Professional Services Leader; Life Sciences​/SaaS

Overview

The Senior Manager, Professional Services is responsible for driving commercial growth and operational excellence in our services organization.

You will lead a team of project managers and implementation consultants to deliver tailored solutions that align with clients’ scientific and business objectives. This position reports to the Director, Global Professional Services and is part of the professional services leadership team. It is based out of Woking, UK or Paris, France, with regular travel to customers required.

• Lead commercial strategy and growth for professional services, ensuring high utilization, healthy margins, accurate revenue forecasting, and effective risk mitigation through contract oversight, scope alignment with client business outcomes, and proactive contract negotiations.
• Drive business development and client engagement, partnering with sales to craft compelling proposals, uncover customer needs, and close consulting engagements while fostering repeat business and upselling additional services and solutions.
• Serve as an industry thought leader and innovation advocate, staying current on trends, regulatory requirements, and technological advancements; advising Bio Pharma/CRO/CDMO clients with actionable insights; representing IDBS at key events; and championing AI-driven solutions to accelerate project delivery and technical accuracy.
• Ensure seamless cross‑functional orchestration, acting as the primary liaison between Sales, Presales, Marketing, and Customer Success teams to enable smooth handoffs, amplify R&D success stories, and provide field insights that shape product regulatory positioning and long‑term platform adoption.
• Lead and develop a high‑performing professional services team, driving talent growth, resource capacity planning, and performance management to ensure scalability, technical excellence, and compliance with SaaS and Life Sciences standards.
• Act as a trusted advisor and executive escalation point for global R&D and Regulatory leaders, leading strategic steering committees and QBRs to align services with clients’ scientific and business objectives, while building deep‑rooted relationships that influence long‑term partnerships and mitigate churn.

• 7+ years of leadership experience in professional services within SaaS or Life Sciences industries.
• Demonstrated commercial acumen, including contract negotiation, risk mitigation, and revenue growth management.
• Deep industry knowledge of Bio Pharma, CRO, and CDMO sectors, including regulatory frameworks and client engagement at the executive level.
• Proven ability to lead and develop high‑performing teams, including resource planning and performance management.
• Experience driving cross‑functional collaboration across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success.
• Track record of building and maintaining strategic customer relationships to influence long‑term partnerships.
• Strong background in business development and proposal management for complex consulting engagements.
• Experience championing the adoption of AI‑driven technologies to enhance project delivery and technical configuration.
• Project management certification or significant experience leading large‑scale implementations.

Travel up to 40% of time.

At IDBS, one of Danaher's 15+ operating companies, our work saves lives and we are all united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact. You’ll thrive in a culture of belonging where your unique viewpoint matters. By harnessing Danaher’s system of continuous improvement, you help turn ideas into impact – innovating at the speed of life. We work with 80% of the top 20 global Bio Pharma companies.

We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.