Sales Director Jobs in Chicago, IL

The Position

The Region Director, Sickle Cell Sales serves as an influential first-line people leader responsible for growing and developing both people and the business, leading through organizational growth and novel product launch and advancing regional execution in alignment with national Sickle Cell Disease priorities. This individual will lead a Region for the Sickle Cell Field Sales Team in the execution of sales strategies within assigned accounts to maximize sales objectives. Responsible for managing, coaching and developing direct reports, while managing regional budgets and executing regional business plans. The Region Director will build Novo Nordisk presence and reputation within the Sickle Cell Disease community by developing strong, strategic relationships with key customers, KOLs and other stakeholders across the region.

Relationships

The Region Director, Sickle Cell Sales reports to the Sr. Director, Sickle Cell Field Sales. This leader will build and manage a team of Sickle Cell Diseases sales representatives and is responsible for managing a Regional Business Unit. This supervisory role will internally work closely with all members across Rare Disease/Sickle Cell Field Leadership, Commercial Strategy & Marketing, Community Engagement, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Commercial Execution, Operations, Legal, IT, Compliance, P&O and Training. External relationships include key customers, local stakeholders and advocacy organizations.

Essential Functions

• Drives Performance:
  • Sets clear and ambitious goals and holds self and others accountable for meeting standards of excellence. Prioritizes and balances time, actions, resources and initiatives to ensure accomplishment of critical results. Simplifies processes to maximize efficiency and effectiveness
  • Leads a Regional Sales team of Sickle Cell sales representatives to ensure a high performing field team. This also encompasses a multitude of customer types including, but not limited to Hematologists, Primary Care, Pediatricians, Hospitals & Institutions stakeholders
  • Through business review presentations quarterly and monthly business insights calls, provides ongoing insight back to Sickle Cell Field Sales Leader and home office stakeholders on region market trends including key challenges and opportunities
  • Owns regional sales performance and holds the team accountable for delivering expected sales results and achieving launch uptake
  • Plans multiple projects with clearly defined components and executes them in ways that meet defined objectives
  • Promotes the value and importance of work simplification and elimination of non-value added work
  • Responsible for pull through of the marketing brand strategies through translation to local business plans for the region, territories and key accounts
  • Attracts, develops, coaches and retains diverse, high-performing individuals and teams by fostering an inclusive culture where all employees can thrive and contribute to business outcomes
• Coaches And Develops Others:
  • Leads and influences through change and ambiguous situations with authenticity, integrity, humility and a growth mindset, helping the team understand evolving business priorities and adapt execution accordingly
  • Responsible for development and coaching of self and others to accelerate performance in role. Provides timely and constructive feedback. Reinforces, recognizes and rewards positive development in others
  • Coach and develops both tenured and new sales representatives in functional and leadership skills including selling skills, key account management and product/disease state knowledge
  • Actively addresses performance issues
• Inspires And Motivates:
  • Promotes a healthy and engaging work environment. Communicates with optimism, enthusiasm and sincerity across all levels. Creates energy, excitement and personal investment in others. Creates a sense of urgency and focus even under adversity
  • Effectively communicates clear, up-to-date information on business plans and priorities
  • Conveys a sense of urgency in ways that motivate others to complete responsibilities and achieve goals
• Integrates Business And Customer Plans:
  • Translates understanding of strategies, high level business objectives and organizational market access strategies into aligned short and long term sales strategies
  • Analyses local market data to anticipate trends, identify opportunities and contribute to the development of integrated customer strategies
  • Integrates business objectives and customer influencers to prioritize resources, inform business planning and identify growth opportunities
  • Anticipates trends and utilizes data to develop integrated customer strategies, identification of new customers and gaps in sales coverage
  • Captures and communicates insights regarding key business and market drivers that impact local customers including healthcare providers, pharmacies, payers and communicates insights to support short and long term organizational goals
  • Monitor and reinforce the use of any applicable systems
  • Builds and sustains an account mindset across the regional team, ensuring coordinated account execution plans and alignment of field resources to support key customer and patient needs
  • Develops and sustains meaningful relationships with key regional healthcare ecosystem stakeholders, including thought leaders, patient advocacy groups, market access stakeholders, hospital systems and other key accounts that impact regional performance
• Lives The Novoway:
  • Implement and adhere to company policies, procedures and sales/marketing direction. Ensures team activities and tactics are fully compliant with company and industry policies and/or regulations (eg. Novo Nordisk guidelines)
• Administration:
  • Communicate Regional activity of competitive products/companies through timely submission of monthly highlight reports and/or calls as directed
  • Prioritizes impact over activity by focusing resources, coaching and execution on the highest-value opportunities for patients, customers and business performance
  • Establish and oversee regional implementation and monitor adherence to administrative policies and procedures
  • Has budget responsibility for the region and is held accountable for timely expense and budget management
  • Review and audit expense reports
  • Fully competent in understanding and adhering to all company policies to ensure manager and team are operating in a compliant manner
  • Take part in an effective sales leadership team where each leader embodies the Novo Way and instills a winning culture within the team
• Masters The Healthcare Landscape:
  • Continuously improve the knowledge of Novoproducts, competitive products and management skills through ongoing home study and participation in company sponsored/approved training programs
  • Uses data, analytics, financial insights and market intelligence to identify business opportunities, anticipate regional trends, measure business performance and inform regional and national recommendations
• Collaborates Across Boundaries:
  • Collaborates across commercial channels and cross-functional partners to eliminate silos, align priorities, leverage enterprise resources and deliver integrated solutions in a complex, matrixed environment
  • Ensure appropriate level of coordination to attain regional business plan objectives
  • Ensure cooperation and congruence of programs and initiatives with other Region Directors and the home office
  • Oversee regional level coordination between field resources to meet needs of sales team and key accounts
  • Lead POA workshops and facilitate sessions for field and home office as assigned
  
  

Physical Requirements

50-75% overnight travel required.

Development Of People

Supervisory. Ensure that reporting personnel have individual development plans (IDP), with annual goals and measurements that are consistent with the priorities of the business and that interim reviews are held so that their work is focused on those priorities and they understand their level of accountability for results and the measurement process. Ensure that the IDP forms include completed learning and aspiration plans and are in place for all reporting personnel to enable the achievement of goals and capability to assume increased levels of responsibility. Manage the application and communication of all Novo Nordisk policies, procedures and the Novo Way.

Qualifications

• A Bachelors or equivalent degree
• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressive pharmaceutical/healthcare sales experience required
• A minimum of two (2) years people management experience required. Four (4) years management experience is preferred
• Previous pharmaceutical experience in Hematology, Bleeding Disorders, Specialty, or Rare Disease Sales Leadership experience preferred. Rare Disease/specialty product launch experience highly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships with Thought Leaders and KOLs
• Must have a strong background in coaching and developing individuals and Teams
• Business leader who has experience of leading multiple disciplines e.g. sales, account management, commercial execution
• Develops strategic plans and leverages synergies between functions and disciplines
• Proven ability to lead account planning and ongoing account management with appropriate cross-functional activities leading to results
• Experienced in at least 1-2 other commercial areas or therapeutic areas e.g. Market Access, Marketing, Learning & Development, Commercial Operations
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with cross-functional partners throughout the business
• Consistent and significant record of sales accomplishments

The base compensation range for this position is $235K to $285K. Base compensation is determined based on a number of factors. This position is also eligible for a company bonus based on individual and company performance. Novo Nordisk offers long-term incentive compensation and or company vehicles depending on the position's level or other company factors.

Employees are also eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs including medical, dental and vision coverage; life insurance; disability insurance; 401(k) savings plan; flexible spending accounts; employee assistance program; tuition reimbursement program; and voluntary benefits such as group legal, critical illness, identity theft protection, pet insurance and auto/home insurance. The Company also offers time off pursuant to its sick time policy, flex-able vacation policy, and parental leave policy.

The job posting is anticipated to close on Nov 9th, 2026. The Company may however extend this time-period, in which case the posting will remain available on our careers website at www.novonordisk-us/careers.com.

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

At Novo Nordisk, we're not chasing quick fixes – we're creating lasting change for long-term health. For over 100 years, we've been driven by a single purpose: to defeat serious chronic diseases and help millions of people live healthier lives. This dedication fuels our constant curiosity and inspires us to push the boundaries of what's possible in healthcare. We embrace diverse perspectives, seek out bold ideas, and build partnerships rooted in shared purpose. Together, we're making healthcare more accessible, treating and defeating diseases, and pioneering solutions that create change spanning generations. When you join us, you become part of something bigger – a legacy of impact that reaches far beyond today.

Novo Nordisk is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.

If you are interested in applying to Novo Nordisk and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply, please call us at 1-855-411-5290. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.