Associate Director, Sales - Cell Discovery

Associate Director, Sales – Cell Discovery

Location: This role is fully remote, offering flexibility to work from any location with reliable internet access, preferably on the East Coast.

We have an amazing opportunity for an experienced Sales Leader to join our team. The Associate Director, Sales (Drug Discovery) will manage the North American sales team focusing on the Discovery segment for Lonza Biosciences. The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering target revenue and profit for their segment and region.  In addition, this role will require leadership of a highly successful and proactive sales team, coaching their further development, and putting in place processes to ensure future success.

This role would ideally suit an experienced collaborator with a palpable energy level, with the flexibility and agility to meet changing priorities and drive to exceed goals, who is excited for the opportunity to develop sales strategies and mentor their team.  This is a remote role with an expected 40-60% travel across North America.

What you will get:

The full-time base annual salary for this remote position is expected to range between $137,000 to $233,000. In addition, below you will find a comprehensive summary of the benefits package we offer:

• Performance-related bonus.

• Medical, dental and vision insurance.

• 401(k) matching plan.

• Life insurance, as well as short-term and long-term disability insurance.

• Employee assistance programs.

• Paid time off (PTO).

Compensation for this role will be determined by the candidate’s qualifications, skills, experience, and relevant knowledge.

What you will do:

• Plans and is responsible for achieving sales objectives for the Drug Discovery segment and region, with emphasis on intimate knowledge of the customers, and internal and external market environment that drives the long-range forecast in their area of responsibility.

• Develops, implements, monitors, and manages sales strategies for their team, sharing what is learned from the results with their peers.

• Supports the sales director in the planning and implementation of sales strategies.  Also assists in designing the communication of same to the Commercial Team.

• Organizes and implements sales programs for their team and supports the entire segment by implementing cross-regional programs.

• Trains develops, and mentors’ sales representatives within their team and is available to mentor others.  Share learnings and best practices with the entire Commercial Team.

• Utilizes SFDC to manage sales pipeline for their team.

• Involved in continuously improving customer satisfaction and identifying corrective measures which can be shared with the Commercial team.

• Actively seeks continuous improvement to customer delivery and participates in process optimization across the customer value chain.

• Oversees the handling of key accounts.

• Participates in the planning and formation of Lonza marketing and sales strategies. Coordinates the collection of market intelligence, competitive promotions, contract pricing, new products, new applications, and customer needs, and uses this to develop strategies together with the Sales Directors.

• Continuously develop their own skills, knowledge, and abilities to support their ongoing career development within Lonza

• Around 40-50% travel requirements.

What we are looking for:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Bioengineering or related discipline); advanced degree preferred.

• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of sales leadership experience within the life sciences or pharmaceutical industry, with a proven track record of driving revenue and profit growth in complex sales environments.

• Industry Knowledge: Strong understanding of customer needs, competitive landscape, and market dynamics across drug discovery, drug manufacturing/QC, and cell & gene therapy segments within biotech/biopharma.

• Leadership: Demonstrated success leading and developing high-performing global sales teams, including talent development, coaching, performance management, and problem resolution.

• Sales Excellence: Exceptional core selling skills (prospecting, funnel management, closing, consultative and technical selling, creating customer value, and delivering effective sales presentations).

• Strategic & Analytical Skills: Excellent strategic thinking, problem-solving, and analytical abilities.

• Communication: Outstanding communication, negotiation, presentation, and public-speaking skills, with demonstrated effectiveness across a wide range of audiences.

• Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively across departments and with international teams, including Executive Leadership; strong track record of effective cross-functional partnership.

• Technical Skills: High proficiency in SAP, Salesforce, PowerBI, and comparable ERP, CRM, and dashboarding systems; strong Microsoft Office skills.

• Work Style: Effective listener; proactive, independent, and self-directed; team-oriented with a strong work ethic and commitment to continuous improvement.

• Travel: Willingness and ability to travel across North America approximately 40–50% of the time to meet business objectives.

About Lonza

At Lonza, our people are our greatest strength. With 30+ sites across five continents, our globally connected teams work together every day to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. Our core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity reflect who we are and how we work together. Everyone’s ideas, big or small, have the potential to improve millions of lives, and that’s the kind of work we want you to be part of.

Innovation thrives when people from all backgrounds bring their unique perspectives to the table. At Lonza, we offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you’re ready to help turn our customers’ breakthrough ideas into viable therapies, we look forward to welcoming you on board.

Ready to shape the future of life sciences? Apply now.