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Vice President, Commercial (Automation)

Emeryville, California

Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Ginkgo is constructing, editing, and redesigning the living world in order to answer the globe’s growing challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. Our bioengineers make use of an in-house automated foundry for designing and building new organisms. 

 

About Us

We are on a mission to transform how science is done by building the most flexible, reliable, and scalable lab automation solutions available. Our team creates integrated hardware and software products designed to automate complex biological and chemical workflows, accelerating discovery and development in biotech, life sciences, and adjacent industries.

Our culture is rooted in collaboration, intellectual rigor, and long-term thinking. We are proud of our low turnover, supportive environment, and focus on empowering our employees to do their best work.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced, strategic, and collaborative Vice President, Commercial to lead the commercial function for our Automation Business Unit. This is a critical leadership role responsible for driving growth in a competitive lab automation market while maintaining our strong collaborative culture. The ideal candidate will have deep experience in technical B2B sales, ideally within lab automation or life sciences tools, has a proven track record of building high-performing commercial teams, and excels at fostering cross-functional collaboration between commercial, technical, and operations teams. 

Central to success in this role will be the ability develop your own thesis on market opportunities and customer needs, driving new deals and collaborations.You will lead go-to-market strategy, cultivate key customer relationships, and build a commercial organization that bridges our deep technical expertise with commercial excellence, As our first senior commercial hire, you'll establish the foundation for long-term commercial success while preserving the strong, collaborative culture that has defined our team.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Leadership

  • Develop and execute comprehensive  go-to-market strategies to achieve bookings and revenue targets including direct sales, business development, pre-sales, and marketing activities.
  • Develop, lead, and scale a high-performing commercial team, including business development, sales, pre-sales applications, and marketing functions.
  • Cultivate and maintain relationships with C-level executives and key stakeholders in biopharma, techbio, government labs, and other target market segments.
  • Lead complex negotiations and close strategic deals that drive revenue growth and market adoption.
  • Design and implement sales processes, forecasting methods, and performance metrics that drive accountability and results.

Strategic Vision and Market Development

  • Identify and pursue new business opportunities, including strategic partnerships and key accounts
  • Analyze market trends, customer feedback, and the competitive landscape to inform our commercial strategy, including account and market expansion strategies
  • Collaborate with the leadership team to shape the long-term business unit vision and product and growth strategy
  • Establish Ginkgo Automation as a thought leader in the lab automation and “Lab of the Future” space through strategic marketing and industry engagement
  • Represent Ginkgo Automation at industry events, trade shows, and customer meetings

Cross-Functional Leadership

  • Foster strong collaboration between the Commercial, Product, Hardware, Software, and Deployment teams
  • Serve as the “voice of the customer” internally, providing structured feedback to product and engineering teams on market needs and competitive dynamics.
  • Partner with technical teams (Software, Hardware, Deployment) to craft compelling value propositions and ensure accurate and realistic customer proposals.
  • Build a commercial culture that complements our collaboration technical culture and company values while driving necessary growth and market adoption 
  • Contribute to broader company strategy and decision-making as a key member of the leadership team

Team Development

  • Mentor and develop team members, including existing business development and applications staff, and support their professional growth.
  • Foster a positive, collaborative culture that bridges commercial and technical teams.
  • Help team members expand into adjacent functions (e.g., marketing, lead generation) as appropriate.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, business, or related field [MBA preferred]
  • 15+ years of progressive experience in technical B2B sales or commercial leadership roles, preferably in lab automation, life sciences tools, or related industries.
  • Proven track record of building and scaling commercial teams and delivering sustained revenue growth.
  • Experience leading cross-functional teams and working closely with technical, operations, and executive teams.
  • Strong understanding of complex sales cycles and technical products in the life sciences or adjacent industries.
  • Experience managing pre-sales or applications teams.
  • Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
  • High integrity and commitment to ethical and customer-first sales practices.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience leading commercial efforts in an early-stage or growth-phase business.
  • Direct technical experience or deep familiarity with automation technologies in life sciences, pharma, or related industries.
  • Knowledge of current trends in laboratory automation, such as generative and agentic AI, high-throughput screening technologies, and other Lab of the Future technologies and initiatives.
  • Experience cultivating relationships with C-level executives in life sciences, pharma, and other adjacent industries.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information and develop strategic insight.
  • Strategic mindset with the ability to balance near-term sales execution with long-term business goals.
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust across diverse teams.
  • Comfort working in a fast-paced, evolving environment where hypothesis driven experimentation and rapid interaction are valued.
  • Experience organizing or managing participation in industry associations, events, and conferences to generate leads, strengthen brand presence, and influence market trends.

Our Culture

We believe that a strong commercial strategy starts with strong relationships—both inside and outside the company. Our team is collaborative, curious, and mission-driven. We strive to build an environment where technical, commercial, and operational teams work seamlessly together, and where employees can grow and thrive.

If you’re a thoughtful, strategic, and ethical commercial leader excited about building a business that is transforming science, we’d love to hear from you.

Total compensation for this role is market driven, with a starting salary of $232,200+, as well as company stock awards.  Base pay is ultimately determined based on a candidate's skills, expertise, and experience.  We also offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage, health spending accounts, voluntary benefits, leave of absence policies, Employee Assistance Program, 401(k) program with employer contribution, 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown and unlimited Paid Time Off policy.

To learn more about Ginkgo, visit www.ginkgobioworks.com/press/ or check out some curated press below:
 
We also feel that it’s important to point out the obvious here – there’s a serious lack of diversity in our industry, and that needs to change. Our goal is to help drive that change. Ginkgo is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its practices, especially when it comes to growing our team. Our culture promotes inclusion and embraces how rewarding it is to work with people from all walks of life.  
 
We’re developing a powerful biological engineering platform, so we must remain mindful of the many ways our technology can – and will – impact people around the world. We care about how our platform is used, and having a diverse team to build it gives us the best chance that it’s something we’ll be proud of as it continues to grow. Therefore, it’s critical that we incorporate the diverse voices and visions of all those who play a role in the future of biology.
 
It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees, employment applicants, and EOE disability/vet. 
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