Head of Sales & Marketing

ATS Automation•Tustin, CA

11d•$180,000 - $220,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Sales is responsible for building, developing, and empowering high‑performing sales teams within life sciences manufacturing and lab markets. This role places an intentional focus on people leadership- coaching sales leaders and professionals to grow their capabilities, navigate complexity, and deliver value to scientific, clinical, and operational customers. The position reports directly to the General Manager and be based in the US overseeing the entire Global Sales Teams. Success in this role comes from a belief that sustainable commercial growth in life sciences is achieved through trusted relationships, technical credibility, and strong leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 8+ years of progressive sales experience, including 3–5+ years in a people‑management role.
Degree and/or experience in the life sciences preferred.
MBA preferred.
Proven track record of leading through leaders (managers of managers a plus).
Demonstrated success coaching underperformers into solid contributors and good sellers into great ones.
Experience building and scaling sales teams in a growth‑oriented environment.
Strong business acumen with the ability to connect sales activity to broader business outcomes.
Ability to lead field and inside sales, distribution channels, and in selling and marketing services and products.
Must have good written and verbal skills including group presentation experience. Needs to clearly communicate technical and nontechnical concepts in a group setting.
Strong negotiation and analytical skills.
Energetic, pragmatic, business driven player, a “hunter mentality” and a desire to win.
Familiarity with CRMs (Salesforce.com, Pipedrive, Microsoft 365, SAP).
Strong computer skills with traditional software like MS Office Suite, SmartSheet, SharePoint, etc.
Ability to be hands-on with a strategic viewpoint.
At times can require up to 70% domestic and international travel.

Nice To Haves

A science-minded individual with experience marketing/selling to scientists, ideally in the point of care testing and/or life science industry.
Fluent in servant leadership methodologies and ably to drive accountability with maintaining high trust in teams.
A sales professional with experience selling & supporting capital equipment products in the $50k to $1M price range.
An individual looking to contribute to the greater good by commercializing market-leading, next generation technology.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop the Global Sales Teams and Sales Managers selling into life sciences customers (e.g., pharma, biotech, diagnostics, research labs, CDMOs, clinical environments).
Provide direct leadership and functional oversight to a small marketing team, serving as a coach, thought partner, and prioritization guide.
Translate commercial objectives into clear, actionable marketing priorities—balancing strategic direction with practical, day‑to‑day execution including active participation in campaign planning and prioritization, messaging and value proposition development, tradeshow, conference, and field‑marketing strategy.
Maintain tight alignment between sales and marketing by setting shared goals, metrics, and feedback loops.
Remove barriers by clarifying expectations, managing trade‑offs, and ensuring focus on highest‑impact initiatives.
Foster a culture of trust, accountability, and continuous learning in a regulated, evidence‑driven environment.
Build and maintain a strong leadership bench through deliberate hiring, onboarding, mentoring, and succession planning.
Conduct regular 1:1s, coaching in the field, and deal reviews focused on skill development, customer impact, and ethical selling.
In collaboration with the General Manager, support development of annual strategy review and annual operating plans; as well as quarterly and monthly report-outs on progress and pivots as needed to achieve corporate goals.
Translate company growth objectives into clear territory, account, and go‑to‑market strategies aligned to life sciences customer needs in both manufacturing and lab markets.
Ensure disciplined execution of the sales process.
Balance short‑term revenue targets with long‑term account development and strategic partnerships.
Guide teams in selling value across use cases, workflows, and economic buyers rather than single‑product transactions.
Establish clear performance expectations, KPIs, forecasting, and CRM maintenance discipline while maintaining a human‑centered leadership approach.
Coach sales leaders to manage performance proactively, using data, pipeline health, and customer signals.
Address performance gaps thoughtfully and decisively, partnering with individuals to improve while ensuring accountability to results.
Ensure sales teams act as trusted partners to scientists, clinicians, lab leaders, and procurement stakeholders.
Model customer‑first behavior by prioritizing scientific outcomes, workflow impact, and long‑term value creation.
Stay informed on life sciences market dynamics, emerging technologies, regulatory considerations, and competitive trends.
Represent the sales organization with credibility and integrity in customer meetings, conferences, and internal leadership forums.
Assesses, builds, leads, and manages an array of necessary channels capable of delivering on the company’s revenue and growth objectives.
Develops and executes processes in understanding voice of customer and competitive analysis, market needs to identify unserved markets, SWOT analysis for life science sub segments.

Benefits

Competitive compensation package
Comprehensive benefits (including health, dental vision and employee assistance program)
Employee Stock Purchase Plan Eligibility
401k with employer match
Tuition reimbursement
Wellness reimbursement
Paid time off
Annual paid volunteer day off
Fully climate-controlled environment
Professional growth opportunities