Associate Director, Geo-Expansion Lead

Job Description

Vence is transforming extensive beef cattle management with virtual fencing technology. We are seeking an Associate Director, Vence Geo-Expansion Lead to lead market entry and scale-up across priority regions. This role will own customer discovery, pilot design and execution, commercial validation, and the development of market-specific value propositions and pricing. This role will build and manage cross-functional go-to-market plans, ensuring Vence's solutions deliver measurable outcomes for producers, and broader ecosystem stakeholders, while working with our company's local market teams and internal stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Market Discovery and Entry Strategy
  • Lead structured customer discovery in target geographies to identify priority segments, use cases, and unmet needs .
  • Map market dynamics (regulatory, competitive landscape, distribution channels, pricing norms, support requirements) to inform market entry strategies.
  • Define geo-specific value propositions aligned to customer pain points and operational contexts.
• Pilot Design, Execution, and Scaling
  • Work with local market our company's resources to drive end-to-end pilot planning: site selection, partner/customer recruitment, success criteria, instrumentation, and timelines.
  • Establish clear hypotheses and metrics (animal outcomes, pasture utilization, labor/time savings, cost efficiency, environmental impact) to validate product-market fit.
  • Drive rapid learning cycles, translate insights into product and go-to-market adjustments, and scale successful pilots into commercial deployments.
• Commercial Validation, Value and Pricing
  • Quantify value delivered by Vence's solutions across segments (e.g., rotational grazing optimization, labor reduction, fencing cost avoidance, compliance/environmental benefits).
  • Develop pricing strategy per market, including packaging, tiers, and commercial constructs (subscription vs. hardware mix), supported by sensitivity analyses and willingness-to-pay research.
  • Build business cases and adoption models to inform revenue forecasts, CAC/LTV, payback periods, and unit economics.
• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Partner with Product, Engineering, Operations, Sales, Marketing, and Support to ensure geo-specific requirements are captured and prioritized.
  • Coordinate regulatory approvals, certifications, and local compliance in partnership with Legal and Operations.
  • Develop and maintain a scalable playbook for geo-expansion (discovery framework, pilot methodologies, pricing templates, channel readiness).
• Team Leadership and Management
  • Immediately assume managerial responsibility for Australia Vence sales team; set goals, coach performance, and build operating cadence.
  • Establish training, enablement, and success metrics.
• Stakeholder Management and Reporting
  • Communicate findings, pilot outcomes, and commercial recommendations to executive leadership and product team.
  • Maintain a clear pipeline of geo-expansion opportunities, with stage gates and KPIs for discovery, pilot, launch, and scale.
  • Influence investment decisions through robust data, risk assessments, and scenario modeling.
• Strategic Marketing
  • This role will maintain strategic marketing responsibilities globally.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related area of study.
• Minimum 7 years experience in market development, strategy, product marketing, or commercial roles; experience in agtech, IoT, or B2B SaaS/hardware hybrid businesses strongly preferred.
• Proven track record of launching products in new geographies and scaling pilots into commercial growth.
• Expertise in customer discovery (e.g., JTBD, qualitative research, structured interviews), pilot design, and value-based pricing.
• Strong analytical skills with experience building business cases, pricing models, and unit economics.
• Comfort navigating regulatory environments and operational complexities in field-based industries.
• Exceptional cross-functional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience managing remote teams; familiarity with the Australian agricultural context is a plus.
• Must be willing to travel 50%

Key Competencies

• Customer-centric mindset with strong hypothesis-driven testing
• Data-driven decision-making and commercial acumen
• Operational rigor and project management excellence
• Adaptability and bias for action in ambiguous environments
• Influential leadership and talent development

Success Metrics

• Time-to-first-pilot and time-to-commercial launch in target geographies
• Pilot success rates against defined KPIs (e.g., animal behavior outcomes, operational savings, adoption intent)
• Validated value frameworks and market-specific pricing implemented
• Revenue growth, unit economics, and payback periods aligned to targets
• Team performance and engagement, particularly in Australia
• Quality and speed of cross-functional execution and learning cycles

Required Skills:
Adaptability, Agile Principles, Brand Marketing, Communication, Creativity, Customer Insights, Financial Analysis, Leadership, Market Access, Market Research, Pricing Strategies, Product Management, Promotions Management, Sales Support, Stakeholder Influence, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking, Team Management

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

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U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as remote".

The salary range for this role is
$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits .

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:
Regular

Relocation:
No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:
No

Travel Requirements:
50%

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Remote

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
N/A

Job Posting End Date:
03/13/2026
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:R386594