Principal Business Development Manager Pharma

Overview

We are seeking a dynamic, strategic, and results driven Business Development Manager to join our team. The ideal candidate will drive growth and expand market presence for bioanalytical solutions across academic institutions, government research labs, core facilities, non‑profit research centres, CROs and Pharma Discovery Labs.

This role places strong emphasis on communicating the value of LC‑MS–based and flow cytometry bioanalytical endpoints to diverse scientific communities. You will collaborate closely with regional sales and marketing teams, develop targeted commercial plans for academic and research markets, and build trusted relationships with institutional stakeholders, PIs, core directors, and scientific staff.

This is a remote position, with flexibility to work from any location in the US ( with preference to west coast US)

Responsibilities

Lead Generation & Market Expansion

• Identify and pursue new business opportunities across academic departments, shared resource facilities, government labs, and pharma research organizations.
• Generate and qualify leads through scientific networking, campus visits, conferences, workshops, and digital outreach.

Sales Funnel Management

• Develop and execute strategies to broaden adoption of bioanalytical technologies in research-intensive organisations.
• Maintain an accurate sales pipeline and provide reliable forecasting for the target customer segment.

Sales Support

• Collaborate with regional sales and marketing teams to convert academic and research opportunities into orders.
• Support the sales process through technical presentations, workflow discussions, demonstrations, and proposal/quote negotiation.

Tactical Sales Planning

• Develop and implement sales plans tailored to academic funding cycles, grant landscapes, and institutional priorities.
• Set and monitor target performance to ensure goals aligned with the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) are achieved or exceeded.

Sales Enablement

• Deliver remote and in person‑ training for sales and marketing teams focused on academic bioanalytical workflows, research applications, and adoption drivers.
• Provide tools, content, and positioning strategies designed specifically for academic and government research environments.

Sales & Marketing Initiatives

• Use virtual platforms, academic seminar programs, webinars, and outreach events to expand awareness and build the funnel in academic and pharmaceutical discovery markets
• Create and execute promotional initiatives aligned with academic research trends and institutional needs.

Customer Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong, long term‑ relationships with principal investigators, lab managers, core directors, and research administration.
• Collect and communicate customer insights, research challenges, and success stories to guide commercial strategy.
• Ensure exceptional customer service to support recurring business and long‑term partnerships.

Sales Reporting & Analysis

• Provide regular updates on performance, market dynamics, grant trends, and customer feedback to the Pharma Program Lead.
• Use data-driven insights to adjust strategies and maximize success in the target customer segment.

Technical Expertise

• Maintain a strong working knowledge of quantitative and qualitative LC‑MS, flow cytometry, and complementary analytical technologies.
• Communicate technical and workflow advantages effectively to scientific audiences with varying levels of expertise.

Product Development Input

• Capture feedback from researchers, core facility staff, and field sales teams to support ongoing refinement of bioanalytical solutions.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner with sales, marketing, product management, and the broader Waters Analytical Science  business segment to deliver cohesive, research-focused solutions to customers.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in a lifescience related‑ field.
• An MBA or a Master’s/PhD in a scientific discipline is highly advantageous.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of experience in sales or business development serving academic, government, or pharmaceutical scientific markets.
• Demonstrated ability to assess research needs and translate them into effective commercial strategies.
• Proficiency with Salesforce CRM and business analytics tools for managing pipelines, forecasting, and account planning, as well as Microsoft Office suite.

Skills and Abilities

Strategic Sales & Marketing

• Ability to identify, target, and engage high value‑ research institutions and Pharmaceutical Discovery customers.
• Skilled in developing marketing strategies tailored to academic research cycles and organizational structures.

Networking & Relationship Management

• Proven ability to build long-term relationships across universities, core facilities, research institutes, and Pharmaceutical Discovery labs.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills that enable connection with researchers, Lab Directors and internal teams.

Analytical & Negotiation Skills

• Strong analytical mindset to interpret scientific trends, grant funding patterns, and organisational priorities.
• Effective negotiation skills for instrument sales, multi-group purchases, and service or workflow agreements.

Communication & Presentation

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to clearly present complex scientific solutions.
• Creative self-starter who can design and execute impactful customer engagement programs.
• Ability to motivate and influence cross-functional teams.

Technical Expertise

• Deep understanding of liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and flow cytometry as applied to academic, Pharmaceutical Discovery and translational research.
• Ability to communicate research applications, workflow integration, and value propositions to diverse scientific audiences.

Travel Requirement

• Willingness to travel up to 50% for campus visits, seminars, conferences, customer meetings, and team activities.

Reporting Line

• Reports directly to the Pharma lead within the LCMS Business Segment in the Analytical Sciences Division

Company Description

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, our innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology. We collaborate with customers around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, ensure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combating antibiotic resistance. Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, our passionate team of ~16,000 colleagues turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide. 

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our core values at Waters Corporation. It benefits our employees, our products, our customers and our community. Waters complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Waters is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All hiring decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

Key Words

Business Development Academic Research Pharma Discovery LC‑MS Mass Spectrometry Bioanalytical Flow Cytometry Core Facility Scientific Sales Drug Discovery