Merck KGaA Posted October 29, 2026

Director, Head of NA & EU Sales

Chandler, Arizona, United States FULL_TIME
Sales Director
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Merck KGaA is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Work Your Magic with us!  Start your next chapter and join EMD Electronics.

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

Everything we do in EMD Electronics is to help us deliver on our purpose of being the company behind the companies, advancing digital living. We are dedicated to being the trusted supplier of high-tech materials, services and specialty chemicals for the electronics, automotive and cosmetics industries. We foster a global collaborative organization made up of individuals who have the passion to win, obsess about the customer, are relentlessly curious and act with urgency. Together, we push the boundaries of science to make more possible for our customers.

Your Role:

The Director, Head of NA & EU Sales, is a senior commercial leader responsible for driving end-to-end sales performance across the North America and European Union markets. This leader is responsible for the full customer lifecycle, from strategic account management and regional engagement to business development, financial performance, and sales operations excellence.

The role serves as the primary commercial interface for key customers and internal stakeholders across both regions, ensuring alignment with Delivery Systems & Services (DS&S) global strategy while delivering against revenue, margin, and growth targets.

Key Accountabilities

Customer Account Management & Regional Engagement

Serve as the senior commercial owner for key customer accounts across the NA and EU, ensuring deep, trusted relationships at all levels of the customer organization.

Lead and coordinate regional sales teams to deliver consistent, high-quality customer engagement, including regular technical reviews, business reviews, and executive-level interactions.

Develop and execute tailored account plans for strategic customers, identifying growth opportunities, managing contract renewals, and ensuring customer satisfaction and retention.

Strengthen enterprise relationship with Tier 1 accounts for joint, long-term technical and product roadmaps. Engage with GSAM, Regional DS&S leaders and material BU sales leaders for one-Merck face to customers. Pursue integrated solutions across BUs and potentially across Sectors

Oversee the resolution of customer escalations and complaints by coordinating cross-functionally with operations, product management, and technical service teams. Support Quality performance by driving response for high-power containment, corrective and preventative actions.

Maintain active presence in key markets through customer visits, industry conferences, and trade events across the NA and EU.

Build and sustain relationships with key industry stakeholders, including OEM partners, research institutions, and industry associations relevant to DS&S target markets.

Sales Operations Excellence

Drive sales operations discipline across the NA and EU regions, ensuring robust processes for pipeline management, order fulfillment coordination, and customer contract administration.

Lead the regional sales forecasting process, providing accurate, timely, and data-driven volume and revenue forecasts to support demand planning and supply chain alignment.

Collaborate closely with supply chain, planning, and operations teams to translate commercial forecasts into actionable demand plans.

Ensure all sales-related documentation is created, reviewed, and submitted in accordance with company standards.

Implement and continuously improve sales process frameworks, tools, and reporting cadences to enhance team productivity and commercial visibility.

Monitor and report on key sales performance metrics (KPIs) for the NA and EU regions, providing regular updates to senior leadership, including pipeline sufficiency, conversion and win rates

Business Development

Identify, qualify, and pursue new business opportunities across the NA and EU, including new customer acquisition, market segment expansion, and new product introduction support.

Lead the development and execution of commercial plans for target markets and product lines, incorporating market intelligence, competitive analysis, and customer insights.

Conduct ongoing market research and competitive benchmarking to anticipate market trends, customer needs, and competitive actions.

Develop and deliver customer presentations, training modules, and marketing communication programs to support new business initiatives and product launches.

Collaborate with the DS&S Global Marketing Team to develop and execute market strategies, promotional programs, and trade show participation plans.

Support product positioning and rationalization activities, providing regional market input to global product management and marketing teams.

Promote a culture of innovation within the commercial and technical teams to identify and develop new growth opportunities.

Risks & Opportunities Identification

Proactively identify, assess, and communicate commercial risks and opportunities across the NA and EU customer base and market landscape.

Monitor geopolitical, regulatory, and macroeconomic developments in the NA and EU that may impact customer demand, supply continuity, or competitive positioning.

Develop and maintain a structured risk register for the region, including mitigation plans for key commercial risks such as customer concentration, pricing pressure, and competitive displacement.

Identify and escalate supply, quality, or service risks that could impact customer satisfaction or revenue delivery.

Leverage customer and market intelligence to surface emerging opportunities for volume growth, share gain, or new application development.

Financial Performance (Revenue & Margin)

Own the P&L accountability for DS&S sales in the NA and EU, delivering against annual revenue, gross margin, and operating plan targets.

Develop and manage the regional commercial budget, including pricing strategy, margin management, and investment in customer-facing activities.

Oversee pricing decisions, quote approvals, and margin adjustments for the NA and EU customer base.

Drive revenue growth through a combination of volume expansion, price realization, and mix optimization across the product and customer portfolio.

Provide regular financial performance reporting to senior leadership, including variance analysis, outlook updates, and corrective action plans.

Partner with Finance to ensure accurate revenue recognition, accruals, and financial reporting for the NA and EU regions.

Risks & Opportunities Identification

Proactively identify, assess, and communicate commercial risks and opportunities across the NA and EU customer base and market landscape.

Monitor geopolitical, regulatory, and macroeconomic developments in the NA and EU that may impact customer demand, supply continuity, or competitive positioning.

Develop and maintain a structured risk register for the region, including mitigation plans for key commercial risks such as customer concentration, pricing pressure, and competitive displacement.

Identify and escalate supply, quality, or service risks that could impact customer satisfaction or revenue delivery.

Leverage customer and market intelligence to surface emerging opportunities for volume growth, share gain, or new application development.

Financial Performance (Revenue & Margin)

Own the P&L accountability for DS&S sales in the NA and EU, delivering against annual revenue, gross margin, and operating plan targets.

Develop and manage the regional commercial budget, including pricing strategy, margin management, and investment in customer-facing activities.

Oversee pricing decisions, quote approvals, and margin adjustments for the NA and EU customer base.

Drive revenue growth through a combination of volume expansion, price realization, and mix optimization across the product and customer portfolio.

Provide regular financial performance reporting to senior leadership, including variance analysis, outlook updates, and corrective action plans.

Partner with Finance to ensure accurate revenue recognition, accruals, and financial reporting for the NA and EU regions.

 Location: Field Based role that requires approximately 50% travel, including both domestic and international, with the potential to exceed that based on business and customer needs.

 

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related technical or commercial field.

10+ years of progressive experience in sales, commercial management, or business development within the semiconductor, specialty materials, or advanced technology industries.

10+ years of experience managing and developing high-performing sales or commercial teams, including experience leading geographically distributed teams across the US and/or EU.

Demonstrated track record of delivering revenue growth and margin improvement in a complex, multi-market commercial environment.

Experience working within a global matrix organization, collaborating across functions including marketing, supply chain, finance, product management, and operations.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

Master's degree or MBA is a plus

Strong strategic thinking and commercial acumen, with the ability to translate market insights into actionable sales strategies and operating plans.

Proven ability to build and sustain senior-level customer relationships and navigate complex, multi-stakeholder sales environments.

Excellent forecasting and demand planning capabilities, with experience using CRM and sales analytics tools to drive data-informed decisions.

Strong financial literacy, including experience managing P&L, pricing, and margin optimization.

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills in English; proficiency in additional languages (e.g., German, French, Mandarin, or Korean) is a plus.

Ability to work effectively across functions to achieve business goals.

Willingness and ability to travel regularly across the NA and EU to support customer engagement and team leadership.

Experience with semiconductor materials, specialty chemicals, or advanced display/surface technologies is highly preferred.

Pay Range for this position: $180,300 - $286,900 ​

The offer range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base pay compensation for this position. The actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level of experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors. Position may be eligible for sales or performance-based bonuses. Benefits offered by the Company include health insurance, paid time off (PTO), retirement contributions, and other perquisites. For more information click here .  ​

What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!

Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!

Job details

Seniority
Director
Function
Sales
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Chandler, Arizona, United States
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Sales role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 101 comparable Director Sales roles across 40 biopharma companies.

101Comparable roles tracked
93Currently active
40Companies hiring similar roles
15Countries represented

Salary context

46 of 101 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $180,300/yr – $286,900/yr
Lowest disclosed · Strategic Account Director-Nationwide · IQVIA $230/yr – $250,000/yr
Highest disclosed · Rare Disease Executive Sales Director (CAH) · Neurocrine Continental Inc. $255,000/yr – $348,000/yr
Peer group range $125,115 – $301,500 (median $235,853)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 101 comparable roles

United States84
Canada2
Japan2
Switzerland2
Singapore1
India1

+ 9 more countries

Seniority mix

101 of 101 peers have a known seniority level

Director94
Senior Director6
Principal1

Therapeutic area mix

25 of 101 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology8
Rare Disease5
Dermatology & Aesthetics5
Immunology3
Respiratory3
Gastroenterology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
GlaxoSmithKline LLC Carolinas, United States Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
GlaxoSmithKline LLC Columbus, United States Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
GlaxoSmithKline LLC Burlington – Vermont, United States Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Bayer Whippany, United States Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AstraZeneca Wilmington, Delaware, United States of America Director
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals Inc. Texas, United States Director
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

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How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Regional Sales Director - Mid-Atlantic
GlaxoSmithKline LLC · Carolinas, United States · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Director, Sales Incentive Compensation (Whippany, New Jersey, US)
Bayer · Whippany, United States · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Area Business Director (West)
Teva Pharmaceuticals · Denver, Colorado, United States · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Director, Field Sales Training
Neurocrine Continental Inc. · US CA San Diego One Paseo, United States · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.