federal, state, and other grant opportunities and other funding available to the organization to build (or facilitate the building) accessible, high-quality biotech space;
• connecting and building strong relationships with the development’s stakeholders, including consulting with institutional anchors like UAB, SR, and HABD to drive program implementation;
• actively recruiting local, regional, and national tenants in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry with preferred rates and incentives, especially for early-stage growth companies;
• developing and managing the master plan and design standards to include a mix of pedestrian-friendly uses and branding of the R&D corridor;
• actively pitching sites for public and private developers for new construction within the R&D corridor (or in close proximity); and
• developing and implementing civic and educational programming for the R&D corridor.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please submit a resume and a letter of interest that addresses the areas below:

• Outline, in brief, your vision for Birmingham’s R&D corridor.
• How your skills, experience and/or relationships would support the goals and objectives of the BBIC.
• Describe previous roles and/or relationships with governmental agencies, biotech organizations or programs, public-private partnerships, and/or real estate development.

For full consideration, resumes and letters of interest should be emailed to applynow@amjhrsolutions.org before Friday, July 19, 2024. All submissions will be reviewed, and outstanding candidates will be forwarded for further consideration.  

Additional Information

Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree and evidence of progressively responsible experience in economic and business development and planning OR any equivalent combination of experience and/or education from which comparable knowledge, skill, and abilities have been achieved.

The Executive Director is a salaried position at the rate of $225,000 a year. BBIC’s Board of Directors has established a competitive benefits package.

The target start date for the position is August 1, 2024.

Behavioral Competencies for BBIC Executive Director

This position requires the incumbent to exhibit the following behavioral skills:

1. Leadership: Provides direction by clearly and effectively setting the course of action for the BBIC, team members, colleagues, and partners. Effectively manages performance by providing regular feedback and reinforcement as needed.
2. Job Knowledge: Exhibits requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the position effectively. Demonstrates knowledge of policies, procedures, goals, objectives, operational entities, requirements, and activities as they apply to the BBIC. Uses appropriate judgment & decision-making by the level of responsibility.
3. Commitment: Sets high-performance standards; pursues aggressive goals and works hard/intelligently to achieve them; strives for results and success; conveys a sense of urgency and brings issues to closure; persists despite obstacles and opposition.
4. Customer Service: Meets/exceeds the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; identifies, understands, monitors, and measures the needs of both internal and external customers; talks and acts with customers in mind. Recognizes work colleagues as customers.
5. Effective Communication: Ensures important information is passed to those who need to know. Conveys necessary information clearly and effectively orally or in writing. Demonstrates attention to and conveys an understanding of the comments and questions of others; listens effectively.
6. Initiative: Proactively seeks solutions to resolve unexpected challenges. Actively assists others without formal/informal direction. Possesses the capacity to learn and actively seeks developmental feedback. Applies feedback for continued growth by mastering concepts needed to perform work.
7. Responsiveness and Accountability: Demonstrates a high level of conscientiousness; holds oneself personally responsible for one's work; does a fair share of work.
8. Teamwork: Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts team success above own interests; supports everyone's efforts to succeed.