Life Science Specialist, Pacific Northwest (WA, OR, ID, MT)
Avantor
Summary
Avantor is seeking a Life Science Specialist to support customers across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. This field-based role combines scientific expertise with commercial acumen to help researchers, laboratories, and life science organizations identify solutions that advance their work. The successful candidate will serve as a trusted technical resource, partnering closely with customers and internal sales teams to drive adoption of Avantor's Life Science portfolio.
Job description
The Opportunity
Avantor is seeking a Life Science Specialist to support customers across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. This field-based role combines scientific expertise with commercial acumen to help researchers, laboratories, and life science organizations identify solutions that advance their work. The successful candidate will serve as a trusted technical resource, partnering closely with customers and internal sales teams to drive adoption of Avantor's Life Science portfolio.
This position is responsible for promoting the full Life Science product portfolio, with particular emphasis on bioMarke suppliers and strategic growth initiatives. Working alongside sales representatives, business development teams, and strategic partners, you will leverage your scientific background to identify opportunities, solve customer challenges, and support business growth throughout the territory. This is a customer-facing role, with an expectation of meeting with customers 5 days per week. Candidates should be located within the Northwest territory, with preference given to individuals residing near the Seattle, WA or Portland, OR metropolitan areas.
How You Will Thrive and Create an Impact
- Serve as the technical expert for Avantor's Life Science portfolio across the Northwest territory
- Partner with sales representatives, business development teams, and strategic partners to identify, develop, and close new business opportunities
- Deliver product demonstrations, scientific consultations, and application-focused support that help customers evaluate and implement solutions
- Build relationships with researchers, laboratory leaders, procurement stakeholders, and key decision-makers across academic, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and industrial environments
- Promote the value and capabilities of Avantor's bioMarke supplier network and broader Life Science offerings
- Collaborate with regional sales leadership to execute territory growth strategies and support key account initiatives
- Provide market intelligence, competitive insights, and customer feedback to help inform commercial and portfolio strategy
- Support onboarding and development of newer Life Science Specialists and contribute to sharing best practices across the organization
- Participate in regional meetings, strategic planning sessions, account reviews, and customer engagement activities to drive territory performance
- Maintain a strong field presence by regularly meeting with customers and suppliers throughout the assigned geography
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Biology, Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, or another scientific discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Minimum of 4 years of laboratory, research, industry, or scientific applications experience
- Demonstrated hands-on laboratory experience and ability to independently troubleshoot scientific workflows, instrumentation, or experimental challenges
- Experience supporting one or more life science disciplines, including genomics, proteomics, cell biology, cellular sciences, or microbiology
- Strong communication and presentation skills with ability to translate complex scientific concepts for a variety of audiences
- Valid driver's license and ability to travel throughout the assigned territory
- Previous sales, field applications, scientific consulting, business development, or customer-facing experience
- Experience supporting life science purchasing decisions, vendor management, or product evaluations
- Master's degree, MBA, or other advanced scientific degree
- Experience working within a distributor, manufacturer, CRO, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, academic, or healthcare research environment
- Demonstrated success supporting revenue growth, account expansion, or strategic customer initiatives
Benefits
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Wellness Programs
- Health Savings Account
- Flexible Spending Account
- 401(k) Matching
- Employee Stock Purchase Program
- 11 Paid Holidays
- 18 PTO Days
- Volunteer Time Off
- 6 Weeks Paid Parental Leave
Company overview
Avantor is a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences and advanced technology industries. Founded in 1904 as J.T. Baker Chemical Company, the company has evolved into a Fortune 500 organization with operations in over 30 countries and serving more than 300,000 customer locations worldwide. Avantor's comprehensive portfolio supports virtually every stage of research, development, and production activities across biopharma, healthcare, education, government, and advanced technology sectors. The company specializes in providing high-purity chemicals, laboratory equipment, single-use bioprocessing systems, and specialized services that enable breakthroughs in medicine, healthcare, and technology. With approximately 14,500 employees globally, Avantor plays a crucial role in supporting scientific innovation, including significant contributions to COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing through its synthetic lipid production capabilities. The company went public in 2019 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AVTR.