Business Development Manager, South Africa (Cape Town Based)

Who we are

Olink, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, is transforming the understanding of human diseases through advanced proteomics. We are driven by a commitment to innovation, quality, and transparency, providing exceptional solutions and support for human protein biomarker discovery. For many years, the critical role of proteins in human biology has been recognized, but technological constraints limited comprehensive research into their potential across various biological processes and diseases. With our innovative Olink solutions, scientists can now measure thousands of human proteins simultaneously using just a few microliters of blood. Our highly specific and validated assays cover a wide dynamic range, empowering groundbreaking research. Our services include flexible protein biomarker solutions, with a robust library of thoroughly validated assays.

As we expand globally, we continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of scientific discovery.

Job Description

The position of Business Development Manager is responsible for developing and managing relationships with new and existing high-level customers within both academia (clinicians, professors, etc.) and industry (pharma or biotech).

The position focuses on achieving short and long-term sales objectives by identifying customer needs and providing solutions to create a long-term partnership between the customer and Olink. Olink requires scientific sales individuals who can communicate with customers at a well-informed and professional level offering them solutions to try and address their clinical questions related to understanding real-time biology, stratifying patients, and developing drugs. For this role, you will be covering South Africa as well as the rest of the African continent as your territory.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Understand the major drivers and limitations of the market in the relevant territory.
2. Develop and maintain KOL relationships for which a strong scientific background is needed.
3. Grow overall revenue from Olink.
4. Explore service and kits.
5. Map key accounts.
6. Manage existing and new biomarker discovery projects within these accounts.
7. Provide technical presentations to potential clients interested in protein biomarker discovery.
8. Present Olink applications and real-life examples of them with high confidence to potential customers while being able to address and answer technical questions.
9. Provide study design guidance in collaboration with the Field Application Scientist team to ensure client satisfaction.
10. Bring creative solutions to clients and be able to understand the value drivers within their organizations.
11. Maintain updated customer and opportunity information in Salesforce.
12. Maintain knowledge of competitive products and technologies.
13. Work closely with Sales peers, Project Coordinators, FAS, Data Scientists, and the wider organization to maximize commercial success.

Qualifications / Skills

1. 3-5 years relevant sales experience in the life science industry.
2. Technical knowledge and experience with proteomics, genomics or biomarker discovery.
3. Intimate knowledge of the South African life science market as well as experience working towards other countries on the African continent.
4. Experience working with both direct sales as well as channel partners.
5. BSc, MS or PhD in Biology or related scientific field.
6. Proven track record of performance in a customer-facing role.
7. A relevant network of contacts within the territory.
8. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
9. Strong work ethic and desire to succeed.
10. Must be energetic, enthusiastic, and highly motivated.
11. Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks.
12. Able to meet or exceed revenue targets.
13. Ability to work well in a team environment.
14. Strong deal sheet with demonstrated ability to "close" business.
15. Open to learn from more experienced members of the team.
16. Willing to teach members of the team and share relevant experiences.

To be eligible for this role you need to be a South African citizen.

We would prefer to hire this role in the Johannesburg area.

Please note that this is a remote role, home office based but with a significant amount of field work and travel associated with it (~3 days a week), both within South Africa and the African continent.

If you want to help to deepen the understanding of real-time human biology and are looking for an exciting new challenge, we encourage you to apply!