Sales Lead - Pharma

Job Description

Sales Lead - Pharma

Drive Growth. Inspire Teams. Shape Market Leadership.

At our company, we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company, delivering innovative solutions that improve and extend lives.

We are seeking an exceptional Sales Lead to drive commercial performance, build high-performing teams, and accelerate sustainable growth across our pharmaceutical portfolio. This is an exciting opportunity for a proven business leader who combines strategic thinking with execution excellence and is passionate about developing talent while making a meaningful impact on patients and healthcare systems.

As a member of the commercial leadership team, you will play a critical role in shaping growth strategy, strengthening customer engagement, developing organizational capabilities, and delivering outstanding business results.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As Sales Lead, you will provide strategic and operational leadership to the sales organization, ensuring exceptional execution while driving long-term business growth.

You will leverage customer insights, market intelligence, and cross-functional collaboration to maximize market opportunities, strengthen stakeholder partnerships, and enhance the competitiveness of our portfolio.

This role requires a leader who can inspire teams, influence stakeholders, and deliver results in a dynamic healthcare environment.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Lead Commercial Performance

• Own sales performance, market share growth, customer engagement effectiveness, and execution excellence across a diversified portfolios of inline products and multiplate new launches.
• Develop and execute strategic sales plans aligned with business objectives and growth priorities.
• Translate corporate and marketing strategies into actionable field execution plans that drive measurable business outcomes.
• Continuously evaluate business performance, identify opportunities, and implement corrective actions when required.

Shape Market Leadership

• Monitor market trends, customer needs, competitor activities, and healthcare developments to identify growth opportunities and emerging risks.
• Utilize internal analytics and external market intelligence to strengthen strategic decision-making and commercial effectiveness.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to drive market development initiatives and improve customer experience.

Lead Customer and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key opinion leaders, healthcare professionals, healthcare organizations, and relevant stakeholders. 
• Support market-shaping initiatives that strengthen scientific leadership and facilitate patient access.
• Act as a trusted partner to customers and stakeholders while ensuring a deep understanding of their evolving needs.

Drive Sales Force Excellence

• Build a high-performing sales organization focused on accountability, collaboration, customer-centricity, and continuous improvement.
• Lead cycle meetings and sales planning processes that align field execution with strategic business priorities.
• Ensure consistent application of customer engagement excellence and value-based selling approaches across the field force.
• Enhance sales productivity through effective territory management, resource optimization, and performance management.

Develop People and Future Leaders

• Lead a team size of 15 persons with sub-team manager
• Attract, develop, coach, and retain top commercial talent.
• Create an environment that encourages growth, innovation, inclusion, and high performance.
• Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring, and development opportunities to strengthen individual and organizational capabilities.
• Build strong succession plans and leadership pipelines to support future business needs.

Lead Through Collaboration

• Partner closely with Marketing, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Regulatory Affairs, Finance, Human Resources, and Compliance teams to ensure strategic alignment and flawless execution.
• Share actionable market intelligence and field insights to influence portfolio strategy, resource allocation, and customer engagement approaches.
• Serve as a key contributor to business planning and enterprise decision-making processes.

Champion Ethics and Compliance

• Lead by example in fostering a culture of integrity, ethics, and compliance.
• Ensure all commercial activities comply with local regulations, industry codes of practice, and company policies.

WHAT YOU MUST HAVE

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy, Life Sciences, Medicine, Business, or a related discipline.
• MBA or advanced business degree is an advantage.

Experience

• 15+ years of progressive commercial experience within the pharmaceutical or healthcare industry.
• Proven success in sales leadership, business development, and commercial execution.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing sales organizations.
• Strong understanding of healthcare markets, stakeholder engagement, and customer management.
• Experience working in matrix organizations and collaborating across functions.
• Experience partnering with regional and global stakeholders is preferred.

Key Leadership Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic and enterprise mindset
• Strong commercial and financial acumen
• Customer-centric leadership
• Influence and stakeholder management
• Talent development and coaching excellence
• Data-driven decision-making
• Change leadership and organizational agility
• Entrepreneurial mindset and growth orientation
• Courage to challenge the status quo
• High standards of integrity and ethical leadership

Who You Are

You are more than a sales leader.

You are a business leader who inspires teams, builds capabilities, develops future talent, and creates meaningful impact through commercial excellence. You thrive in a fast-changing environment, embrace innovation, and are passionate about delivering value to customers, healthcare systems, and patients.

If you are looking for an opportunity to shape strategy, lead a high-performing team, and drive sustainable business growth, we invite you to join us.

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Analytical Problem Solving, Business Decisions, Business Planning, Commercial Excellence, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Customer Engagement, Customer Experience Improvement, Decision Making, Market Analysis, Market Share Analysis, People Leadership, Pharmaceutical Sales, Product Knowledge, Resource Allocation, Sales Forecasting, Sales Performance Coaching, Sales Presentations, Sales Reporting, Strategic Thinking

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

08/31/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.