Leader, Account Manager

We are rebuilding biotech for the AI era. When a breakthrough is delayed, the world waits. Getting a molecule from discovery to patients, or a crop from lab to field, involves thousands of slow, manual, disconnected steps. AI has the potential to change this, compressing decades of R&D work into years. But that only happens when clean, structured scientific data and AI are built into how science gets done. Benchling is the AI platform for biotech R&D. Scientists use Benchling to design experiments, capture structured data, and run AI agents and models directly in their workflows. Over 200,000 scientists around the world trust Benchling to power their most important work, from academic labs to Sanofi, Moderna, and more than half of the world's top 50 biopharma. We’re building an AI scientist for our customers. We can’t do that if we haven’t built the muscle ourselves. AI fluency is the foundation we build on; it's core to how we work, and we're committed to helping every new hire integrate it into their day-to-day. As part of our interview process, you'll complete a brief AI-focused exercise or discussion so we can understand how you think about and use AI to drive impact in your role. Feel free to reference any tools, platforms, or workflows you use today. ROLE OVERVIEW  Benchling is seeking an Account Management Leader with a background in Life Sciences and enterprise SaaS. This role is an exciting blend of team management and strategic leadership. You're a hands-on leader who enjoys working closely with your team and with customers to drive world-class renewal rates and expansion outcomes. You must be able to think and act strategically as well as get into the details with our seasoned Account Managers with experience in Life Sciences, who can help grow the organization, develop our processes, and drive execution. You will develop a deep understanding of Benchling's solutions and demonstrate your experience to guide our teams in building strategic renewal plans, proactively identifying and mitigating risk, and uncovering upsell and expansion opportunities across the portfolio. To be successful in this role, you are comfortable with R&D processes and scientific concepts, and able to speak confidently and build relationships with Scientific, IT, and procurement leaders at leading Pharma and Biotech organizations. You have experience leading customer-facing, commercially-oriented teams in a high growth enterprise SaaS environment. And you are a proven leader who can drive a renewals business from hiring and staffing, to managing and mentoring your team, to leading through change. RESPONSIBILITIES   Lead and Develop the AM Team Manage, mentor, and grow a team of AMs, including hiring as needed. Foster a collaborative, commercially-minded culture that drives measurable renewal and retention outcomes for the business. Ensure the team is highly enabled on Benchling's renewal playbook and can execute consistently across the portfolio. Coach AMs on building strategic renewal plans and delivering renewal-focused business reviews that reinforce value, address risk, and secure executive buy-in ahead of contract end dates. Drive Key Metrics and Program Success Lead the team in achieving renewal, retention, and net revenue retention targets through strategic guidance and operational excellence. Particular focus on identifying contraction and churn risk early, and on surfacing expansion and upsell opportunities within the existing book. Use data to identify at-risk accounts, renewal timing, and expansion signals across the customer portfolio, and develop account-specific plans to address them alongside the sales organization. Provide the business with a predictable renewal forecast backed by leading indicators, ensuring risk and expansion signals are surfaced early enough to inform accurate, defensible projections rather than late-stage surprises. Collaborate with cross-functional teams (CS, Sales, fina