General Manager - Benelux

Promega Corporation; Leiden; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension

Company car

30 vacation days

Free sports pass

Job summary

Promega Benelux BV in Leiden seeks an experienced General Manager to lead the branch through growth and strategic evolution. The role covers the Benelux region with oversight of P&L and cross-functional teams across Genomics, Proteomics, and Diagnostics.

The GM will drive strategic direction, market expansion, and regulatory compliance within the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The position requires a strong track record in life sciences leadership, deep market knowledge, and fluency in

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in life sciences with hands-on lab experience.
• Minimum 10 years of business management with 5+ years P&L responsibility.
• Deep knowledge of the Benelux life sciences market, funding, distribution channels.
• Fluent in Dutch and English; governance and regulatory familiarity.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and strategic growth.
• Willingness to travel within Benelux and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership with full P&L accountability.
• Set direction with management and justify decisions rather than letting issues circulate unowned.
• Extend commercial strategy across Genomics, Proteomics, Cell Analysis, and Molecular Diagnostics.
• Manage direct sales and distributor relationships for market coverage growth.
• Ensure compliance with Dutch and Belgian regulations for life sciences products.
• Review monthly financial performance and drive corrective action.
• Integrate Benelux operations with Promega's regional and global leadership.

Skills

P&L ownership

Strategic leadership

Benelux market knowledge

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional leadership

Fluent Dutch/English

Education

MSc/PhD Life Sciences

Job description

Position Overview

Promega Benelux BV seeks an experienced General Manager to lead the branch through sustained growth and strategic evolution. The incoming General Manager will take on a well-established, high-performing organization operating across the Benelux region. This is an opportunity to build on a stable foundation and shaping what Promega Benelux becomes over the next decade.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direction to Promega Benelux, with full P&L accountability.
• Set direction with the management team, make the call where the team does not converge, and name the decision and reasoning behind it rather than letting issues circulate unowned.
• Establish and extend commercial strategy to achieve revenue growth in alignment with market potential across Genomics, Proteomics, Cell Analysis, and Molecular Diagnostics segments.
• Monitor competitive landscape, market trends, and funding developments to identify strategic opportunities; communicate patterns and inflection points to the CEO.
• Manage direct sales channels and distributor relationships to optimize market coverage and revenue growth.
• Develop people as primary work, not a byproduct. Sense when someone is struggling before they raise their hand, build confidence before people have proof of competence, and create an environment where a problem raised early is named and rewarded, not penalized.
• Foster a culture aligned with Promega's mission and values, including the company's six ESI core principles. At Promega, commercial performance serves the mission rather than the reverse.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with key opinion leaders, customers, strategic partners, and industry associations.
• Ensure compliance with Dutch and Belgian legal, regulatory, and employment requirements in the capacity of a Promega Benelux BV director.
• Review monthly financial performance, analyze variances, and drive corrective action to meet business objectives.
• Integrate branch operations with regional and global Promega leadership while maintaining organizational autonomy and market focus.

Required Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Life Sciences (Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology, or related field) with hands‑on laboratory experience.
• Minimum 10 years of business management experience, including at least 5 years with full P&L responsibility and oversight of multiple departments.
• Deep, current knowledge of the Benelux life sciences market, including research funding mechanisms, procurement practices, competitive dynamics, and distribution channels.
• Demonstrated expertise in Genomics, Proteomics, Cell Analysis, and Molecular Diagnostics markets.
• Fluent in Dutch and English, written and spoken.
• Knowledge of Dutch and Belgian corporate governance, employment law, and regulatory requirements for life sciences products.
• Experience marketing both innovative technologies and mature, established products.
• Uses AI every day for market intelligence, analysis, and planning, and builds the same habit across the team.
• Knows enough of the science to question an expert rather than defer to one.
• Builds on a team that already works: listens first, learns the business before changing it, gives honest feedback and asks for it back.
• Makes the call that still looks right in ten years, including when the short term argues otherwise.
• Builds a branch that comes out of a hard year stronger than it went in; plans for more than one version of the future and stays steady when the picture is incomplete.
• Reads a P&L and knows what it is telling them; invests for growth without losing cost discipline.
• Communicates clearly to different audiences, delivers hard messages with care, and can hold a room.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience as a General Manager or Country Manager in a life sciences or pharmaceutical context.
• Knowledge of drug development pathways and commercial considerations.
• Experience working within a U.S.-based multinational corporation or globally matrixed organization.
• Established professional relationships with key opinion leaders and research institutions across the Benelux region.
• Proficiency in French preferred for Belgium and Luxembourg operations.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work with computer-based systems. Valid driving license required.
• Willingness to travel within the Benelux region and internationally, including regular trips to Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
• On‑site presence at the Leiden branch office required for the majority of working time.

Compensation

• Fixed competitive compensation. This role carries no variable or bonus component, consistent with the compensation structure for Promega General Manager roles.
• Company pension plan, company car, 30 working days holiday, free sports pass.

About Promega Benelux

Promega Benelux BV is a regional operating division of Promega Corporation, a global leader in life sciences research and diagnostics. The organization serves academic research institutions, pharmaceutical development companies, clinical diagnostics laboratories, and contract research organizations across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The Benelux operation with 15 employees is characterized by a stable, experienced management team; a diverse product portfolio addressing multiple research segments; and a strong market presence in the region.

About Promega Corporation

Promega Corporation is a privately held life sciences company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. As a privately held organization, Promega takes a long‑term view and measures success by metrics that extend beyond financial performance to include scientific impact, employee development, and community contribution. The company operates according to six core principles of Emotional and Social Intelligence (ESI) that shape organizational culture and decision‑making.

Promega Corporation is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace.