National Sales Manager – Alpine (Austria & Switzerland), DACH Cluster

We are looking for a National Sales Manager to lead the Alpine markets with full ownership of commercial performance, cross-functional execution, and compliant stakeholder engagement. You will drive the sales agenda to deliver sustainable growth, strengthen market access, and elevate the customer experience within the DACH framework, working closely with the General Manager Alpine.

This is a field-based position requiring travel (40%) within Switzerland and Austria.

What You Will Do – Key Responsibilities

1) Strategy & Business Ownership

• Own and execute the Alpine commercial plan (targets, resources, territory coverage, pricing/tenders, channel mix).

• Translate brand and access strategies into actionable go-to-market plans.

• Ensure accurate forecasting, monitor market trends, and respond to competitive changes.

2) Cross-Functional Leadership & Governance (3MC)

• Lead 3MC cadences (Medical, Marketing, Market Access, Commercial) for aligned, on-time execution.

• Set charters, agendas, KPIs, and decision logs; remove roadblocks and coordinate resources.

• Embed market, customer, and scientific insights into plans and reviews.

3) External Stakeholder Engagement

• Represent the company with industry associations and key stakeholders alongside the Alpine GM.

• Drive KOL engagement strategy and congress planning in alignment with Medical and Compliance.

• Ensure compliant, value-creating presence and measurable ROI.

4) Performance & Commercial Excellence

• Build a data-driven performance rhythm using CRM/SFE tools to improve coverage and effectiveness.

• Set clear metrics (sales, market share, access wins, account growth) and enforce accountability.

• Optimize commercial investments and manage risks within budget.

5) Leadership, Talent & Culture

• Demonstrate strong leadership, take ownership, and role-model integrity.

• Inspire and develop the sales team through coaching, capability building, and succession planning.

• Foster a culture of trust, inclusion, and engagement.

6) Compliance & Governance

• Ensure full compliance with laws, industry codes, and internal policies.

• Act as a visible compliance role model; maintain audit readiness.

• Escalate and remediate issues promptly with transparent documentation.

Qualifications

• Significant pharmaceutical sales experience (4 years minimum) with a proven track record in Austria/Switzerland; strong analytical and strategic skills

• Fluency in German and English (French a plus)

• Experience in ophthalmology/eye-care markets, product launches, and/or MBA or equivalent is a plus

• End-to-end accountability, owner’s mindset, ability to align stakeholders and secure resources, decisive and agile decision-making

• Owner’s mindset with end-to-end accountability; ability to align stakeholders and secure resources; decisive and agile decision-making; coach and develop teams, build engagement; strong external orientation with customers, KOLs, and policy trends

Additional Information

Grow your career at Santen

A career at Santen is an opportunity to make a difference. Through our long-term vision outlined in Santen 2030, we are committed to be a Social Innovator - addressing the social and economic needs of people with visual impairments. We have team members around the world using their diverse talents to unlock new modalities and drive innovations for patient outcomes, education and treatment. At Santen, we believe in empowering all our team members with flexible ways of working and a highly inclusive work environment. 

The Santen Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building diverse teams and ensuring a safe and inclusive physical and virtual workplace for every one of our team members. All employment decisions are based on business needs, role requirements and individual qualifications regardless of race, color, ethnicity, national origin/ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/ expression, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.  

If you require any kind of accommodation during our recruitment process, please let the recruiter from our team know. 

About the Company

Santen is a specialized company with a proud 130-year heritage focused exclusively on eye health. As a Japan-originated, global company with our footprint in over 60 countries and regions, our mission is to provide essential and significant value to patients and society through our products and services created from our expertise in ophthalmology and from the patient’s perspective.