Head of Commercial - Full Time - CH

About Us

Ikerian AG (formerly RetinAI, now part of Essilor Luxottica) is a fast-growing software company headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. Our mission is to enable the right decisions sooner in healthcare, through transformative AI & data management solutions to better understand patients and diseases. Join our diverse team of entrepreneurs, developers, researchers, and commercial experts who are collectively shaping the future of healthcare and eyecare.

Job Description

The Head of Commercial is the head of Ikerian’s market footprint and global revenue growth. Your mission is to optimize a complex revenue mix spanning scalable clinical SaaS, bespoke research collaborations, and Data-Driven Intelligence solutions for the pharma and clinical segment. You will professionalize our commercial engine by ensuring operational excellence while bridging the gap between innovation and global demand. As a key leader within the company and the EssilorLuxottica ecosystem, you will orchestrate strategic partnerships and implement new commercial concepts across global distribution models to maximize corporate synergies.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct and execute the commercial strategy for multiple revenue streams, balancing clinics sales with high-value life science and pharma services and bespoke research collaborations.
• Orchestrate the expansion of data-driven intelligence solutions (including RWE and Candidate Identification), establishing high-value partnerships to deliver advanced clinical insights to the industry.
• Partner with EssilorLuxottica leadership to execute group-wide commercial synergies, such as retail expansion and clinical distribution via the global affiliate network.
• Leverage and empower internal subject matter expertise to deepen Key Opinion Leader (KOL) relationships and strategic partnerships, ensuring our commercial voice remains scientifically rigorous.
• Institutionalize a data-driven sales methodology and modern workflows, defining a cadence and rhythm that is tracked through a commercial record to ensure scalable and professionalized growth.
• Provide leadership and mentorship to the commercial team to ensure a unified approach to revenue generation.
• Professionalize the end-to-end commercial financial lifecycle by standardizing pricing tiers and commission structures while optimizing the quote-to-cash cycle to ensure all contracts are aligned with accurate resource costing and seamless invoicing.
• Collaborate with the Research department to align market demand with project selection, establishing clear resource-allocation frameworks that balance immediate financial performance with long-term strategic R&D value.
• Translate market intelligence and competitor trends into proactive commercial strategies, ensuring customer needs directly inform the technical roadmap and position Ikerian as a strategic partner to both pharma, clinics and clinical networks.
• Transform Customer Operations into a value-driven "Success" engine that maximizes lifetime value (LTV) through renewals, expansions, and upselling.
• Oversee brand strategy and marketing execution to ensure Ikerian remains a distinctive, top-of-mind leader at international conferences and digital channels.
• Monitor and optimize company-wide revenue KPIs, delivering transparent reporting on ARR, project margins, and pipeline velocity to drive strategic decision-making.

• Degree in Business/STEM/Law (MBA/PhD preferred). Fluent English + a major European language (DE/IT/FR) preferred. Swiss/EU work authorization required.
• Proven track record in scaling software solutions within the healthcare sector, with specific expertise in navigating the procurement and implementation cycles of pharma, large-scale hospital systems and clinical networks.
• Demonstrated ability to design "Value-Exchange" business models, specifically regarding the use of software platforms to facilitate data acquisition and commercialization.
• Strong background in consultative selling to Life Science stakeholders such as Big Pharma, with a record of closing large, long-cycle deals that require significant market education.
• Ability to orchestrate a multi-revenue model, balancing the differing cadences of clinical software and pharma research services.
• Strong foundation in partnership strategy, specifically negotiating complex data-sharing, distribution, or collaboration agreements.
• Senior experience scaling HealthTech, MedTech, or Life Science B2B enterprise software during a high-growth phase. Ophthalmology and regulatory (MDR/FDA) expertise is a plus.
• Experience in commercial financial governance including the ability to manage departmental budgets and oversee contract negotiations. 
• Demonstrated expertise in Data-Driven Revenue Management, including the professionalization of CRMs and standardized commercial KPIs.
• Experience in strategic organizational design and leadership, building incentive models and workflows that align Sales with the rest of the organization.
• Willingness to travel globally to represent Ikerian at leadership events and clinical conferences.

• A unique opportunity to lead the evolution of a high-tech healthcare AI subsidiary within a world-leading healthcare group.
• A competitive compensation package in a supportive environment that values work-life balance.
• The chance to shape the future of digital health and AI-driven eye care.
• A central role in a diverse, international team driving meaningful innovation for patients worldwide.