Position: Field Applications Scientist I, EMEA

Position Type: Full-Time

Department: Scientific Support

Location: DACH region (Germany / Austria / Switzerland). Remote. Must be close to a major airport (within 50 kms).

Experience: MS required; 4+ years experience in a Field Applications role 

Position Summary

Watchmaker Genomics (WMG) is inviting applications for the full-time position of Field Applications Scientist I, EMEA (remote) based in the DACH region.

This position reports to the Associate Director, Field and Automation Support and will be mainly responsible for providing field technical support for Watchmaker’s Next-Gen Sequencing (NGS) and precision enzyme product portfolios. This position will support the EMEA technical team by providing pre- and post-sales technical and scientific support, including presenting technical content to customers and distributors, co-travel with sales team members, attending and/or presenting at conferences and assisting with various marketing activities. This position is field based, with up to 75% travel within EMEA (potential for international travel outside EMEA). 

Prior experience with providing field application support is required. The successful candidate will be self-motivated, proactive, and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced working environment contributing directly to our company culture and success.

The position is expected to have a deep technical understanding of our current product portfolio, maintain knowledge of current and new NGS products, workflows-associated applications, competitor products and NGS automation support offerings, and identify and escalate changes in the market dynamics. This position is also accountable for providing customer feedback on WMG products, in addition to identifying unmet customer needs that will enable the development of new and innovative products.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for providing pre- and post-sales technical and scientific support, both onsite and remote, for customers and distributors across WMG’s NGS and precision enzyme product portfolio. 
• EMEA-based travel (up to 75%) activities including co-travel with sales team members, meetings with key customers, providing training and troubleshooting, and participating in trade shows/conferences. Possible opportunity for further international travel.
• Provides deep product knowledge to solve customer challenges. Triages issues, troubleshoots investigations, and identifies solutions.
• Creation of training material, and presenting technical content to new or current customers or distributors.
• Inform and implement processes as a part of our EMEA-field based scientific support organization.
• Maintain expert-level knowledge of current and new NGS products and workflows, our precision enzyme portfolio and associated applications, competitor products and NGS automation support offerings. 
• Provide customer and market feedback on WMG products; Identify and communicate unmet customer needs that will aid in the development of new and innovative products.
• Work closely with the commercial team to identify and support collaborations with leading research institutions and industry partners to accelerate the sales cycle, including both pre-sales and post-sales troubleshooting. 
• Support marketing activities including generation of customer-facing technical content (i.e. posters, app/tech notes, white papers, webinars) as well as participating in and presenting at trade shows/conferences.
• Participate in sales, marketing, and product strategy meetings when appropriate. 
• Follow best practices and documentation requirements for customer-related activities and events in CRM.
• Additional duties as required within the remit and responsibilities of the role.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Relevant experience providing field-based applications support for next-generation sequencing (NGS) experiments and/or other advanced genomics applications. Relevant experience includes working in high-throughput sequencing labs developing, optimizing and troubleshooting NGS workflows both manually and on automated platforms and managing large sequencing projects. 

Qualified candidates will have a proactive approach with a can-do attitude, and be great communicators with a high level of self-motivation. Candidates will also have a strong desire to continually improve, learn and collaborate to help WMG stay at the forefront of exciting new applications spaces. Candidates will be able to demonstrate a high standard experience to our customer base, excel in the art of troubleshooting, and take ownership and pride in their work.

Candidates will have the courage to initiate discussions with customers to challenge the current "status quo" and have the confidence to drive change and adoption of new concepts. Full product training will be provided.

The following skills and experience are requirements for the position:

• MSc in Genetics, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry or related field
• 4+ Years experience within NGS field applications 
• Advanced knowledge of and practical experience with experimental design, applications/assay development, NGS library preparation, PCR, qPCR, good lab practices, and troubleshooting. Automation knowledge of NGS assays is a plus. 
• Ability to travel up to 75% of time 
• Strong customer consultative skills which includes application of scientific knowledge and analysis, exceptional customer engagement, and fostering of customer relationships
• High self-motivation and must have demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative team environment
• Experience with CRM software (particularly Salesforce.com) highly desirable
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Fluent in English (required), multiple languages is a plus (German, preferred)

Application Requirements 

To apply for the position, please submit the following in a PDF format on watchmakergenomics.com: 

• Letter of motivation (upload where it says cover letter)
• Resume or Curriculum vitae, highlighting relevant qualifications and experience

Applications without a Letter of Motivation will not be considered.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and the position will remain open until filled; however, early submission is encouraged as review will begin immediately.

If selected to participate in the interview process, the names and contact information of three professional references who are able to assess your suitability for the position in terms of the specified requirements will be requested.

*** NO RECRUITMENT AGENCIES PLEASE

We are only accepting direct applications for this position. We are not working with external recruiters or agencies at this time. Unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from third-party recruiters will not be considered and will be deemed the property of Watchmaker Genomics.

*** WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

Watchmaker Genomics is committed to being an equal opportunity employer and creating a culturally diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability status, age, or veteran status or any other characteristics as protected by applicable law..

This position may be subject to pre-employment checks, including driving history check, drug screening and a background check for any convictions directly related to its duties and responsibilities. All pre-employment checks will comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Position: Commercial Development Manager

Position Type: Sales

Department: OEM /CGS Sales

Location: UK preferred, other locations in EU near major airports considered

Experience: BS with 5 - 10 years relevant experience

Position Summary

Watchmaker is inviting applications for the full-time position of Commercial Development Manager, based in western Europe. This position reports to the Vice President of Commercial Development and will be responsible for driving sales growth via OEM partnerships across the company’s genomics product portfolio with an emphasis on NGS solutions and engineered enzyme systems for diagnostic applications.

The successful candidate will thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced working environment and contribute directly to our company culture and success. 

The position provides an opportunity to expand relationships with existing partners, as well as develop new Watchmaker commercial partnerships with cutting-edge technology developers driving exciting new applications in a rapidly evolving industry. 

Responsibilities

• Maintain existing accounts and relationships within the segment. Build relationships with customer product development teams to secure business continuity through new iterations of customer products.
• Expand business at existing accounts through a keen understanding of NGS  & Molecular Diagnostic workflows and assays, including and associated enzymology
• Initiate contact with new prospects to understand priorities,  identify pain points and develop strategies to address prospects’ business needs, building long term relationships to enable Watchmaker early access to evolving assay development requirements
• Astutely deliver Watchmaker’s strong value proposition to new prospects via in person meetings and video conferences - both conversationally and with custom tailored presentations to communicate key differentiators based on customer needs 
• Develop a territory business plan including strategic target account priorities to penetrate and establish new key accounts
• Anticipate key trends in the market and industry and provide feedback on lucrative portfolio expansion opportunities
• Lead the discovery and sales process and manage expectations to ensure that the new client’s needs and expectations around product and customizations are being met throughout the entire engagement via continued communication with both the client and internal teams.
• Work closely with custom development team to establish feasibility and develop effective custom proposals for simple pack size customization, private label, and more complex custom development deals
• Follow effective sales process within CRM to maximize close rate and drive strong revenue growth within the territory; conduct live QBRs with key clients on a routine basis
• Maintain an accurate forecast of both revenue and product demand across the territory
• Respond to RFPs, tenders, write quotations,  supply agreements, and other contractual agreements
• Co-manage custom projects through to completion through collaboration with customers and Watchmaker’s internal custom team to establish and execute on custom product specifications
• Ability to travel ~ 40% to customer sites, conferences, and trade shows
• Other duties as assigned

Please note: The above responsibilities are not exhaustive and other similar duties may be required from time to time.

Skills and Requirements

The candidate should have at minimum a BS in molecular biology, biochemistry or a related discipline, with at least five (5) years of relevant OEM sales experience selling DNA and RNA modifying enzymes and kits into commercial accounts such as NGS platform and tool developers,  IVD Kit developers, and other B2B/OEM scenarios. Broad technical knowledge of DNA- and RNA-modifying enzymes and NGS technology is a requirement.  Experience in start-up environments is highly desirable.

The following skills and experience are requirements for the position:

• Excellent investigative skills to uncover key client pain points and needs, as well identify emerging market trends and opportunities to customize solutions
• Expert, creative negotiation skills, familiarity with complex commercial agreements
• Ability to navigate complex commercial relationships to a successful outcome
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and an ability to work collaboratively as an effective member of a team 
• Mastery of Watchmaker’s unique value proposition
• Knowledge of ISO13485 quality standards and high level understanding of regulatory framework governing LDTs, IVD, and IVD-R
• Excellent organizational and task management skills with acute attention to detail
• Ability to multitask and maintain a high standard, perform consistently under pressure
• Self motivated with strong initiative to deliver on a territory plan while maintaining positive, collaborative working internal relationships
• A creative yet disciplined approach to problem-solving
• Competent in Google Suite, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Salesforce 

Education and Experience

• BS with minimum 5 years genomics industry experience selling into commercial accounts

Application Requirements 

To apply for the position, please submit the following in a PDF format on watchmakergenomics.com: 

• Letter of motivation (upload where it says cover letter)
• Resume or Curriculum vitae, highlighting relevant qualifications and experience

Applications without a Letter of Motivation will not be considered. 

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and the position will remain open until filled; however, early submission is encouraged as review will begin immediately.

If selected to participate in the interview process, the names and contact information of three professional references who are able to assess your suitability for the position in terms of the specified requirements will be requested.

*** NO RECRUITMENT AGENCIES PLEASE

We are only accepting direct applications for this position. We are not working with external recruiters or agencies at this time. Unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from third-party recruiters will not be considered and will be deemed the property of Watchmaker Genomics.

*** WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

Watchmaker Genomics is committed to being an equal opportunity employer and creating a culturally diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability status, age, or veteran status or any other characteristics as protected by applicable law..

This position may be subject to pre-employment checks, including driving history check, drug screening and a background check for any convictions directly related to its duties and responsibilities. All pre-employment checks will comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.