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Merck

Makes medicines, vaccines and animal treatments

National Sales Director - CVD

Field SalesConfirmed live in the last 24 hours
Full-timeLondon, UKNo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

  • Extensive senior-level field sales leadership experience within the pharmaceutical or healthcare sector, with a consistent track record of delivering strong, sustained commercial results.
  • Ability to inspire, coach, and develop geographically dispersed teams by leading through other leaders, building a robust talent pipeline, and fostering a high-performance culture.
  • Deep knowledge of UK NHS structures and system dynamics, with the ability to translate national brand strategy into disciplined, localised regional execution.
  • Strong commercial acumen and sound business judgment, including experience using market, customer, and performance data to make effective resource-deployment decisions and commercial trade-offs.
  • Ability to partner, influence, and lead effectively across complex cross-functional teams, including Marketing, Medical, and Market Access, and manage senior stakeholder relationships.
  • Comfort leading teams through ambiguity, organisational growth, and evolving market conditions.
  • Ability to operate confidently and role-model ethical decision-making within pharmaceutical regulatory and compliance frameworks, including the ABPI Code of Practice.
  • Ability to operate in a field-based role with regular travel to external stakeholders.
  • National commercial and field sales leadership.
  • Leading leaders, coaching, and talent development.
  • Sales performance management and disciplined field execution.
  • Launch excellence and organisational readiness.
  • Sales execution and customer engagement excellence.
  • Strategic and commercial acumen.
  • Data-driven decision-making and resource prioritisation.
  • Cross-functional leadership and senior stakeholder influence.
  • Change leadership, learning agility, and entrepreneurial thinking.
  • Strong compliance judgement and practical application of the ABPI Code of Practice.
  • Account management, account planning, coaching, cross-functional leadership, customer focus, drug launches, executive presence, healthcare trends, interpersonal relationships, leadership, market analysis, negotiation, operational delivery, people leadership, prioritisation, resource deployment, sales performance, sales strategy development, strategic selling, and team leadership.

Responsibilities

  • Shape and execute the UK launch and long-term commercial growth strategy for the cardiovascular portfolio as a senior member of the cross-functional leadership team.
  • Recruit, coach, and develop six Regional Sales Managers, establishing them as a cohesive, high-performing regional business leadership team.
  • Turn national brand and pathway priorities into clear regional commercial objectives, ensuring disciplined territory-level execution across an approximately 60-person sales force.
  • Take full accountability for national sales outcomes, launch milestones, and commercial growth targets through robust performance management.
  • Strategically manage the national sales-force budget and workforce plan, dynamically deploying resources to the highest-value opportunities.
  • Build partnerships with Marketing, Medical, Market Access, and the Pathways Director to ensure unified execution.
  • Embed coaching as a core discipline and champion talent development to secure a strong internal pipeline of future commercial leaders.
  • Translate early field and customer insights into rapid adjustments to targeting, account planning, and launch execution.
  • Utilise regional, account, and competitor data alongside NHS dynamics to address performance gaps and influence high-level business decisions.
  • Embed high standards for insight-led, purposeful, and differentiated customer interactions across all tiers of the sales force.
  • Act as a trusted commercial advisor to the Pharmaceutical Business Unit Director, contributing to the wider UK organisation's enterprise strategy.
  • Role-model ethical decision-making, embed a strong culture of compliance, and ensure strict adherence to the ABPI Code of Practice.
  • Lead with clarity, accountability, and pace, translating strategy into measurable execution.
  • Develop leaders and talent through active coaching, feedback, and high expectations.
  • Focus teams and resources on the highest-priority opportunities.
  • Build alignment across regions and functions and create shared ownership of outcomes.
  • Use evidence and insight to challenge assumptions and make high-quality decisions.
  • Learn rapidly, adapt execution, and scale successful approaches.
  • Role-model ethical leadership and set the standard for compliant ways of working.

About the Company

Merck

Makes medicines, vaccines and animal treatments

Merck develops prescription medicines, vaccines and veterinary treatments for patients, health systems and animal owners worldwide. Its vaccine portfolio includes Gardasil 9, which helps prevent cancers and other diseases caused by several types of human papillomavirus. The company takes potential treatments through laboratory research and clinical trials, then manufactures and sells approved products to drug distributors, hospitals, physicians and governments. Its animal health division sells medicines and vaccines to veterinarians, farmers and pet owners, while selected drug partnerships also earn shared profits or royalties. Founded in 1891, Merck is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey.

Company size
10,001+
Company stage
IPO
Headquarters
Rahway, NJ
Founded
1891

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