The Opportunity
Red Box Direct is hiring a Product Manager to become the dedicated commercial face of Columbus Instruments across Europe. This is a scientific sales role for someone with a strong science background who wants to build a career on the commercial side of life sciences. You’ll work directly with researchers to understand their experimental goals and challenges, then help identify the right instrumentation to support their work. The role combines scientific credibility, consultative selling and relationship-building, with the opportunity to develop deep expertise in Columbus Instruments’ portfolio and grow its presence across the European market.
You'll own the full sales cycle for Columbus Instruments' portfolio of metabolic phenotyping, behavioural and physiological monitoring systems across academic, pharmaceutical, biotech, CRO and government research institutions throughout Europe, working from Red Box Direct's Dublin office under the Columbus Instruments brand.
About Red Box Direct & Columbus Instruments
Founded in Dublin in 2006, Red Box Direct is the outsourced sales, marketing and support partner of choice for life-science instrument manufacturers expanding into Europe and Asia. Rather than acting as a traditional distributor, Red Box Direct places dedicated, brand-embedded Product Managers on the ground in each export market - giving manufacturers a local office and a salesperson focused 100% on their customers, while the manufacturer keeps control of pricing, branding and the customer relationship. Today the team represents more than 20 life-science manufacturers, supports over 30 European universities, and has shipped 16,000+ orders to 50+ countries from offices in Ireland, Hong Kong and Japan.
Columbus Instruments is one of the manufacturers Red Box Direct represents in Europe. Founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1970, the company pioneered instrumentation for metabolic phenotyping and automated respirometry, and its Oxymax-CLAMS platform is a standard in labs studying metabolism, obesity, diabetes and energy balance worldwide. The broader Columbus Instruments range - treadmills, activity wheels and monitors, rotarod and grip strength systems, CI-SHELL, the Micro-Oxymax respirometer and more - supports researchers working in neuroscience, exercise physiology, behavioural science and drug development. The company's instruments are trusted by more than 100,000 scientists at institutions including Stanford and Imperial College London, as well as pharmaceutical companies and government agencies.
Key Responsibilities
- Own and grow the Columbus Instruments customer base across academic, pharmaceutical, biotech, CRO and government research institutions in Europe, managing the full sales cycle from prospecting through to close.
- Build lasting relationships with principal investigators, lab managers and procurement contacts, understanding their research programmes well enough to be a trusted technical resource, not just a vendor.
- Run product consultations and demonstrations, translating a researcher's experimental needs into the right configuration - whether that's an Oxymax-CLAMS metabolic phenotyping setup, a treadmill or activity-monitoring system, or another instrument from the Columbus Instruments range.
- Represent Columbus Instruments at conferences, trade shows and university events across Europe, building the brand's visibility and generating new leads.
- Coordinate installation, commissioning and training with customers and with the Columbus Instruments applications and service team in Columbus, Ohio, to ensure a smooth experience from order to first data point.
- Maintain accurate customer and opportunity records in the CRM, and report on pipeline, activity and market feedback to Red Box Direct and Columbus Instruments leadership.
- Support the commercial process end-to-end, working with the wider Red Box Direct team on quoting and order processing, to protect long-term customer satisfaction and repeat business.
- Feed insight on customer needs, competitor activity and market trends back to the Columbus Instruments product and marketing teams
What You'll Bring
Required
- A third-level qualification in a life sciences/technical discipline. This is essential: it's what lets you talk credibly with PhD-level researchers about the science behind the equipment.
- 2+ years' experience in a sales, business development or other customer-facing commercial role, in any industry - we're looking for someone who is enthusiastic about building relationships and enjoys working towards sales closings.
- Fluent written and spoken English.
- Eligibility to travel across Europe for roughly 30-40% of your time, including to conferences, customer sites and occasional visits to Columbus Instruments' US headquarters.
- Existing eligibility to work in Ireland for a minimum of 1 year from start date.
Nice to Have
- Fluency in an additional European language (German, French, Spanish, Italian or similar) - a strong asset given the breadth of the European territory.
- Hands-on lab or bench experience with in vivo research, animal physiology, metabolic phenotyping or behavioural neuroscience techniques.
- An existing network within the academic or pharmaceutical preclinical research community in Europe.
- Prior experience selling capital equipment or within a manufacturer/distributor sales model.
Compensation & Benefits
- Base salary €45,000 - €55,000, depending on experience
- Commission Uncapped, paid on top of base; realistic year-one on-target earnings (OTE) of approximately €20,000 - €25,000, rising with sales growth and tenure
- Working pattern Hybrid: 3 days from the Dublin office, 2 days remote per week
- Company travel and expenses covered for customer visits, conferences and trade shows, etc.
- Training Full onboarding on the Columbus Instruments product range, including time with the applications and service team in the US
- Supportive Environment: Red Box Direct was a finalist for the GGoB healthy company all-star awards, reflecting our commitment to employee well-being. We foster a supportive and adaptable team culture, encouraging collaboration and innovation.
- Personal Development Opportunities: We prioritize personal and professional growth, offering various training and development opportunities to help you succeed.
Location & Travel
This role is based at Red Box Direct's Dublin office in Dublin 14 on a hybrid basis (3 days office / 2 days remote). Because the territory covers the full European market, regular travel should be expected - approximately 30–40% of working time - including customer site visits, regional conferences and trade shows, and periodic visits to Columbus Instruments' headquarters in Columbus, Ohio for training and product updates.
How to Apply
We value diversity and inclusion and encourage all qualified people to apply. Interested candidates should submit a CV and short cover letter to [email protected] outlining their science background and relevant sales experience.
Application deadline: 13 Sep 2026
STRICTLY NO AGENCIES
Pay: €45,000.00-€55,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Bike to work scheme
- Company pension
- On-site parking
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Dublin, County Dublin
