Head of Sales Specialist - Discovery Solutions, Life Science, India

Role overview

Head of Sales Specialist - Discovery Solutions, Life Science, India at Merck

Lead and mentor the Sales Specialist function, ensuring high-quality scientific and technical support to the sales force and customers across India.

Responsibilities

• Work Your Magic with us!
• Provide strategic technical guidance to Sales Directors and Franchise Leads to secure, design, and position discovery solutions effectively.
• Oversee and develop two direct reports: Lead for Analytical Chemistry and Lead for Biology; set clear goals, coaching plans, and performance metrics.
• Develop and maintain robust technical playbooks, objection handling, proof-of-concept (POC) frameworks, and demonstrator tactics aligned with franchise portfolios.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Field Sales, Global Discovery Solutions teams, and Portfolio leads to translate complex science into customer value propositions and competitive differentiators.
• Drive technical training programs for the sales team, including onboarding, ongoing education, certifications, and field coaching on product capabilities, workflow integration, and regulatory considerations.
• Represent India technical voice in regional Discovery Solutions leadership forums; contribute to global best practices and standardization of technical enablement.
• Lead coordination for trials, pilots, and customer-facing demonstrations; champion best practices for evaluating and communicating ROI and total cost of ownership.
• Ensure adherence to ethics, privacy, and data protection standards in all customer interactions and technical engagements.
• Partner with Regulatory, Compliance, and Quality teams to ensure all technical activities meet applicable laws and standards.
• Manage the local budget for technical enablement, customer demonstrations, and related activities; track ROI and cost per engagement.
• Monitor and report on key metrics such as response times to technical inquiries, win rate influenced by technical support, quality of technical handoffs, and customer satisfaction.
• Maintain relationships with thought leaders in the Science & Lab Solution space; engage in special projects as assigned.
• Experience & Qualifications.
• Proven experience in a technical support, solutions scientist, or field-based scientific enablement role within a life sciences or pharmaceutical context.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with direct reports and cross-functional collaboration.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product, and Compliance teams.
• CRM and enablement tools familiarity (e.g., Salesforce).
• Prior exposure to India or South Asia markets with regulatory understanding.

Preferred qualifications and skills

• Essential: Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Biology, Life Sciences, or related field; advanced degree (PhD/Master’s) preferred. 8–12 years of hands-on scientific/technical experience in life sciences, chemistry, analytics, or related Discovery Solutions domains.
• Desirable: Experience with discovery solutions portfolios, scientific data services, or analytical instrumentation.

Employment details

• Location: Bangalore [Karnataka] [India]

Benefits

• We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences.
• We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology.
• We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace.
• Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!
• Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!

Additional role details

• Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more?
• We know you’ve got big plans – so do we!
• Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics.
• Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet.
• That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.
• Role Purpose.
• Accountable for leading and elevating the technical and scientific support provided to the sales team across India for Discover Solutions.
• This newly formed role combines deep scientific expertise with strategic enablement to accelerate customer engagement, solution adoption, and win rates across multiple franchises (Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Biology, Instruments, etc.).
• Own the development and execution of technical enablement programs, site-level support excellence, and cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Marketing, Product, and Compliance.