Director, Business Development - Development, Benelux (Remote) (All Genders)

Position Information

Business Development Director (Sales) to be responsible for driving new business growth and expanding existing client relationships for Drug Discovery & Pre-Clinical Development services. This role manages the full sales cycle from direct prospecting and lead qualification to contract closure while ensuring high levels of client satisfaction. The Sales Director works closely with Operations, Proposals and Marketing, to deliver tailored solutions that meet the needs of pharmaceutical and biotech clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Sales Growth
  • Work with the VP of Sales to drive the overall commercial strategy within the territory.
  • Establish Evotec as the partner of choice within the territory.
  • Maintain high visibility in the territory, spending ~40-50% of time client facing.
  • Focus on new client acquisition, identifying new business opportunities with biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
  • Manage the entire sales pipeline, including in territory prospecting, follow-up, client meetings, proposals, contract negotiation and closure.
  • Meet or exceed assigned sales targets and quarterly KPIs.
  • Maintain a robust and accurate pipeline within the CRM system.
• Client Relationship Management
  • Develop long-term relationships with key decision-makers in client organizations.
  • Conduct capability presentations, introductory calls/meetings, and needs-assessment meetings.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact during the pre-award phase and ensure a seamless handoff to Project Management post-award.
  • Manage selected accounts to encourage repeat business and identify cross-sell or upsell opportunities.
• Market Insight & Industry Engagement
  • Maintain awareness of CRO industry trends, competitive landscape, regulatory changes, and client R&D priorities.
  • Represent the organization at trade shows, conferences, events, and client site visits.
  • Provide market feedback to internal teams to support service/product development, commercial strategy, and pipeline planning.

Qualifications & Experience

• Essential
  • Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, business, or related field.
  • 5+ years of sales experience, ideally within a CRO, CDMO, biotech service provider, or pre-clinical research environment.
  • Proven track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets.
  • Broad understanding of the discovery and pre-clinical development process.
  • Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
  • Willingness to travel extensively (40%+).
• Desired
  • Established network within the biotech and/or pharmaceutical sectors.
  • Experience selling complex scientific or technical services.

Key Competencies

• Strong commercial and analytical skills
• Relationship building and client engagement
• Resilient, results-driven and self-motivated
• Excellent organization and time management skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively