Business Development Manager – Life Sciences (UK & Ireland)
Location: UK & Ireland (travel required)
Employment Type: Full-time
Department: Life Sciences – Strategic Sales
Reports to: Life Sciences Commercial Lead UK & Ireland
About the Role
Diversey – Solenis supports customers across a wide range of industries with innovative cleaning and hygiene technologies, including floor care machines, cleaning tools, and advanced chemical solutions.
Are you a commercially driven business development professional who enjoys opening doors, building relationships and turning complex customer challenges into growth opportunities? We are looking for a Business Development Manager to lead new business growth for our Life Sciences sector across the UK & Ireland. This is a new-business focused role, giving you the opportunity to identify target customers, create a strong opportunity pipeline and convert strategic prospects into long-term, profitable partnerships for Diversey.
You will join a specialist team with strong technical expertise, recognised solutions and the ambition to grow further in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, cosmetics and other regulated manufacturing environments.
What You’ll Do
- Take the lead in developing new business opportunities and generating profitable revenue growth across the Life Sciences sector in the UK & Ireland.
- Find, engage and qualify new prospects within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, cosmetics and other regulated manufacturing environments.
- Build and manage your own business development plan, including target accounts, prospect mapping, customer contact strategy, pipeline value and conversion milestones.
- Use customer insight, market knowledge and competitor awareness to identify priority opportunities and shape a focused approach to growth.
- Build confidence with customer stakeholders in procurement, quality, production and technical teams, helping them understand how Diversey solutions can support their operations.
- Participate in the S&OP forecasting process by providing clear visibility of pipeline value, opportunity timing, customer demand and risk.
- Support the Life Sciences marketing and strategic sales plan by turning sector campaigns, product launches and value propositions into qualified commercial opportunities.
- Work consultatively with customers, using technical knowledge and internal expertise to develop solutions that create value and support successful conversion.
- Support commercial proposals, pricing discussions and customer negotiations that help move opportunities through to close.
- Identify white-space opportunities within target customers and develop approaches that create long-term partnership potential.
- Assist Credit Control.
- Contribute to achieving overall budget goals.
- Present and demonstrate new products and concepts.
- Work closely with internal teams (sales leadership, ADM, AWT, equipment).
- Exchange knowledge with global Pharma/Cosmetics colleagues.
- Identify customer requirements for products, equipment, and services.
- Travel willingness across the UK & Ireland.
What Success Looks Like
- Achievement of profitable growth, new business and pipeline conversion targets.
- Growth in the number, value and quality of new customer opportunities created and progressed.
- Delivery of a qualified opportunity pipeline with clear stages, values, decision-makers and next actions.
- Successful conversion of tenders, trials, innovation projects and competitive displacement opportunities.
- Strong collaboration with internal technical, sales and marketing teams to convert opportunities into sustainable customer partnerships.
What You’ll Bring
We are looking for someone who can bring:
- Proven experience in business development, sales growth and negotiation, ideally within a technical, regulated or solution-led B2B environment.
- A proactive, confident approach to prospecting, networking and engaging senior decision-makers.
- An understanding of Life Sciences environments, or the ability to quickly build credibility in technical and regulated customer settings.
- Ability to create, manage and progress a structured sales pipeline using customer insight, commercial discipline and clear follow-up actions.
- A track record of developing opportunities from first contact through to close and delivering against growth targets.
- Strong organisation, follow-up discipline and the ability to manage multiple opportunities at different stages of the sales cycle.
It Would Also Be Great If You Have:
- Knowledge of contamination control or GMP.
- Experience tendering in regulated industries.
About Us
Solenis - Diversey’s mission is to protect and care for people through world-leading hygiene, infection prevention, and cleaning solutions. For over 100 years, our brand has been synonymous with product quality, service, and innovation.
Equal Opportunities
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.
