Associate Director, Business Operations

About Cerus:

Cerus aims to be the global leader and trusted partner of blood centers and hospitals whose technology, services, and commitment are the lifeblood of safe and accessible blood for patients around the world.

This is a hybrid opportunity based out of Concord, CA where you'll work twice a week in the office.

The Associate Director, Business Operations is a creative and hands-on contributor responsible for commercial operations, business planning, pricing and deal support, and cross-functional process optimization. This role partners with commercial leadership to improve execution, enable growth, and translate business needs into operating requirements, analytics, and system enhancements.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support core sales and commercial operations activities, including budgeting support, incentive compensation administration or design support, and operational policies.
• Own territory design and optimization in partnership with commercial leaders.
• Partner with sales leadership to identify growth opportunities, improve productivity, and remove operational friction.
• Develop business requirements for IT and systems projects; act as the business lead for process and capability enhancements.
• Define, implement, and operationalize value-added analytics that support commercial decision making.
• Ensure close coordination across Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, Marketing, and IT.
• Manage and optimize commercial contracting workflows and approval processes.
• Run commercial deal desk and pricing approval processes, balancing speed, consistency, and risk management.
• Develop pricing guidelines, guardrails, and governance in partnership with relevant stakeholders.
• Monitor operating performance, surface risks, and recommend corrective actions to leadership.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 7 years of experience in commercial /sales operations, finance, marketing, or related functions.
• Demonstrated success working across a variety of internal stakeholders (Sales, Finance, Legal, and Customer Service)
• Experience with the development and implementation of Sales Compensation plans
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to turn data into practical recommendations.
• Demonstrated experience translating business needs into process, policy, or system improvements.
• Strong stakeholder management skills across multiple functions and levels of leadership.
• Working knowledge of Salesforce, CRM, ERP, or reporting tools used to support commercial teams.
• Command of Microsoft Office tools (Excel and PowerPoint)

PREFERRED BACKGROUND

• Experience in a global or matrixed commercial organization.
• Experience with territory design, pricing, contracting, deal desk operations, or related commercial processes.
• Exposure to incentive compensation, pricing governance, or commercial analytics.
• Track record of improving operational processes while maintaining strong business partnership.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Territory, pricing, and contracting processes are more disciplined, transparent, and scalable.
• Deal support moves faster with better cross-functional coordination and clearer approvals.
• Commercial leaders receive more actionable analytics and stronger operational support.

We understand that our people are essential to our success.  This philosophy is revealed in our competitive benefits package, designed to improve employees’ lives both on and off the job.

Benefits plans: medical, dental, vision, domestic partner benefits, paid maternity and paternity leaves, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending, life and accidental death insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, matching 401(k), RSUs

Work and family: EAP, legal and financial services, health club membership discounts, tuition reimbursement

Compensation: The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $165,000-$195,000 annually. Base pay is one part of the total package to compensate and recognize employees for their work.