Territory Manager

Takara Bio is seeking to recruit an experienced Territory Manager with strong life science sales experience and a background in life science research. This position has become available following an internal promotion, reflecting the development opportunities within our team. Territory Managers at Takara are expected to demonstrate excellent communication skills and the ability to build strong, collaborative relationships. The ideal candidate will be highly motivated to meet and exceed targets, well organised, structured, skilled at managing time effectively, a strong team player, and able to deliver under pressure. Proficiency with virtual meeting tools, office software (especially Excel), and prior experience using and reporting from Salesforce and revenue data are essential. Finally, we look for Territory Managers who are proactive sales hunters, capable of generating new business while maintaining and growing existing accounts. A proven track record in new business development is a core requirement for this role.

Sales Execution

• Drive sales of Takara Bio’s products across key Academic, Hospital, Pharma, Biotech, and Government accounts.
• Achieve and exceed sales targets by maintaining existing business, expanding sales within current accounts, and developing new business.
• Implement and execute corporate sales and marketing strategies using effective selling techniques, strong value propositions, and closing strategies.
• Represent the company at trade shows, vendor events, and customer meetings as required.

Account Development

• Prospect, map, and prioritise new accounts, identifying opportunities for product launches, cross-selling, and expansion.
• Analyse accounts, competitive activity, and product mix to identify areas of growth and implement actionable sales plans.
• Contribute to the development and execution of the territory business plan to drive revenue. Technical & Product Expertise
• Maintain a high level of technical knowledge of Takara products, workflows, and applications.
• Effectively position Takara solutions against competitors during customer discussions and presentations.

CRM Management & Reporting

• Maintain CRM by accurately updating opportunities, interactions, and key account information.
• Ensure the pipeline is clear, accurate, and reliable for forecasting and tactical planning. • Communicate potential opportunities and market updates to the Sales Team and Product Managers through timely CRM updates.

Customer Engagement

• Provide timely quotations, communication, and follow-up to customers, ensuring expectations are met or exceeded.
• Deliver exceptional levels of customer service across key segments, building strong, long-term relationships.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Regional Sales Managers, the European Sales Manager, Product Managers, and/or R&D teams to deliver impactful presentations, product demonstrations, and on-site visits.

Market Intelligence

• Gather and share competitive insights, customer feedback, and market trends to support strategic decision-making across the organisation.

Home-based role. The position involves extensive travel, with regular visits to key accounts in Heidelberg, Mannheim, Freiburg, Basel, and beyond. The ideal candidate is based in or around Freiburg, within practical commuting distance of these key areas.

Qualification :

• Minimum MSc or PhD in Cell, Molecular Biology, or a related life science discipline

Experience :

Mandatory

• Minimum 2 years of laboratory or research experience in molecular biology, using techniques such as PCR, qPCR, cloning, sequencing, or NGS.
• Evidence of sales experience. Must be able to demonstrate success in influencing, selling, or meeting targets.
• Ability to explain and discuss scientific workflows with researchers, based on hands-on research experience.
• Strong communication skills and confidence engaging with customers (academic, biotech, industry).
• Experience working with data, documentation, or reporting systems (e.g., Excel and CRM-like tools).
• Demonstrated ability to organise workload, manage time effectively, and prioritise tasks independently.

Desirable :

• At least 1 year of formal sales experience, ideally within the life science or biotech sector.
• Hands-on laboratory experience with Takara Bio products, particularly enzymes, PCR workflows, library prep kits, or NGS reagents.
• Post-doctoral research experience involving advanced molecular biology workflows. • Practical experience using Takara NGS kits, single-cell kits, or Spatial Transcriptomics workflows.
• Familiarity with Salesforce or other CRMs for opportunity tracking and account management.

Competences, skills and abilities:

Mandatory :

• Strong scientific grounding in molecular biology techniques (PCR, qPCR, cloning, sequencing, NGS, etc.) with the ability to discuss workflows confidently with researchers.
• Commercial mindset: able to identify opportunities, understand customer needs, and articulate value clearly.
• Communication excellence: clear, confident, and effective in both verbal and written interactions with customers and internal teams.
• Relationship-building ability: able to build trust quickly with researchers, lab managers, and procurement stakeholders.
• Evidence of influencing or selling: comfortable asking questions, handling objections, and guiding conversations toward outcomes.
• Highly organized and structured, with strong time management and the ability to priorities in a field based role.
• Self-starter mentality: proactive, motivated, and comfortable working independently with minimal oversight.
• Strong analytical capability, including interpreting basic sales metrics, customer behaviour, and product usage trends.
• Ability to learn quickly, especially new products, workflows, competitor information, and sales processes.
• Professional resilience, able to handle rejection, manage pressure, and maintain consistent follow-up.
• Ability to map complex accounts: understanding structures of universities, cores, hospitals, and biotechs.
• Good networking ability: comfortable engaging with KOLs, core facilities, and procurement teams.
• Experience collaborating across functions, such as technical support, marketing, or product management.

Desirable :

• Strong presentation skills: comfortable delivering product presentations, demos, or seminars to groups.
• Technical storytelling ability: able to translate scientific features into customer-relevant benefits and “so what?” messages.
• Experience using CRMs (ideally Salesforce) for pipeline or account management.
• Consultative selling approach: able to guide customers through problem-solving conversations rather than transactional selling.
• Event presence: confident representing the company at conferences, vendor shows, and departmental seminars.
• Strong follow-through: reliably closing loops, completing actions, and maintaining customer momentum.