At Azenta, new ideas, new technologies and new ways of thinking are driving our future. Our customer focused culture encourages employees to embrace innovation and challenge the status quo with novel thinking and collaborative work relationships.

All we accomplish is grounded in our core values of Customer Focus, Achievement, Accountability, Teamwork, Employee Value and Integrity

Job Description

Azenta Life Sciences is dedicated to enabling life sciences organizations around the world to bring impactful breakthroughs and therapies to market – faster. They provide a full suite of reliable cold-chain sample management solutions and genomic services across areas such as drug development, clinical research and advanced cell therapies for the industry's top pharmaceutical, biotech, academic, and healthcare institutions globally.

Azenta encapsulates their commitment to helping customers reach new heights in their pursuit of scientific progress. By integrating their industry-leading capabilities, Azenta Life Sciences enterprise-wide sample exploration and management solutions will accelerate discovery, development and delivery, with greater speed and precision. At Azenta, they strive to keep elevating each other, their customers’ work and their industry – building a healthier world for people everywhere.

How You’ll Add Value

As Senior Director Commercial EMEA, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for the Consumables & Instruments (C&I) commercial organization across the region. You will be accountable for sustainable revenue growth, profitability, market share, and customer performance across direct and indirect channels. Reporting to the VP of Sales EMEA & APAC, you will lead a multi-country sales organization and build the capabilities, operating discipline, and partnerships required to deliver the EMEA growth strategy.

You will define and execute the EMEA commercial strategy for the C&I portfolio, align regional priorities with global business objectives, and partner across functions to strengthen customer value, commercial effectiveness, and long-term growth. As a senior commercial leader, you will represent EMEA in global planning and decision-making forums and ensure strong execution in line with Azenta Life Sciences’ mission, vision, and core values.

Location: EU/UK, with regular access to a major Azenta office, preferably in Germany or the United Kingdom, and the ability to travel frequently across the region.

What You’ll Do

• Own the EMEA commercial strategy and commercial operating plan for the C&I portfolio, delivering revenue, margin, market share, and customer-retention objectives.

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing, multi-country sales organization, building a strong leadership pipeline and a culture of accountability, collaboration, and customer focus.

• Translate global business priorities into differentiated regional go-to-market strategies across direct sales, channel partners, key accounts, and market segments.

• Drive disciplined commercial execution through robust forecasting, pipeline governance, territory and resource allocation, pricing, and performance management.

• Build executive-level relationships with strategic customers, partners, and industry stakeholders, acting as a senior escalation point and champion for customer success.

• Strengthen and optimize the EMEA channel ecosystem, including partner selection, performance governance, capability development, and market coverage.

• Partner with global and regional leaders across marketing, product management, service, operations, finance, legal, supply chain, and human resources to remove barriers and accelerate growth.

• Provide market, competitor, customer, and portfolio insights to influence product strategy, investment decisions, demand planning, and commercial priorities.

• Lead commercial transformation and continuous-improvement initiatives, using data and digital tools to improve productivity, customer engagement, and decision quality.

• Represent EMEA in global leadership forums, communicate business performance and risks clearly, and ensure timely decisions and follow-through across the organization.

• Set the benchmark for personal ownership and continuous learning, proactively sharing best practices and building scalable commercial capabilities across the EMEA organization.

Success in this role will be measured by delivery of the EMEA revenue and profitability plan, improved forecast accuracy and pipeline quality, stronger strategic-customer engagement, increased channel effectiveness, and development of a sustainable commercial leadership pipeline.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, engineering, business, or a related discipline; an MBA or equivalent advanced qualification is preferred.

• In-depth progressive commercial experience in life sciences, laboratory technologies, diagnostics, or a related sector, including substantial experience leading geographically dispersed teams and senior sales leaders.

• Demonstrated success leading a complex EMEA business across direct-sales and distributor or channel-partner models, including partner selection, performance management, and market-coverage optimization, while delivering sustained growth against demanding revenue and profitability targets.

• Strong understanding of customer and market dynamics across biopharma, biotechnology, biobanking, academic research, healthcare, and other relevant life-science segments, together with experience commercializing consumables, laboratory instruments, or related workflow solutions.

• Proven ability to set strategy, translate it into executable priorities, and drive consistent performance through leaders and teams.

• Executive presence and credibility, with experience managing complex negotiations and developing senior relationships with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders.

• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including forecasting, pricing, portfolio prioritization, resource allocation, and business-case development.

• Track record of recruiting, retaining, coaching, and developing diverse talent and succession pipelines across countries and cultures.

• Data-driven and digitally fluent, with strong command of CRM platforms such as Salesforce and the ability to establish rigorous commercial-management routines.

• Excellent written and verbal English; additional European languages are advantageous.

• Ability to operate effectively in a matrixed, international, fast-paced growth environment and to lead through change and ambiguity.

• Strong alignment with Azenta’s values, with a collaborative, inclusive, and results-oriented leadership style.

Working Conditions/ Schedule

Regular in-person customer engagement is essential to this role. The successful candidate must be willing and able to travel frequently across EMEA and internationally, typically up to 50%, to maintain close relationships with strategic customers, support key opportunities, and respond to business needs.

What We Offer

• Become part of a company that contributes to groundbreaking scientific developments and therapies.

• Positive company culture and strong teamwork across all locations.

• Individual development opportunities to strengthen your international competencies and language skills.

• Attractive workplace in Griesheim with excellent transport connections.

• 30 days of annual leave to support a healthy work-life balance.

• Company car.

• Partnership with pme Familienservice to support employees in all life situations.

• Additional benefits include a stock purchase program, life insurance, company pension scheme, profit sharing, five additional childcare sick days, and a corporate benefits online shopping platform.

If any applicant is unable to complete an application or respond to a job opening because of a disability, please email at [email protected] for assistance. 

Azenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This company considers candidates regardless of race, color, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.