Director of Sales

Director of Sales

Location: South San Francisco, CA
Department: Business Development & Strategy
Reports To: Vice President, Business Development & Strategy
Status: Full-Time, Exempt | Hybrid
Salary Range: $105,000–$125,000 + 20% annual performance bonus + sales incentives
Territory: East Bay – Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and beyond
Travel: Up to 80% local/field travel; occasional overnight travel
Transportation: Reliable transportation required

About California Life Sciences

California Life Sciences (CLS) is California’s leading life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization, representing biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, research, investment, and service organizations across the state.

The Opportunity

CLS is seeking a driven, hunter-focused Director of Sales to grow membership and revenue across California’s life sciences ecosystem. This is a field-focused role for someone who thrives on prospecting, opening doors, building relationships, and closing new business.

You’ll own the full sales cycle—from cold outreach and qualification through relationship development, negotiation, close, and onboarding—while building relationships with founders, executives, and C-suite decision-makers.

What You’ll Do

• Generate new membership and revenue through cold calling, email outreach, networking, referrals, events, and field prospecting. 
• Build and manage a strong pipeline of prospective members and strategic partners. 
• Own the full sales cycle from prospecting and discovery through proposals, negotiation, closing, and onboarding. 
• Build trusted relationships with founders, executives, and C-suite decision-makers. 
• Develop and execute territory strategies to identify and convert new-business opportunities. 
• Maintain a strong field presence and represent CLS at industry events, conferences, and meetings. 
• Consistently achieve or exceed sales and new-business targets. 
• Maintain accurate pipeline, activity, and forecasting data in Salesforce. 
• Partner across CLS to support lead generation, conversion, and member engagement. 

What We’re Looking For

• 3–5 years of relevant sales or business development experience; life sciences experience preferred. 
• Demonstrated success prospecting, generating new business, and achieving sales or revenue goals. 
• A true hunter mentality—self-motivated, persistent, accountable, and comfortable creating opportunities from scratch. 
• Strong executive presence and experience building relationships with senior decision-makers. 
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and closing skills. 
• Experience using CRM systems, preferably Salesforce. 
• Ability to independently manage a territory with significant local travel. 
• Reliable transportation required. 

Final compensation will be based on experience, skills, internal equity, and organizational budget.

CLS is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace.