Associate Director, Market Development APAC, Applied and Agriculture

Job Summary

The Associate Director, Applied and Agriculture Market Development, APAC is responsible for driving commercial growth by expanding the total addressable market in these key segments for Oxford Nanopore Technologies across the Asia Pacific region. This role focuses on identifying and unlocking new customer segments, applications, and geographies, translating ONT’s unique long-read sequencing capabilities into scalable, commercially impactful market opportunities. Working at the intersection of science, policy, and commercial strategy, this role partners closely with sales, marketing, product, regulatory, and government affairs teams to accelerate adoption and long-term revenue growth.

This role has a primary focus on applied genomics and agriculture, including food and fibre systems, agri-biotech, environmental genomics, biosecurity, and broader bioeconomy applications, supporting the transition from research to operational and production-scale deployment.

This role is suited to a highly self-directed builder who thrives in ambiguous environments and can create momentum ahead of fully scaled organisational infrastructure.

Primary Objective

Drive sustainable growth by expanding the total addressable market through identification, validation, and execution of new use cases, customer segments, and applied, agricultural, environmental, and bioeconomy genomics markets across APAC.

Key Responsibilities and Duties :

Market Expansion & Growth

• Identify, assess, and validate new market opportunities for ONT technologies across applied, agricultural, environmental, and industrial genomics segments, including research-to-production transitions.
• Develop and execute commercial-forward market development strategies with clear milestones and measurable growth outcomes.
• Expand market access by enabling entry into new customer segments and geographies across APAC.
• Identify opportunities where long-read sequencing enables step-change improvements in productivity, resilience, traceability, sustainability, or biosecurity outcomes.
• Provide structured input into future product, workflow, and portfolio roadmaps based on market needs and evidence gaps.

Partnerships, KOL & Ecosystem Development

Evidence Generation & Standards Shaping

Regulatory, Policy & Market Access Enablement (Applied & Agriculture)

Commercial Enablement & Cross ‑ Functional Leadership

Leadership & Capability Development

Core Competencies, Qualifications and Experience

Core Competencies

Qualifications & Experience

Advanced degree in genomics, molecular biology, life sciences, or related discipline; MBA, PhD, or MD advantageous.

Extensive experience in genomics, life sciences, or applied biotechnology, with strong exposure to commercial strategy and market development.

Demonstrated success in creating or expanding markets, launching new collaborations and evidence generation initiatives, or enabling adoption of innovative technologies.

Demonstrated experience in society engagement, white paper creation, and participating in or driving standards-setting activities.

Strong understanding of applied genomics, agriculture, environmental, and industrial biotechnology ecosystems in APAC.

Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and operate effectively in complex, matrixed environments.

Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in lean or emerging organisational environments, building capability and momentum without reliance on established support functions.

Strong personal network across applied genomics, agriculture, bioeconomy, or policy ecosystems, with the ability to independently open doors and create opportunities.

Hands-on mindset, with willingness to contribute directly to content development, stakeholder education, and early market-shaping activities.

High resilience and adaptability, with the ability to progress initiatives even when cross-functional resources are limited or evolving.

Willingness to travel across the APAC region.