Key Account Manager - Biotech Pharma

About the role

How many companies can say they have been in business for over 178 years?! Here at ZEISS, we certainly can! As the pioneers of science, ZEISS handles the ever-changing environments in a fast-paced world, meeting it with cutting edge technologies and continuous advancements. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change. We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. We are a global company with over 42,000 employees and have over 4,000 in the US and Canada alone! Make a difference, come join the team! Location: Montreal (QC), Toronto (ON), or Vancouver (BC). Coverage Area: National responsibility across all Canadian provinces and territories. What's the role? The Key Account Manager is a high-impact technical sales role focused on expanding into new Biotech, Pharma, and Industrial accounts via consultative selling and delivering end-to-end solutions. You will drive growth by identifying and winning new business opportunities while simultaneously serving as the strategic lead for an existing portfolio to ensure long-term retention and revenue expansion. Success requires understanding of industry applications, building new accounts, strong product knowledge and exceptional customer support to meet sales targets and foster long-term relationships in the industry. Creative problem solving, tenacity, team player, self-motivation, skilled negotiation, time management, interpersonal skills and leadership are a few traits for success in this role. Sound Interesting? Here's what you'll do: Strategic Market Growth & Prospecting Proactively identify, prospect, and qualify new business opportunities within Biotech, Pharmaceutical, Pre-clinical, CRO, and R&D sectors through outbound outreach, networking, and industry research. Conduct discovery sessions to uncover prospect pain points; deliver tailored presentations demonstrating ROI on key applications such as high-content screening, drug discovery, 3D cellular imaging, and super-resolution microscopy. Deliver high-impact technical presentations to Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), Lab Managers, and Procurement heads, on key solutions, services and capabilities focused on how advanced automated microscopy reduces Time to Market (TTM). Monitor industry trends and competitor activity to identify emerging market segments and refine the value proposition for the CRO market, specifically focusing on data reproducibility and multi-site scalability. Lead the end-to-end sales cycle for capital equipment and microscopy-as-a-service solutions, including Request For Purchase responses and complex contract negotiations. The ZEISS Sales Process (ZSP) & Technical Execution Utilize ZSP and Challenger Sales techniques to qualify opportunities and disrupt the status quo . Own the Information Gathering phase: assessing customer needs, budgets, and timelines across the entire portfolio (product, application, and functionality). Maintain full responsibility for sales while leading by influence to ensure team effectiveness when collaborating with Product and Applications Sales Specialists (PASS) on complex system sales. Drive the sales motion from lead response through Information Sharing and final closure, utilizing both in-lab and remote/online presentation platforms. Operational Excellence & Account Management Serve as the primary technical and commercial liaison for established accounts, ensuring imaging systems remain optimized for regulatory-compliant workflows (e.g., GMP/GLP). Demonstrate a high sense of urgency by responding to new leads within 24 hours and ensuring all CRM data is converted or disqualified within seven days. Maintain rigorous CRM hygiene to ensure the sales funnel is current and forecasting is accurate for the Head of Sales. Prioritize high-touch relationship building through maximal face-to-face interaction (target 75% onsite presence), engaging not only with end-users but also with procurement, supervisors, and key decision-influencers. Internal Collaboration & Logistics Generate technically accurate quotes and proposals that align with customer application demands while maximizing value. Partner with Sales Support and Logistics to streamline order booking and system delivery. Coordinate with Service stakeholders to manage successful installations for systems, ensuring the Customer Acceptance Certificate is secured prior to training. Ensure administrative precision by completing the (Customer Perfect Order) form within 30 days of qualifying orders. Safety & Professional Development Maintain a high awareness of laboratory risks and uphold rigorous personal safety standards when visiting client institutions. Proactively engage in personal development via the CurioZ online training portal and self-inspired learning to remain an