Midwest Account Executive

Position Overview:

The Midwest Sales Account Executive is a critical driver of sales revenue and growth for Rapid Micro Biosystems’ novel Growth Direct™ (GD) and automated quality control solutions. This role is responsible for developing new business and growing existing accounts within the Midwest North American territory, with a primary focus on high-value capital equipment sales to Pharmaceutical, Biologics, Medical Device, and Personal Care Products companies. The Account Executive will lead complex, consultative sales cycles, build relationships across technical and executive stakeholder groups, and develop compelling business cases that demonstrate the operational and financial value of Growth Direct™ technology. The role will also identify opportunities to expand system utilization, applications, services, and consumables within existing customer accounts. The successful candidate will be a highly motivated, collaborative sales professional with demonstrated success building territories, creating pipeline, and closing complex capital equipment transactions. This position reports directly to the Head of Regional Sales-Americas.

Responsibilities

Sales Activities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive territory plan to achieve or exceed growth targets by selling new Growth Direct™ instruments to new and existing customers within the Midwest North American Region.
• Build and maintain a robust pipeline of high-value capital equipment opportunities through proactive prospecting, account research, networking, referrals, and targeted outreach.
• Negotiate and close high-value capital equipment sales, including follow-on services and consumables.
• Grow and manage the sales pipeline, targeting 30+ accounts, while accurately forecasting customer progress and pending POs with quarterly success.
• Lead complex, consultative sales cycles involving multiple technical, operational, financial, and executive stakeholders.
• Educate prospective customers on Rapid Micro Biosystems, Growth Direct™ technology, and the operational advantages of fully automated microbial quality control.
• Assess customers’ current workflows, business priorities, and future-state objectives to identify opportunities for automation, process improvement, and broader adoption of Growth Direct™.
• Develop and present compelling financial and operational business cases, including ROI models, to support customer investment decisions.
• Provide technical expertise during the selling process to establish customer interest, qualify opportunities, facilitate product selection, and coordinate post-sale services.
• Develop and execute strategies to penetrate new markets and increase the adoption of Growth Direct™ and automated quality control solutions across target industries.
• Maintain a consistent field presence throughout the territory to develop customer relationships, advance opportunities, and create new business.

Customer Engagement

• Develop and maintain relationships with customers to support their adoption of GD technology, driving add-on instrument sales, expanded applications, increased system utilization, services, and consumables at current sites and throughout customer networks.
• Build relationships with key opinion leaders within the region and ensure they are knowledgeable about the technology.
• Engage customers as a consultative partner, developing an understanding of their microbial quality control processes, operational challenges, and business objectives.
• Sell to multiple stakeholders (up to 12) with varying interests and objectives inside the QC lab, Manufacturing/Operations, Finance, and executive suite to build executive sponsors and organizational alignment.
• Establish relationships at the laboratory level while expanding engagement to VP-level and executive decision-makers.
• Lead customers through the change-management process associated with adopting automated microbial quality control workflows.
• Identify opportunities within existing accounts for additional Growth Direct™ systems, broader testing applications, increased utilization, and consumables growth.

Internal Collaboration

• Coordinate with Support teams (Applications, Validation, Services) to support pre-sales and post-sales activities.
• Collaborate extensively with other Account Executives, Product Management, Applications, Validation, Service, and other internal stakeholders throughout the sales process.
• Partner with commercial leadership and internal subject-matter experts to develop account strategies, conduct customer meetings, and advance complex opportunities.
• Share customer insights, market intelligence, competitive information, and successful selling practices across the commercial organization.
• Actively participate in sales training, enablement programs, and ongoing development tied to the company’s sales methodology.

Administrative Duties

• Participate in regular forecasting meetings, maintain accurate Salesforce pipeline and activity logs, conduct 1:1 calls with leadership, join team pipeline calls, and manage monthly expenses.
• Maintain accurate and timely account plans, opportunity stages, next steps, customer activity, and projected close dates.
• Provide clear visibility into territory performance, pipeline health, potential risks, and support needed to advance opportunities.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of documented success in high value capital sales (capital equipment), ideally in life sciences, pharmaceutical, medical device, or regulated industries. Experience must include closing complex deals with long sales cycles (6-18 months) and managing large pipelines of high-value opportunities.
• Experience selling into highly regulated, GMP environments.
• Proficiency in Salesforce or similar CRM platforms.
• BS/BA degree in a science field or equivalent experience in life sciences preferred; MBA, MSc, or advanced degree also preferred.
• Candidates without demonstrated high value capital sales experience will not be considered.
• Knowledge of industrial microbiology lab (QC) environment while selling capital equipment and pull-through disposables is a plus.

Competencies

• Lead/manage relationships to achieve sales goals and long-term product placement.
• Possess or develop clinical/technical knowledge and become a technical expert in the industry.
• Sell as a consultant, relaying market trends and overcoming complex workflow challenges for customers.
• Communicate effectively, clearly articulating key selling messages and value propositions to all stakeholders.
• Manage complex projects, prioritize competing requests, and accomplish goals.
• Identify, evaluate, and implement opportunities for improvement.
• Understand financial ROI models and position ROI data effectively in the sales cycle.
• Outstanding presentation skills and ability to deliver compelling sales messages.
• Self-awareness, EQ, and IQ with a track record of success in complex capital sales environments.
• Understand market and client dynamics; create winning strategies and tactics to increase exposure for Growth Direct™ in target accounts and customer networks.
• Work closely with peers who may also be calling on the same customer targets in different geographies.

Travel Requirements

• Up to 50% travel required to client site locations weekly. Quarterly to bi-annual travel to the Boston area for internal sales meetings and tradeshows.