Jobs at Cepheid

Key Purpose And Accountabilities
Technical Excellence

• Install, configure, and maintain Cepheid diagnostic systems to ensure rapid, smooth start-ups for customers.
• Integrate instruments into laboratory workflows, supporting customers throughout evaluation, validation, and accreditation processes.
• Provide expert troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, and field repairs to guarantee optimal system performance.
• Deliver comprehensive user training covering system operation, software, reagents, and connectivity.
• Document all customer interactions, service activities, and feedback in Salesforce (SFDC), while collecting and reporting market intelligence.
• Build and nurture long-term customer relationships through proactive communication and technical excellence.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to resolve technical issues efficiently and ensure a best-in-class customer experience.
• Manage inventory of spare parts and car stock in alignment with company procedures.

Commercial Partnership

• Partner closely with Sales Representatives to design and execute account strategies that accelerate Cepheid’s growth in the region.
• Engage key stakeholders to increase utilization of the installed base, identify opportunities to expand test menus, and drive rapid adoption of new assays.
• Contribute to commercial success through technical credibility, customer advocacy, and insight sharing.

Training Responsibilities

• Complete all mandatory and assigned training on time, demonstrating continuous learning and adherence to Danaher’s standards of excellence.

Experience And Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Engineering, or related field (Molecular Biology focus preferred).
• Minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience in molecular diagnostics, microbiology, or clinical laboratory environments.
• Strong background in molecular and microbiological techniques.
• Proven record of achieving measurable goals and delivering customer satisfaction.
• Exceptional communication, technical presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Proficiency in computer applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively in a team environment.

Competencies

• Customer-centric mindset with strong service orientation.
• Excellent problem-solving and time-management skills.
• Demonstrated teamwork, accountability, and adaptability.
• Culturally aware and able to collaborate within an international organization.
• Committed to integrity, compliance, and the Danaher Code of Conduct.

Additional Requirements

• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel up to 70% (primarily within Southern Africa).
• Willingness to work after hours, weekends, or overtime as business needs require.
• Ability to safely lift or move up to 16 kilograms.

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Key Responsibilities

Commercial Leadership

• Define and lead the commercial strategy across South Africa & English-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa in full alignment with regional and global vision.
• Lead high-performing direct and indirect sales teams through strong commercial stewardship and accountability.
• Act as the senior representative of Beckman Coulter with customers, ministries of health, regulators, and industry bodies.
• Embed the Voice of the Customer (VOC) in commercial decision-making.
• Drive channel excellence with strong distributor scorecards, governance, and capability building.
• Collaborate across the MEA matrix (Service, Applications, Marketing, Finance, HR, Supply Chain) to build integrated, competitive solutions.
• Monitor market and competitive trends, ensuring proactive and innovative responses.
• Ensure compliance to all legal, regulatory, and internal governance standards.

Business Development & Market Growth

• Develop 3-year strategic business plans, annual operating plans, and growth priorities.
• Identify new market segments, product opportunities, and customer clusters across the region.
• Strengthen relationships with key opinion leaders, healthcare institutions, and national programs.
• Drive tender excellence, pricing strategy, and market access execution (including NHLS and regional tenders).
• Optimize product portfolio performance to deliver sustainable market share expansion.

Financial & Legal Oversight

• Full P&L responsibility, ensuring revenue, margin, and profitability targets are achieved.
• Lead forecasting, budgeting, and financial analysis with accuracy and transparency.
• Own accounts receivable performance, working with Finance to safeguard cash flow.
• Ensure compliance with all corporate and local legal requirements.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Build and inspire a high-performance, high-accountability culture across the region.
• Develop talent pipelines and ensure strong succession planning for critical roles.
• Coach and mentor teams using the Danaher Business System (DBS) to drive continuous improvement.
• Assess organizational structure to ensure readiness for future scale and operational excellence.

Key Performance Indicators

• Quarterly & annual revenue and margin growth
• Market share expansion in South Africa & SSA
• Customer satisfaction and VOC indicators
• Distributor scorecard performance and governance
• Forecast accuracy and operating rhythm discipline
• Compliance to legal, financial, and ethical standards
• Talent development and retention of top performers
• Effective execution of new product launches and market-entry initiatives
• Strength of cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder engagement
• Implementation of DBS and continuous improvement initiatives

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Management, Finance, Business, Life Sciences, or equivalent
• MBA preferred
• 10+ years in business management within Diagnostics, Medical Devices, or Life Sciences
• 5–7 years in Sales leadership in the IVD industry
• 3–5 years managing distributor networks in regulated markets
• 6+ years of people leadership
• Proven track record in P&L ownership, tender management, and commercial strategy execution
• Experience with NHLS and African healthcare systems is highly desirable

Preferred Skills

• Strong strategic thinking with long-term vision
• Advanced negotiation and stakeholder management
• Excellent executive communication and leadership presence
• Deep understanding of compliance, governance, and quality systems
• High financial acumen
• Ability to lead in a multicultural, matrixed environment
• Strong operational discipline with DBS/Lean experience
• Analytical mindset and problem-solving capability
• Ability to build trust with customers, governments, and internal stakeholders

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Key Responsibilities detail:

Strategic Marketing Leadership

• Develop and execute regional marketing strategies aligned with global portfolio objectives and local commercial goals.
• Lead annual marketing planning, including market prioritization, portfolio focus, and resource allocation.
• Identify and capitalize on growth opportunities across public and private sectors, including emerging markets and underserved segments.

Portfolio Management

• Serve as the regional marketing lead for all diagnostic portfolios, ensuring consistent messaging, positioning, and value proposition.
• Partner with global marketing and product management teams to localize product launches and lifecycle strategies.
• Monitor portfolio performance and recommend tactical adjustments to optimize market share and profitability.

Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis

• Conduct ongoing market research to understand customer needs, healthcare trends, and competitive dynamics.
• Develop actionable insights to inform product positioning, pricing strategies, and promotional activities.
• Maintain a deep understanding of regulatory, reimbursement, and procurement environments across South and SSA.

Integrated Campaign Development

• Design and implement multi-channel marketing campaigns tailored to regional audiences, including digital, print, events, and PR.
• Collaborate with agencies and internal teams to develop compelling content and creative assets.
• Track campaign performance using KPIs such as lead generation, engagement, conversion, and ROI.

Commercial Enablement

• Develop sales tools, training materials, and messaging guides to support field teams in customer engagement.
• Facilitate regular alignment sessions with sales, service, and applications teams to ensure consistent execution.
• Support tender submissions and strategic account marketing with customized collateral and value messaging.

Customer Engagement & Experience

• Lead initiatives to enhance customer experience, including educational programs, webinars, and user group meetings.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key opinion leaders, laboratory managers, and healthcare stakeholders.
• Champion voice-of-customer feedback loops to inform product and service improvements.

Event & Conference Management

• Plan and execute regional participation in industry events, congresses, and exhibitions.
• Coordinate logistics, booth design, speaker engagement, and post-event follow-up.
• Ensure brand consistency and impactful presence across all touchpoints.

Digital Marketing & CRM

• Drive digital engagement strategies including email marketing, social media, and website optimization.
• Leverage CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce) to segment audiences, track interactions, and personalize outreach.
• Analyze digital metrics to refine targeting and improve campaign effectiveness.

Budget & Vendor Management

• Manage regional marketing budgets, ensuring efficient use of resources and alignment with business priorities.
• Oversee external vendors and agencies to ensure timely delivery and quality of marketing outputs.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, brand guidelines, and local regulatory requirements.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing regional marketing team, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and collaboration.
• Set clear objectives, provide regular feedback, and support career development for team members.
• Promote cross-functional teamwork and ensure alignment between marketing, sales, service, and global functions.
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion within the team and across regional initiatives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as a key liaison between regional commercial teams and global marketing functions. Participate in strategic planning, forecasting, and business reviews with leadership.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across teams

The essential requirements of the job include:

• Has accountability for the performance and results of a team within own area of specialty
• Adapts departmental plans and priorities to address resource and operational challenges
• Decisions and problem solving are guided by policies, procedures and business/department plan; receive guidance from manager
• Provides technical guidance to associates, colleagues and/or customers
• Manages one or more generally homogeneous teams; adapts departmental plans and priorities to meet short-term service and/or operational challenges
• Develop specific marketing plans and activities for specific product(s) or product line(s) to establish, enhance or distinguish product placement within the competitive arena. Develops business plans and product positioning in the marketplace. Oversees market research monitors competitive activity and identifies customer needs. Establish pricing strategies. Works with engineering, manufacturing and sales to develop new products or enhance existing product(s) or product line(s).
• Provides pre-and/or post-sales support. Provides link between marketing programs and sales initiatives. Analyzes impact of marketing programs on sales. Gathers customer feedback and shares with Product Management and Marketing (voice of
• customer). Educates customers on the use and functionality of the product and provides training. May participate in sales meetings to review proposed plans.

KNOWLEDGE / EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Life Sciences, or related field (Master’s an advantage).
• Minimum 5–7 years of experience in healthcare or diagnostics marketing, ideally within emerging markets.
• Experience in ideally in IVD / Medical Devices industry
• Beckman Coulter: HBS (Harvard) Core or HBS (Harvard) Negotiation Mastery completed will be an added advantage
• DBS: (Situational Leadership), Crucial Conversations, Leadership Essentials, PSP and Daily Management training completed an added advantage.
• Business management and/or marketing diploma an added advantage
• System Knowledge: Oracle, Business Objects, SFDC and SharePoint, Workday People Management tasks are an added advantage.
• Microsoft Office Suite – MS Word, Power Point, Excel, Outlook and One Note
• Advanced excel
• Funnel management, Customer support, Customer training, Selling cycle Qualifications
• Proven success in portfolio marketing, campaign execution, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with direct team management responsibilities.
• Strong understanding of the healthcare landscape in South and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and project management skills.
• Willingness to travel across the region as needed.

Travel, Motor Vehicle Record & Physical/Environment Requirements: if applicable for role

• Ability to travel – list specifics 40% travel, overnight, within territory or locations
• Must have a valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record

It would be a plus if you also possess previous experience in:

Technical Expertise:

• Applies extensive knowledge of technical principles, theories, and concepts in chosen field and employs sound project management.

Accountability and Impact:

• Guides the successful completion of major programs, processes and/or projects for the department/function, and often takes on a project leadership role
• Effects of decisions are long-lasting
• Decisions and results have a material impact on function and/or moderate impact on organization’s resources and objectives
• Meet regulatory requirements and establish policies and procedures

Problem Solving and Innovation:

• Integrates research, information and trends into solutions to identify and solve complex problems that require evaluation of variables and the regular use of ingenuity and innovation.

Working Relationships:

• Works with general direction and acts as a key contributor in own area of knowledge
• Provides guidance to lower-level employees

Role and Responsibilities:

• People Leader management: Manages Team of Product Marketing managers
• Scan the market: Identifying potential customers; using the exiting list; adding to the list; visiting laboratories and hospitals.

Product promotion:

• Based on the scan, identifying potential customers; visiting customers, identifying their needs and explaining the products and benefits.
• Funnel management: Making their own prospect funnel list, identifying customer requirements and customer details; keeping track of timelines of execution; making and tracking their own database.

Product presentation:

• Making a follow up appointment and demo the product; taking the potential customer to another customer’s place to demo the product; else taking the product to the customer’s site; showing videos in case physical demo can't happen.
• Organizing demos with customers: Setting up time with the customers; arranging for logistics support.

Customer Support:

• Managing logistics; organizing with L&D to ensure that the customer gets it on time; in case of any breakdowns, contact the service person.
• Coordinating with other functions like service, applications, logistics, and Finance.

Pre-Installation Requisite:

• (PIR) Handling the site preparation
• Inventory of re-agents at customers and suppliers; ensuring stock at the customer site and reserve stock at the site; checking with customers on items that are running short; educating the customer on what should be stocked.

Third party distributor Management:

• Managing primary and secondary sales; keeping track of sales data.

Operating Term Lease:

• Tracking and monitoring the re-agents required at the customer site.

Compliance:

• Following up of compliance with contracts

Meeting with existing customers:

Understanding their issues and what they can do better; sharing product literature; sending scientific emails, Attending training programs.

• Keep up to date with all new product development and releases on all PL’s
• Filter down all product information to Sales and Application Support
• Product Training – Sales and TPP
• Marketing of products in Beckman Coulter product portfolio
• Create customized presentations
• Presentations to Customers
• Train Sales force on marketing key Points to create interest
• Follow up leads from Sales and accompany them to customers for follow up
• Attend Customer meetings with Sales to attend to product related requests
• Keep up to date with Competition new Product releases
• Attend all product marketing meetings for Emerging/Europe markets
• Manage, plan and follow up on all customer Product Evaluations / Validations
• Create and provide all product information requested as part of any Tenders
• Manage all product obsolescence with plan
• Update all Internal Customers of all product’s corrective actions or notifications
• Have regular product update meetings with Sales to update or receive any important product updates.

Key Performance Areas:

• Manage a large territory / region and product marketing team.
• Pricing Strategy (working closely with the Commercial Support Manager

Development Territory Plan:

• Responsible for enhanced product/s portfolio or specialist product (variable volume segments) - Presentation to Customers; Create customized Product Presentations.
• Product Training to Sales and Channel Partners
• Working independently in the assigned territory and independently preparing quotes as per the sales process. Scientific Product Support for Internal and External Accounts.
• Product Forecast (Min / Max levels)
• Filtering of Product information to Sales and CP.
• Part Number maintenance
• Regulatory Stop-Ships
• Budget Support by Product Line
• Provide Competitive Product Information.
• Strong funnel management control - Manage life cycle of Assay / Instrument.
• Manage local customers and are responsible for their performance.
• Working with local applications and service associates to resolve customer problems at a local level.