Director, Competitive Intelligence and Market Response

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity?

At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients.

Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

Position Summary:

The Director of Competitive Intelligence and Market Response will lead the development and execution of strategies that provide actionable competitive insights and drive our market response initiatives. This role will be responsible for analyzing the competitive landscape, anticipating competitor actions, and formulating effective response strategies to enhance our market positioning. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with strong domain knowledge and a passion for turning data into impactful strategies that drive business growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Competitive Intelligence Leadership: Establish and lead a robust competitive intelligence function, focusing on gathering, analyzing, and synthesizing data on competitors, market trends, and industry dynamics. Develop best practices for competitive research and insight dissemination across the organization. Competitive Analysis and Monitoring: Continuously monitor competitor activities, including product launches, pricing changes, marketing campaigns, and strategic initiatives. Provide detailed analysis and reports that highlight threats, opportunities, and potential market shifts.

Competitive Response Strategy: Develop and execute competitive response strategies that enable Illumina to effectively counter competitor actions. Collaborate with product, sales, and marketing teams to create tactical plans that enhance our market positioning.

Market Positioning and Messaging: Work closely with product marketing and communications teams to refine product positioning and messaging based on competitive insights. Ensure that our value propositions clearly differentiate us from competitors and resonate with our target audience.

Sales Enablement and Training: Equip the sales team with the insights and tools they need to effectively address competitive threats during customer engagements. Develop training programs, battle cards, and response playbooks to arm sales with clear, actionable information.

Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with key stakeholders across product, marketing, sales, and executive leadership to ensure alignment on competitive strategies and market responses. Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on competitive dynamics and strategic decisions.

Scenario Planning and Risk Assessment: Lead scenario planning exercises to anticipate potential competitive moves and their impact on our business. Develop contingency plans to proactively address market disruptions and emerging threats.

Performance Metrics and Reporting: Define and track KPIs to measure the effectiveness of competitive intelligence and response strategies. Regularly report on the impact of competitive actions and our responses, and recommend adjustments as needed.

Preferred Educational and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or PhD a plus.
• Must have at least 7+ years of industry experience in Product Marketing, Product Management, or similar roles.
• Must have at least 18 years of related industry experience in Product Marketing, Product Management, or similar roles and at least 10 years of people management experience
• Demonstrated experience in technical marketing and close collaboration with Commercial is highly desired.
• Technical knowledge of genomics, next-generation sequencing and molecular biology products is highly desired.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills with a track record of influencing business outcomes through competitive insights.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to distill complex data into clear, compelling recommendations.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and collaborating with senior leadership to drive strategic decisions.
• Proficiency in competitive intelligence tools, market research platforms, and data analytics.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop teams in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• High degree of business acumen and understanding of industry trends, co