Senior Key Account Manager Molecular Diagnostics (Cape town)

Danaher Corporation; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Global career mobility

Danaher Business System culture

Mentorship and leadership programs

Meaningful patient impact

Job summary

Cepheid, a Danaher Company, in Cape Town, is seeking a high-performing Key Account Manager to drive growth across Southern Africa.

You will manage strategic accounts, engage clinicians and distributors, and lead tender and market expansion initiatives across the region. The role requires strong sales discipline, scientific acumen, and cross-functional collaboration with Marketing, Customer Care, and Service teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in Life Sciences or related field.
• 5+ years in diagnostics or healthcare with regional exposure.
• Proven track in key account management and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong financial acumen and P&L awareness.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and planning skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage regional accounts and growth across Southern Africa.
• Develop regional account strategies and tender positioning.
• Primary contact for customers and regional distributors.
• Engage clinicians, KOLs, procurement, and policy stakeholders.
• Lead commercial expansion into private labs and hospitals.
• Support marketing activities and market feedback analysis.
• Provide forecasts, funnel management, and SFDC reporting.

Skills

Key account management

Sales & scientific acumen

Communication & presentation

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences or related field

Tools

Salesforce (SFDC)

Job description

Join Cepheid - A Danaher CompanyKey Account Manager - Cape Town, South AfricaShape the Future of Diagnostics Across Southern Africa

Cepheid, a global pioneer in molecular diagnostics, is part of Danaher Corporation, a $200B+ global science and technology leader with over 75,000 associates and 20+ operating companies including Beckman Coulter, Radiometer, Cepheid, and Leica Biosystems. At Danaher, our purpose is clear: Helping Realize Life’s Potential.

As part of our continued growth across the Middle East & Africa region, we are looking for a high-performing Key Account Manager to join our Southern Africa team, based in Cape Town. This role is ideal for someone with deep experience in diagnostics and healthcare, coupled with strong sales and stakeholder engagement capabilities.

About the Role

As a Key Account Manager, you will be responsible for the strategic growth and management of Cepheid's key customers and commercial partners across your region. You will drive performance by managing commercial relationships, securing tenders, maximizing product adoption, and leading account development initiatives.

This is a high-visibility role with regional impact, working cross-functionally with Marketing, Customer Care, Service, and Global Operations to ensure exceptional delivery of diagnostic solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Achieve and exceed quarterly and annual sales targets across Southern Africa
• Develop and execute regional account strategies, ensuring competitive positioning in partnership agreements and national tenders
• Act as primary point of contact for direct customers and regional distributors
• Engage with clinicians, KOLs, laboratory leaders, procurement groups, and policy stakeholders to drive product acceptance and market penetration
• Lead commercial expansion in private sector channels such as commercial labs, private hospitals, and alternative healthcare facilities
• Support pre- and post-marketing activities, events, evaluations, and studies in collaboration with the Marketing team
• Maintain strong competitive intelligence to adjust sales and marketing strategies based on market feedback
• Identify and pursue growth opportunities through annual implementation plans aimed at increasing menu adoption, account penetration, and market share
• Provide accurate forecasts, funnel management, and reporting using Salesforce (SFDC)
• Evaluate and manage distributor performance; qualify new distributors following the CPTK process
• Train and support distributor teams, internal stakeholders, and customer staff where needed
• Collaborate cross-functionally using Danaher's DBS (Danaher Business System) methodology to drive continuous improvement, growth, and operational excellence
• Ensure installed base availability and customer satisfaction KPIs are met by working closely with Customer Care and Service teams
• Demonstrate territory planning and data-driven decision-making through effective funnel analysis and internal resource orchestration
• Handle ad hoc business development projects essential for the company’s long-term success in the region

What We’re Looking For

• Undergraduate degree in Life Sciences or related medical/scientific discipline
• 5+ years of diagnostics or healthcare industry experience, ideally across diverse geographies or multicultural environments
• Strong sales and scientific acumen, particularly in lab diagnostics or molecular platforms
• Demonstrated success in key account management, strategic selling, and stakeholder engagement
• High level of financial and business acumen with proven success in managing budgets and understanding P&L dynamics
• Excellent communication, presentation, and planning skills
• Proactive and self-driven with the ability to work cross-functionally and independently
• Willingness to travel up to 50% regionally and internationally

Preferred Experience

• Multilingual - Fluency in English required; additional regional or global languages are a plus
• Experience in managing tenders, contracts, or public-private partnerships
• Prior exposure to distributor/channel management models
• Background in leading or contributing to healthcare transformation projects is an advantage

Why Cepheid? Why Danaher?

Joining Cepheid means joining a company that is redefining the way diagnostics are delivered. Our solutions enable rapid, accurate decisions that save lives - and you'll be at the center of that mission.

As a Danaher company, we offer you:

• Access to global talent development and career mobility across 20+ world-class brands
• A culture of innovation, diversity, and continuous improvement through the Danaher Business System
• Mentorship, leadership training, and skill-building programs
• The chance to contribute to meaningful work with real-world impact on patient outcomes

If you're ready to be part of a high-growth environment that values integrity, purpose, innovation, and accountability, we invite you to apply and become a part of the Cepheid journey in transforming diagnostic care across Africa.

Join our winning team today. Together, we'll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.

For more information, visit www.danaher.com .

Operating Company: Cepheid