National Sales Director – CVD, Nationwide… at Merck · GBR -…

National Sales Director – CVD, Nationwide (Field-Based)

Location: GBR - London - London (Moorgate WeWork) · Hybrid

Job Description

The National Sales Director for Cardiovascular in the UK is a premier commercial leadership role, holding full national accountability for building, leading and developing a high-performing sales organisation. Reporting to the Pharmaceutical Business Unit Director, you will be collaborating closely with the cross-functional leadership team and you will shape the launch strategy and direct field execution to drive commercial growth. If you are a seasoned sales leader with a proven track record of managing leaders, navigating complex NHS dynamics and delivering sustained results in an evolving healthcare environment, this is your opportunity to establish the culture, capabilities and standards that will define long-term launch success.

As the strategic voice of field sales, you will lead a dedicated team of first line Regional Sales Managers to translate brand, customer and pathway priorities into clear, measurable regional objectives. This senior position demands extensive leadership experience, an exceptional ability to deploy sales resources effectively and a passion for fostering a collaborative operating environment in partnership with marketing, medical and market access teams. Join us to champion high standards of customer engagement and make a profound impact on public health across the UK.

What You Will Do:

• 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 a ~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 seamless, 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, agile adjustments to targeting, account planning, and launch execution.
• Utilize regional, account, and competitor data alongside NHS dynamics to address performance gaps and influence high-level business decisions.
• Embed best-in-class standards for insight-led, purposeful, and highly 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 organization's enterprise strategy.
• Role-model ethical decision-making, embedding a strong culture of compliance and ensuring strict adherence to the ABPI Code of Practice.

What You Will Bring:

• Extensive senior-level field sales leadership experience within the pharmaceutical or healthcare sector, with a consistent track record of delivering strong, sustained commercial results.
• A proven ability to inspire, coach and develop geographically dispersed teams by leading through other leaders (such as Regional Sales Managers), building a robust talent pipeline and fostering a high-performance culture.
• Deep knowledge of UK NHS structures and system dynamics, with a demonstrated ability to translate national brand strategy into disciplined, localised regional execution.
• Strong commercial acumen and sound business judgment, with experience using market, customer and performance data to make effective resource-deployment decisions and commercial trade-offs.
• The ability to partner, influence and lead effectively across complex cross-functional teams (including Marketing, Medical, and Market Access) and manage senior stakeholder relationships with confidence.
• A natural comfort leading teams through ambiguity, organisational growth and evolving market conditions.
• The ability to operate confidently and role-model ethical decision-making within pharmaceutical regulatory and compliance frameworks, including the ABPI Code of Practice.
• Operate in a field-based role with regular travel to external stakeholders.

Core Skills and Capabilities

• 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.

Leadership Behaviours:

• 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 opportunities that matter most.
• Build alignment across regions and functions and creates shared ownership of outcomes.
• Use evidence and insight to challenge assumptions and make high-quality decisions.
• Learn rapidly, adapts execution and scales successful approaches.
• Role-model for ethical leadership and set the standard for compliant ways of working.

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

Required Skills:

Account Management, Account Planning, Coaching, Cross-Functional Leadership, Customer-Focused, Drug Launches, Executive Presence, Healthcare Trends, Interpersonal Relationships, Leadership, Market Analysis, Negotiation, Operational Delivery, People Leadership, Prioritization, Resource Deployment, Sales Performance, Sales Strategy Development, Strategic Selling, Team Leadership

Preferred Skills:

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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

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Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

11/21/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.