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Description
We are seeking a Commercial Manager with a strong technical background in industrial-scale chromatography operations within the food and/or pharmaceutical sectors. This role blends commercial strategy with hands-on technical expertise to identify growth opportunities, develop strategic partnerships, and support customers implementing large-scale purification and separation processes.
The ideal candidate has direct experience operating or supporting industrial chromatography columns (e.g., SMB, simulated moving bed, packed-bed, or continuous chromatography systems) and can translate technical capabilities into commercial value for customers in bioprocessing, food ingredient purification, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Requirements
Accountable Functions and Responsibilities:
Business Development & Market Growth
- Identify and develop new business opportunities in food processing, nutraceuticals, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Build and maintain relationships with process engineers, Operations Team, TSE teams, and plant manager
- Develop market strategies for extraction and chromatography-based separation technologies and related services.
- Manage the full sales lifecycle from lead generation and qualification to proposal development and contract closure.
- Represent the company at industry conferences, trade shows, and technical events.
Operational Management
- Equipment and process owner responsible for design, set-up, and optimization of the extraction and purification operations in Building 3
- Oversee and manage operations teams to complete commercial trials on the extraction and purification equipment
- Working collaboratively with the Building 3 Plant Manager, ensure the extraction and purification operations is run to optimize output without compromising employee Health and Safety or Product Quality
Technical Engagement
- Serve as a technical-commercial liaison between customers and internal engineering/process teams.
- Support customers in evaluating chromatography solutions for purification, fractionation, and ingredient isolation.
- Provide guidance on scale-up, column operation, resin selection, and process optimization.
- Assist with pilot trials, feasibility studies, and process demonstrations.
- Translate operational insights into customer value propositions and ROI analyses.
Strategic Collaboration
- Work closely with process engineering, R&D, and product management to align customer needs with product development.
- Contribute to the development of new applications in food ingredients, APIs, and bioproduct purification.
- Provide market intelligence and competitive insights to leadership.
Job Metrics (Measurements of Success):
- Safety Incident rate
- New Revenue growth in separation projects
- Qualified Pipeline Value
- Pilot Trials Initiated
- 360 feedback from peers and co-workers
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Food Science, or a related technical discipline.
- 5+ years of experience in industrial chromatography operations, process engineering, or technical sales in food, biotech, or pharmaceutical industries.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience operating or supporting industrial-scale chromatography columns, including system setup, troubleshooting, and process optimization.
- Strong understanding of chromatographic separations, resins, and scale-up considerations.
- Proven ability to develop and close business opportunities in technical or capital equipment environments.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to commercial and executive audiences.
- Technical credibility in industrial separations and purification technologies
- Strategic business development and opportunity management
- Customer relationship building and consultative selling
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Analytical and problem-solving skills
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with continuous or simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography systems.
- Background in bioprocessing, protein purification, sugar purification, amino acids, organic acids, or nutraceutical ingredients.
- Familiarity with GMP environments and regulatory considerations in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- MBA or additional training in business, marketing, or commercialization.
- Experience managing strategic accounts or long sales cycles for industrial process equipment.