Account Executive (Life Science/Pharma)

Cognite; Zürich; On-site; CHF 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognite, based in Zürich, is seeking a results-driven Sales Account Executive to win business with large Life Sciences and Pharma customers. You will drive adoption of Cognite Data Fusion to accelerate digital transformations and deliver measurable ROI.

In this role, you will own the end-to-end sales cycle, build trusted relationships with executive stakeholders, and lead cross-functional teams to close complex deals.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of software sales experience into Life Sciences/Pharma (Pharma, Bio-Pharma, Contract Manufacturing, Medical Devices).
• 3+ years of direct sales experience carrying and exceeding a quota selling enterprise software/SaaS to C-level executives.
• Training in Command of the Message, MEDDPICC and Salesforce is a plus, but not required.

Responsibilities

• Achieve bookings targets and develop satisfied, reference-able customers.
• Develop and execute a territory strategy to drive bookings growth and win new customers.
• Generate new pipeline through proactive prospecting and your network, providing commercial insights to clients.
• Manage complex sales cycles and lead the territory team (pre-sales and others) to delight prospects and customers.
• Utilize value-selling and knowledge of Cognite solutions to drive customer ROI and value realization.
• Accurately forecast monthly and quarterly results and update Salesforce regularly.
• Present and demonstrate Cognite’s solutions in-person and via web-based presentations.

Skills

Software sales

Life Sciences/Pharma

Enterprise SaaS

C-level selling

MEDDPICC knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Salesforce

CRM tools

Data analysis tools

Job description

What Cognite is

Relentless to achieve.

Cognite operates at the forefront of industrial digitalization, building AI, and data solutions that solve the world’s hardest, highest-impact problems. With unmatched industrial heritage and a comprehensive suite of AI capabilities, including low-code AI agents, Cognite accelerates the digital transformation to drive operational improvements.

We thrive in challenges. We challenge assumptions. We execute with speed and ownership. If you view obstacles as signals to step forward - not backwards - you’ll feel right at home here.

Our Moonshot is bold: Unlock $100B in customer value by 2035, and redefine how global industry works. Join us in this venture where AI and data meet ingenuity, and together, we will forge the path to a smarter, more connected industrial future.

How you’ll demonstrate Ownership

As the Sales Account Executive, you will engage with prospects to win business from large companies in the Life Sciences/Pharma verticals. You will help customers achieve improved business results through their adoption of Cognite Data Fusion to accelerate their digital transformations.

Responsibilities

• Achieve bookings targets while developing satisfied and reference‑able customers
• Develop and execute a territory strategy to drive bookings growth and win new customers
• Through active prospecting and your personal network of contacts, generate new pipeline and provide “commercial insights” to prospective clients on how Cognite’s solutions will address the most important areas of their value chain
• Manage complex sales cycles and lead your extended territory team (pre‑sales and other key functions) to delight your prospects and customers
• Utilize value‑selling processes alongside demonstrating a wealth of knowledge of Cognite’s solutions and how they impact our customer’s value realization
• Negotiate favorable pricing and business terms with large enterprises by selling value and ROI
• Develop a commanding knowledge of Cognite’s solutions and how they uniquely drive value realization with your customers
• Accurately forecast monthly and quarterly results
• Update salesforce.com on a regular basis
• Provide timely and insightful input back to other corporate functions, particularly product management and marketing
• Present and demonstrate our solutions in‑person and via web‑based presentations
• Approximately 50% travel on client site and to our European offices

The Impact you bring to Cognite

• Detail‑oriented, high‑energy sales professional with strong relationship‑building skills and a focus on delighting customers in every phase of our engagements
• Proven experience selling at C‑Level both in business and IT
• Specific experience in selling SaaS solutions, cloud deployments and subscription pricing model, commanding a deep understanding of software sales processes and terminology including ARR, NRR, TCV and Services Bookings
• Self‑starter, able to work in a team environment, and superb time‑management and prioritization skills
• Excellent communication skills, including stellar presentation skills
• Has demonstrated a dedication to driving standardization to sales processes to ensure consistent and scalable results
• Committed to value‑based selling and is savvy at helping customers create business cases with quantified ROI to justify new investments
• Can explain the respective value chains for process and discrete manufacturing – including the key economic drivers, the business, people, and technical inter‑dependencies; the digitalization opportunity with Industry 4.0
• Well‑versed in important manufacturing use cases, such as yield optimization, production visibility, higher operator productivity, quality improvement, predictive maintenance, and higher machine utilization
• Familiarity with relevant technology, such as Big Data (Hadoop, Spark, Hive, BigQuery); Data Warehouses; Business Intelligence; and Machine Learning

Required Qualifications And Preferred Experiences

• 3+ years successful Software Sales Experience into Life Sciences/Pharma companies is required (Pharma, Bio‑Pharma and Contract Manufacturing, Medical Devices and Medical Products)
• 3+ years of direct sales experience carrying and exceeding a quota and selling enterprise software/ software‑as‑a‑service (Business Intelligence/ Data Warehouse/ Big Data/ Advanced Analytics/ Machine Learning/ Automation/Operational Technology) to C‑level executives
• Previous training in Command of the Message, MEDDPICC and Salesforce is a plus, but not a requirement.
• Minimum Bachelor’s degree. A relevant Master’s degree is preferred.

Learn More About Us

• Impact 2025
• Cognite's Industrial AI: Moonshot
• We’re globally recognized domain experts with an international presence that spans Phoenix, Houston, Oslo Tokyo, Bengaluru, and Abu Dhabi.

Equal Opportunity

Cognite is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment at work and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive the same level of consideration for employment.