Business Development Manager, Midwest

The businesses of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany•Rockville, MD

6h•$107,500 - $179,400

About The Position

This field-based commercial role manages and grows a portfolio of large, strategic pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical accounts. The role builds account plans, develops relationships at all levels, and coordinates internal partners to achieve quarterly and annual sales objectives. The position must be located in the Midwest, specifically Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, or Missouri, and requires 25–50% travel.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, such as Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, or a related field.
5–7+ years of commercial sales experience in regulated pharma or biotech contract testing services.
Proven track record managing a territory or account portfolio and building customer relationships.
Strong understanding of pharma/biopharma drug production processes and unit operations.
Consultative selling skills, including diagnosing needs, negotiating, forecasting accurately, and articulating value.
Proficiency with CRM and sales tools such as Salesforce, Palantir, or similar.
Ability to travel 25–50% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MS, PhD, or MBA) or Project Management certification.
Knowledge of biotech funding trends, M&A activity, and incubator/accelerator ecosystems.
Experience with global account networks, CDMOs, and cross-functional stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

Meet quarterly and annual sales targets through retention, expansion, competitive conversions, and new business development.
Own strategic account plans for large pharma and biopharma customers, including priorities, forecasts, stakeholder maps, risks, and next steps.
Identify and engage high-potential small and mid-tier biotech companies early to seed future pipeline and demand.
Build and maintain relationships across technical, quality, procurement, and executive stakeholders; map buying groups and decision processes.
Lead business reviews, consultative discovery, and customer presentations; articulate value, negotiate, and advance opportunities.
Maintain accurate forecasts, CRM records, and opportunity data in Salesforce or equivalent tools.
Collaborate with technical service, customer service, field marketing, and demand planning to support accounts.
Monitor market signals, including funding, M&A, and pipeline trends, to identify emerging opportunities and inform territory strategy.