Sales Director - Healthcare & Life Sciences

Who are we?

Cohere is the leading security-first enterprise AI company. We build cutting-edge foundation AI models and end-to-end products that are designed to solve real-world business problems.

We’re training and deploying frontier models for enterprises who are building AI systems. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI and we are looking for folks that want to be part of that.

We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are all passionate about their craft.

We are a global technology company co-headquartered in Toronto and San Francisco, with key offices in London, New York City, Montreal, Seoul, Germany and Paris. Join us!

Sales Director - Healthcare & Life Sciences

Why this role? In this role, you will lead and transform our sales organization for the Healthcare & Life Sciences vertical, driving strategic growth and market penetration across Global 2000 enterprises. You'll architect the go-to-market strategy, build and scale high-performing sales teams, and create a culture of excellence that delivers exceptional customer outcomes. As the strategic leader for this critical vertical, you'll partner with executive leadership to define revenue targets, develop market positioning, and ensure our solutions address the most pressing challenges in healthcare, pharma, and life sciences. You'll be the primary driver of Cohere's market leadership in this space, with direct impact on our product roadmap through deep customer insights and strategic feedback. This is a pivotal leadership role requiring vision, operational excellence, and the ability to inspire teams in a rapidly evolving AI landscape. Your opportunity to shape the future of AI in healthcare is unparalleled.

As a Sales Director focused on Healthcare & Life Sciences you will:

• Develop and execute comprehensive go-to-market strategy for Healthcare & Life Sciences vertical, including market segmentation, target account identification, and competitive positioning

• Build, mentor, and scale high-performing sales teams through strategic hiring, comprehensive training programs, and ongoing performance development

• Establish and oversee sales operations including forecasting, pipeline management, territory design, and compensation planning

• Drive revenue growth through new logo acquisition, expansion within existing accounts, and strategic partnership development

• Serve as the key interface between sales teams and product/engineering organizations, translating customer needs into product requirements and roadmap priorities

• Develop and maintain executive-level relationships with C-suite decision makers across healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, and life sciences organizations

• Create and implement sales methodologies, playbooks, and best practices tailored to the healthcare vertical's unique buying cycles and compliance requirements

• Collaborate with marketing to develop targeted campaigns and with customer success to ensure seamless customer journeys and expansion opportunities

• Monitor competitive landscape and market trends to continuously refine sales strategies and maintain competitive advantage

• Establish key performance indicators and metrics to track team performance, forecast accuracy, and market penetration

• Lead and collaborate with Sales Managers and Account Executives, and other stakeholders to align on sales strategies & objectives

• Drive and manage sales teams in the field, establishing and maintaining strong relationships with enterprise sized/F100 key client prospects, driving revenue growth and customer satisfaction

• Analyze data and market trends, identifying opportunities for growth and optimization

• Monitor and report on sales team performance, including key metrics and KPIs, to senior management

You may be a good fit if you have:

• 5+ years of progressive sales leadership experience with a proven track record of building and scaling high-performing sales teams in the Healthcare, Pharma, or Life Sciences sector

• Demonstrated success in exceeding revenue targets and driving market share growth in complex enterprise environments

• Experience selling AI, NLP, or enterprise software solutions to healthcare organizations with 7-figure+ deal sizes and multi-year sales cycles

• Strong background in healthcare technology, including EHR/EMR systems, clinical trial management, medical devices, or pharmaceutical R&D solutions

• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to recruit, develop, and retain top sales talent while fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement

• Strategic mindset with the ability to develop long-term vision while executing tactical plans in a rapidly evolving market

• Deep understanding of healthcare regulatory landscape including HIPAA, FDA regulations, GDPR for healthcare data, and reimbursement models

• Outstanding communication and presentation skills with the ability to engage C-suite executives and technical stakeholders

• Experience implementing sales methodologies (e.g., MEDDIC, Challenger Sale) and building scalable sales operations frameworks

• Sales management skills including planning, negotiating, forecasting, organizing for results, hiring, leading and evaluating people

Additional Requirements:

• Deep industry expertise in Healthcare & Life Sciences, including current trends in digital health transformation, AI in clinical research, personalized medicine, and healthcare data analytics

• Ability to articulate strategic value propositions for AI/NLP solutions across healthcare use cases including clinical trial optimization, medical document processing, drug discovery acceleration, and patient outcome prediction

• Experience navigating complex healthcare procurement processes, including stakeholder mapping across clinical, IT, and administrative functions

• Experience with channel partnerships including EHR vendors, healthcare IT consultants, and life sciences service providers

Full-Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks:

• A weekly lunch stipend of $75/£75 or equivalent in your local currency for lunch.

• Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget for mental health.

• RRSP matching, 401K, Pension Scheme.

• 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months, for either parent.

• Annual enrichment benefits:

  Arts & culture, fitness/wellness, quality time, and a workspace improvement credit.

  Education & learning stipend for conferences, courses, and coaching.

• 6 weeks of paid vacation (30 working days!)

• Budget for traveling to other offices if you are remote, plus an annual company offsite.

How and Where We Work:

• Cohere is remote-friendly. We have offices in Toronto, San Francisco, New York City, London, Paris, Montreal, and more coming soon.

• For those in the office: a daily lunch program, plenty of snacks, and regular community and social events.

• For those not near an office: a co-working benefit so you can work alongside others in your city.

• Everyone receives a $500 home office stipend to set up your workspace properly.

If any of the above doesn’t line up exactly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply.

We strive to create an inclusive work environment for all; we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.

We may use AI-enabled tools to screen and assess applicants against the criteria for this position. This helps our recruiters identify potentially qualified candidates, but it doesn't limit the applications our recruiters may review or consider.