VP of Sales

Gator Bio is a growth-stage bioanalytical company with a strong team and amazing products. We are executing the plan to build a leading brand in the life science tool business. Our first product line consists of fiber optic biosensor solutions to accelerate and simplify therapeutic development, life science research, and biomarker discovery. Gator Bio’s customers include pharma, biopharma, biotech, CRO’s, CDMO’s, and academic research labs. We sell to North America, APAC, and Europe.

We are looking for an experienced executive, well-versed in the life science tool business, to join the senior management team and lead our global sales efforts. This position will be based at our headquarters in Palo Alto, California and will require domestic and international travel more than 60%.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the sales teams in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific (excluding China) under a single global operating cadence, forecast process, and pricing discipline.
• Lead the Field Application Scientist (FAS) and Field Service Engineer (FSE) teams, integrating the commercial and technical field functions into one accountable organization.
• Develop the global sales strategy and translate it into an executable annual and quarterly sales plan, with clear regional targets, quotas, and territory design.
• Develop, implement, and execute a sales plan to sell capital equipment and consumables to pharma, biopharma, biotech, CRO, CDMO, and academic research customers.
• Own the global revenue number, with separate visibility into instrument placements and biosensor consumables pull-through.
• Create accurate sales forecasts and deliver forecast accuracy that withstands investor, auditor, and Board scrutiny.
• Own and optimize the CRM as the single source of commercial truth, enforcing data hygiene and adoption across every region.
• Define and enforce the sales process, including qualification criteria, stage definitions, demonstration and evaluation protocols, and close plans.
• Manage the sales funnel end to end — top-of-funnel volume, stage conversion, cycle time, and win/loss analysis — and act on leading indicators before they become missed quarters.
• Build a qualified prospect base, with the goal of closing sales to meet revenue targets.
• Lead, coach, and mentor sales team members to achieve both company and personal goals; motivate the team, track performance, and report metrics.
• Provide hands-on support to sales representatives, including joint customer visits, deal structuring, obstacle removal, and personally closing strategic opportunities.
• Build sales enablement capability, including onboarding, product and application training, competitive positioning, objection handling, and pricing guardrails.
• Develop and manage global distribution channels; determine the direct-versus-distributor mix by region and hold partners accountable to performance.
• Secure new contracts with customers, manage ongoing contracts, write proposals, and negotiate new deals.
• Work with Marketing to strengthen the Gator Bio brand, build market awareness, and generate qualified leads; own the definition of a qualified lead and close the loop on lead quality.
• Promote the company brand by writing articles, posting on social media, and attending conferences and trade shows to generate leads and expand the customer base.
• Partner with Manufacturing and Supply Chain on demand forecasting, lead times, and instrument and consumable availability to meet market commitments.
• Partner with Quality on customer complaints, field corrective actions, and product reliability feedback.
• Partner with Finance on pricing, discount governance, revenue recognition, and commercial reporting.
• Develop, manage, and control the sales department budget across global markets.
• Identify market trends and customer needs, and feed structured voice-of-customer input back to Product and R&D.
• Coordinate efforts and activities with other departments, including Customer Success and Marketing.
• Communicate regularly with the CEO on progress, difficulties, problems, and solutions.
• Work with the executive team to grow the company’s value.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability to lead global sales and support teams to achieve $50-million and higher annual revenue.

• 10+ years’ experience as a sales leader with a proven track record of growing the business at double digit growth rate.

• Hands-on sales experience in life sciences analytical tool space.

• Understanding of SPR, BLI, and molecular interaction techniques preferred.

• Knowledge of analytical technologies for antibodies, proteins, small molecules, and CGT.

• Demonstrated ability to meet sales forecasts and generate healthy revenue stream.

• Experience in building and improving process and data driven sales system.

• Leadership skills with outstanding communication, interpersonal, and customer service skills.

• Planning, organizational, and creative thinking skills.

• Strategic thinker and entrepreneurial spirit.

• Working with Marketing and other departments to achieve sales objectives.

• Experience in leading the FAS and FSE teams.

• Hands-on with CRM technologies and tools.

• Degree in scientific and technical fields preferred.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to lift, push, pull, carry, and/or move up to 30 lbs
• This role will require long periods of standing, walking, and sitting
• The employee will be required to use hands for computer and mobile device work
• Preferred location in Bay Area.
• Must be able to travel nationally and internationally
• Must pass a health screening.