Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Technical Sales

Job Title:                     SME - Technical Sales

Location:                     Cologne, Germany

Travel:                         Up to 50%  of your time

The role:

We are seeking a highly experienced Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Technical Sales  to serve as the technical authority for our Bioprocessing portfolio, with a particular focus on Gene Therapy applications and solutions. In this strategic, customer-facing role, you will leverage your deep scientific, product, and process expertise to support the full sales cycle, partnering closely with commercial teams to develop winning technical strategies and advance complex opportunities. You will play a key role in customer engagement, delivering technical consultations, product demonstrations, and proof-of-concept activities while helping customers maximise the value of our solutions. As a trusted advisor, you will also translate customer and market insights into recommendations that drive portfolio innovation, strengthen commercial effectiveness, and support continued growth within the rapidly evolving Gene Therapy sector.

This is a fully site‑based role. Working together in person supports close, real‑time collaboration and the technical precision needed to manufacture medicines to the highest quality and safety standards.

What you will get:

• An agile career and dynamic working culture

• An inclusive and ethical workplace

• Compensation programs that recognize high performance

• A variety of benefits dependant on role and location

• The full list of our global benefits can be also found on https://www.lonza.com/careers/benefits

The full‑time annual base salary for this position in Germany is expected to range between €77,250 and €108,150. Initial salary placement within this range will be determined based on role‑related factors such as experience, qualifications, and expected contribution.

What you will do:

• Lead technical strategy for complex, high-value sales opportunities in partnership with Account Managers and Business Development Managers, helping to drive growth while mitigating technical and regulatory risks.

• Serve as the technical authority throughout the customer journey, delivering workshops, product demonstrations, troubleshooting support, and proof-of-concept projects.

• Build trusted relationships with strategic customers, providing expert guidance to support adoption, expansion, and long-term success.

• Deliver advanced technical and application training to internal sales teams, channel partners, and customers, enhancing overall commercial effectiveness.

• Coach and enable commercial teams on technical positioning, application expertise, competitive differentiation, and objection handling.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product Management, R&D, Marketing, Quality, Service, and Regulatory Affairs to deliver compliant, scalable, and customer-focused solutions.

• Translate customer insights, market trends, and competitive intelligence into actionable recommendations that influence product development, portfolio strategy, and future growth opportunities

What we are looking for:

• Advanced Degree in Life Sciences (Master's or PhD preferred), with substantial expertise in Gene Therapy, Bioprocessing, or a related scientific discipline.

• Deep technical expertise in Gene Therapy and bioprocessing applications, with the ability to act as a trusted advisor to customers and internal stakeholders.

• Strong commercial acumen, with a proven ability to translate complex scientific and technical concepts into clear, customer-focused solutions that drive business outcomes.

• Exceptional presentation, training, and communication skills, with experience delivering technical workshops, product demonstrations, and educational sessions to both scientific and commercial audiences.

• Extensive experience working within GMP-regulated environments, including a strong understanding of relevant regulatory requirements, troubleshooting, and application support.

About Lonza

At Lonza, our people are our greatest strength. With 30+ sites across five continents, our globally connected teams work together every day to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. Our core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity reflect who we are and how we work together. Everyone’s ideas, big or small, have the potential to improve millions of lives, and that’s the kind of work we want you to be part of.

Innovation thrives when people from all backgrounds bring their unique perspectives to the table. At Lonza, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you’re ready to help turn our customers’ breakthrough ideas into viable therapies, we look forward to welcoming you on board.

Ready to shape the future of life sciences? Apply now.