Sales Director

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and commercially driven Sales Director to lead the organisation's sales function and accelerate revenue growth across its portfolio of life-sciences, laboratory and scientific products.

This is a senior leadership role for a proven sales professional who combines strong commercial acumen with a deep understanding of the life-sciences industry. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and executing the sales strategy, leading and developing the sales team, strengthening key customer and principal relationships, and identifying new opportunities to expand market share.

The role will have a strong focus on profitable revenue growth, sales effectiveness and market expansion, with exposure to Southeast Asian markets considered a strong advantage.

Key Responsibilities

Sales Strategy & Business Growth

• Develop and execute the overall sales strategy to achieve revenue, margin and market-share objectives.
• Translate business objectives into clear sales plans, targets and go-to-market strategies.
• Identify new market opportunities, customer segments, products and commercial channels to drive sustainable growth.
• Develop strategies to increase penetration of existing life-sciences product portfolios while identifying opportunities for portfolio expansion.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, customer requirements and industry developments to identify commercial opportunities.
• Take a hands-on approach to major opportunities, strategic negotiations and high-value customer engagements.

Sales Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, manage and develop the sales organisation, establishing a high-performance and target-driven culture.
• Set clear sales objectives, KPIs and individual/team targets, and hold the team accountable for performance.
• Coach and mentor sales leaders and key sales personnel to strengthen commercial capabilities and succession depth.
• Drive sales discipline across pipeline management, account planning, forecasting, CRM utilisation and opportunity management.
• Identify capability gaps and implement appropriate training, development and performance-management initiatives.
• Build a strong culture of customer ownership, commercial accountability and continuous improvement.

Life Sciences & Product Commercialisation

• Provide commercial leadership across a portfolio of life-sciences, laboratory, scientific and related products and solutions.
• Develop a strong understanding of product applications, customer workflows and market dynamics to guide sales strategy.
• Work closely with product, technical and application teams to strengthen product positioning and customer value propositions.
• Support the successful introduction and commercialisation of new products and technologies.
• Develop strategies to grow key product lines and maximise opportunities across existing and new customer accounts.

Key Accounts & Strategic Relationships

• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior decision-makers across laboratories, research institutions, healthcare organisations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and other relevant customer segments.
• Personally lead strategic customer engagements and complex commercial negotiations where required.
• Develop structured account strategies for high-value and strategic customers.
• Strengthen customer retention, share of wallet and long-term commercial partnerships.
• Develop strong relationships with key stakeholders, opinion leaders and industry partners.

Regional & Channel Development

• Drive business development opportunities across Singapore and, where applicable, Southeast Asian markets.
• Develop and manage relationships with distributors, channel partners and other commercial stakeholders.
• Evaluate and optimise direct and indirect sales channels to maximise market coverage and revenue growth.
• Collaborate with regional stakeholders to identify cross-border opportunities and replicate successful commercial strategies across markets.
• Regional / Southeast Asian experience will be highly advantageous.

Sales Operations & Commercial Governance

• Own sales forecasting, pipeline visibility and sales performance reporting.
• Analyse sales performance, margins, customer trends and market opportunities to support informed commercial decisions.
• Establish and continuously improve sales processes, tools and reporting mechanisms.
• Work closely with Finance and senior management on budgeting, revenue planning and commercial performance.
• Ensure all sales activities are conducted in accordance with company policies, industry requirements and applicable regulatory standards.

Requirements

• 10–12 years of progressive sales and commercial experience, preferably within the life-sciences, biotechnology, diagnostics, laboratory, scientific instruments or related industries.
• Strong track record of achieving and exceeding sales and revenue targets.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing sales teams.
• Strong understanding of life-sciences products, laboratory solutions and/or scientific technologies is essential.
• Proven ability to develop and execute sales strategies that translate into measurable commercial growth.
• Experience managing strategic accounts, complex sales cycles and senior customer relationships.
• Experience with distributor, channel or partner management will be advantageous.
• Exposure to Southeast Asian markets is strongly preferred.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including an understanding of revenue, margin, forecasting and sales performance.
• Excellent negotiation, presentation, influencing and stakeholder-management skills.
• Strong analytical and strategic-thinking capabilities, combined with a hands-on and execution-focused approach.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, commercially driven environment.
• Willingness to travel regionally when required.
• A degree in Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Business, Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences or a related discipline is preferred.

What We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate is a proven sales leader rather than a purely operational sales manager. You will be commercially hungry, comfortable setting ambitious targets and accountable for delivering results.

You should have a genuine understanding of the life-sciences market and the products being sold, be able to engage credibly with technical and commercial stakeholders, and have the leadership capability to build a high-performing sales organisation.

Candidates who have successfully grown a scientific or life-sciences product portfolio, managed distributor networks, expanded into new markets or led regional sales teams will be particularly well suited to this opportunity.