Senior Director, Product and Market Strategy Genomics

Takara Bio—Home•San Jose, CA

10h•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director, Product and Market Strategy provides strategic leadership to accelerate global growth, innovation, and adoption of Takara Bio’s genomics portfolio, with strategic ownership of RNA-seq and DNA-seq Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) solutions. Blending deep technical expertise with senior cross-functional influence, this role defines multi-year market strategy, shapes portfolio priorities, and guides investment decisions aligned to corporate objectives, R&D strengths, and long-term growth, including expansion beyond basic research into translational and clinical research applications. The Senior Director leads the full product lifecycle, from phase gate alignment and go-to-market planning to portfolio prioritization and execution, while ensuring alignment across Product Management, R&D, Operations, Sales, and executive leadership. By translating scientific, customer, competitive, and market insights into action, this leader strengthens Takara Bio’s market impact and helps position the company at the forefront of genomics innovation. The Senior Director, Product and Market Strategy is an onsite role located in San Jose, CA. Approximately 30% travel and some international travel may be required.

Requirements

Requires a BA or BS degree; MS and/or PhD considered favorably.
Typically requires 14-18 years of experience in product marketing for life science or related markets, with 8-12 years of experience managing a team of marketing professionals and demonstrated experience leading senior-level contributors and/or managers.
Proven track record of successfully launching products in the life science market, including developing go-to-market strategies, coordinating cross-functional commercialization efforts, and driving market adoption and revenue growth.
Strong record of successfully identifying and engaging large research consortia, biobank networks, and clinical trial networks that require standardized, high-throughput NGS workflows
Proven success building and maintaining relationships with senior KOLs and principal investigators who influence technology adoption across multi-institutional programs.
Demonstrated success developing multi-year product roadmaps, portfolio strategies, and business plans to increase commercial growth, market impact, and organizational alignment.
Reputation as an established business leader with sustained performance, accomplishments, and measurable impact across teams and business priorities.
Demonstrated ability to manage external partnerships/collaborations.
Detailed and broad knowledge of genomics and NGS scientific disciplines, including RNA and DNA sequencing technologies, applications, sample preparation/workflows, chemistry, software/bioinformatics, market trends, and competitors.
Highly effective analytical, problem-solving, and judgment skills, with demonstrated ability to manage the work of other senior-level team members and influence decisions across functions.
Solid business acumen, understanding of product marketability, and how to design products that meet market requirements.
Collaborative team player who can build credibility and relationships across all functions and levels of the organization.
Must be detail-oriented and have strong organizational and time-management skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated proficiency in presenting.
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to think creatively.

Nice To Haves

Experience building market strategies that expand life science technologies from basic research use into translational and/or clinical research applications is preferred.

Responsibilities

Leads, develops, and mentors a team across multiple NGS product lines and/or market areas, overseeing product lifecycle, development timelines, resource allocation, and team capability building.
Collaborates with R&D Director(s), commercial leaders, and cross-functional teams to define and prioritize strategic product roadmaps aligned with market opportunity, corporate goals, resource availability, and long-range portfolio needs for the genomics portfolio, with particular focus on RNA-seq, DNA-seq, and related sequencing workflows.
Oversees strategic NGS product development priorities and guides the team through complex tradeoffs in RNA and DNA sequencing product development, including timelines, technical risks, vendors, shifting requirements, resource limitations, cost, and expected business impact.
Leverages the team's strengths and provides senior-level direction to ensure that product lifecycle decisions, including market research, NPVs, new product proposals, marketing requirements, go-to-market strategies, product launches, and sales enablement initiatives, are prioritized against strategic value, market potential, and stated deadlines.
Works cross-functionally with Takara Bio Product Management, R&D, Operations, commercial, and executive teams to bring product roadmaps to life, resolve strategic alignment issues, and implement corporate strategies that capitalize on Takara Bio's capabilities and technical strengths.
Uses product line reviews, post-launch assessments, and portfolio performance insights to recommend strategic shifts, investment priorities, and opportunities to accelerate growth.
Leads the commercial/business activities and strategic planning of one or more assigned market areas within the Marketing department through direct management of team members and accountability for broader portfolio-level outcomes, market positioning, and long-range growth strategy.
Serves as senior domain and market strategy expert for genomics and related market areas, translating current and future market trends, applications, competitive intelligence, customer needs, and industry dynamics across RNA-seq, DNA-seq, and broader sequencing technologies into clear strategic priorities, including opportunities to move NGS technologies from basic research into translational and clinical research applications.
Builds and oversees business cases and financial models for new strategic partnerships and collaborations, evaluating strategic fit and investment tradeoffs, and presents recommendations to Senior Management to gain approval/Go-No-Go decisions.
Provides the vision, rationale, and senior-level sponsorship for new/novel business opportunities that significantly expand the market for current NGS products or lead to new technologies/growth in new markets.
Aligns external opportunities with internal capabilities, portfolio strategy, and long-range business objectives to support innovation and growth.
Partners with Sales leadership to shape, align commercial priorities, align budgets and market development plans, and achieve sales targets across assigned product and market areas.
Develops tactical marketing plans and campaigns to drive lead generation and revenue.
Collaborates with other marketing and sales team members to develop product messaging and high-impact sales tools that clearly communicate advantages, applications, and differentiation for RNA-seq, DNA-seq, and related genomics technologies, including cue cards, brochures, application notes, and web and social media content.
Ensures delivery of market-focused training for internal teams and distributors and confirms that training supports broader commercial execution.
Analyzes campaign performance to improve ROI and explore new promotional channels.
Represents Takara Bio at industry events and technical meetings.