Director – Strategy, Business Development & Partnerships (Software & Automation, PSD)

Agilent Technologies is seeking a senior leader to drive Strategy, Business Development, and Partnerships for their Software & Automation portfolio. This role will focus on identifying growth vectors, market opportunities, and ecosystem strategies while providing assessments for investment choices across software and automation.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with Agilent Enterprise & Group Strategy to identify adjacent markets, whitespace opportunities, and emerging trends across software & automation (e.g., digital labs, AI/ML, data ecosystems, lab automation)
• Translate market insights into actionable growth strategies for Software & Automation
• Lead portfolio-level assessments on where to play and how to win
• Establish a structured framework to evaluate opportunities across:
• Build: Internal product/platform investments (unified software roadmap)
• Buy: M&A targets or capability acquisitions
• Partner (“Buddy”): Strategic alliances and ecosystem integration assessment
• Drive data-driven recommendations including strategic fit, time-to-market, ROI, and risk assessment
• Partner with Finance and Corp Dev on business case development and strategic rationale
• Provide strategic diligence support for specific M&A or partnership targets identified through Corp Dev and BD channels
• Lead PSD's thinking on new commercial and monetization models
• Evaluate licensing approaches, recurring revenue constructs, ecosystem monetization, and pricing innovation tied to platform adoption
• Define PSD’s partner ecosystem strategy across:
• Technology partners (AI/ML, cloud, data platforms)
• Workflow partners (lab automation, instrument connectivity, LIMS/ELN)
• Industry ecosystem players (biopharma, diagnostics, academia)
• Identify, onboard, and manage strategic partnerships that accelerate platform adoption (e.g., software ecosystem)
• Drive co-innovation, joint offerings, and go-to-market alignment
• Act as the central bridge between:
• Enterprise & Group Strategy
• Product Management
• R&D / Engineering
• Sales & GTM teams
• Ensure alignment between strategy, roadmap, and execution priorities
• Translate strategy into operating priorities through balanced scorecards and OKRs
• Define KPIs for partnerships and strategic investments:
• Revenue contribution
• Ecosystem expansion
• Platform adoption (e.g., instrument and software integrations)
• Provide regular executive updates to PSD leadership

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree or equivalent
• 12–15+ years in strategy, business development, or partnerships, ideally in software, life sciences, or platform ecosystems
• Strong experience in Build/Buy/Partner decision-making
• Proven track record of leading strategic partnerships or M&A-driven growth
• Executive presence with ability to influence senior stakeholders (e.g., PSD leadership, corporate strategy)
• Deep understanding of Software platforms / SaaS ecosystems
• AI experience with IP, monetization and moat building
• Data and workflow integrations
• Lab automation and workflow integrations
• Life sciences/lab informatics