Director, Head of NA & EU Sales

The businesses of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany•Chandler, AZ

11h•$180,300 - $286,900

About The Position

The Director, Head of NA & EU Sales is a senior commercial leader responsible for end-to-end sales performance across North America and the European Union. The role owns the full customer lifecycle, including strategic account management, regional engagement, business development, financial performance, and sales operations excellence. It serves as the primary commercial interface for key customers and internal stakeholders across both regions, aligning with Delivery Systems & Services (DS&S) global strategy and delivering revenue, margin, and growth targets. The position leads customer account management and regional sales engagement, sales operations, business development, and commercial risk and opportunity management. It holds P&L accountability for DS&S sales in NA and EU, including regional budgeting, pricing, margin management, forecasting, and financial reporting. The role is field based and requires approximately 50% domestic and international travel, with the potential for more depending on business and customer needs.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related technical or commercial field.
At least 10 years of progressive experience in sales, commercial management, or business development in the semiconductor, specialty materials, or advanced technology industries.
At least 10 years of experience managing and developing high-performing sales or commercial teams, including geographically distributed teams across the US and/or EU.
Demonstrated record of delivering revenue growth and margin improvement in a complex, multi-market commercial environment.
Experience in a global matrix organization, collaborating across marketing, supply chain, finance, product management, and operations.
Strong strategic thinking and commercial acumen, with the ability to translate market insights into actionable sales strategies and operating plans.
Ability to build and sustain senior-level customer relationships and navigate complex, multi-stakeholder sales environments.
Excellent forecasting and demand planning capabilities, including experience using CRM and sales analytics tools.
Strong financial literacy, including experience managing P&L, pricing, and margin optimization.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills in English.
Ability to work effectively across functions to achieve business goals.
Willingness and ability to travel regularly across North America and the EU to support customer engagement and team leadership.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or MBA.
Proficiency in additional languages such as German, French, Mandarin, or Korean.
Experience with semiconductor materials, specialty chemicals, or advanced display/surface technologies.

Responsibilities

Serve as senior commercial owner for key customer accounts across North America and the EU, building trusted relationships at all customer levels.
Lead and coordinate regional sales teams to deliver consistent customer engagement, including technical reviews, business reviews, and executive interactions.
Develop and execute strategic account plans, identify growth opportunities, manage contract renewals, and support customer satisfaction and retention.
Strengthen relationships with Tier 1 accounts and coordinate with GSAM, regional DS&S leaders, and material business unit sales leaders to deliver integrated solutions.
Oversee customer escalations and complaints with operations, product management, and technical service teams; support quality performance and corrective and preventive actions.
Maintain an active presence in key markets through customer visits, industry conferences, and trade events; build relationships with OEM partners, research institutions, and industry associations.
Drive sales operations discipline, including pipeline management, order fulfillment coordination, customer contract administration, and sales documentation.
Lead regional sales forecasting and collaborate with supply chain, planning, and operations teams to align forecasts with demand plans.
Implement and improve sales processes, tools, and reporting cadences; monitor and report regional sales KPIs, including pipeline sufficiency, conversion, and win rates.
Identify, qualify, and pursue new business opportunities, customer acquisition, market expansion, and new product introduction support.
Develop commercial plans for target markets and product lines using market intelligence, competitive analysis, and customer insights.
Conduct market research and competitive benchmarking; develop customer presentations, training modules, and marketing communications to support business initiatives and launches.
Collaborate with DS&S Global Marketing on market strategies, promotional programs, and trade show participation; provide regional input on product positioning and rationalization.
Promote innovation within commercial and technical teams to identify and develop growth opportunities.
Identify, assess, communicate, and maintain mitigation plans for regional commercial risks and opportunities, including geopolitical, regulatory, macroeconomic, supply, quality, service, customer concentration, pricing, and competitive risks.
Own DS&S sales P&L performance in NA and EU and deliver annual revenue, gross margin, and operating plan targets.
Develop and manage the regional commercial budget, pricing strategy, margin management, and investment in customer-facing activities.
Oversee pricing decisions, quote approvals, and margin adjustments; drive growth through volume expansion, price realization, and mix optimization.
Provide financial performance reporting, variance analysis, outlook updates, and corrective action plans to senior leadership.
Partner with Finance on revenue recognition, accruals, and regional financial reporting.