Country Manager, USA

Scope Eyecare is a family-owned eyecare company, headquartered in Ireland, with businesses in Ireland, the UK and the US. We develop, market and sell products for dry eye and other ocular surface conditions, led by our Optase brand, which is recommended by eye care professionals and sold through optical, pharmacy and online retail.

The Country Manager, USA is the senior leader of Scope’s US business, accountable for its performance, sustainable growth, culture and effective operation. Reporting to the CEO, the role owns the US business plan and P&L and leads the commercial organisation, with the Head of Sales, the National Account Leads for Eyecare and Retail, and the Sales Operations Project Manager reporting in. It also brings together the US-facing marketing, medical, quality, regulatory, supply chain, warehousing, logistics and customer service activity, working with our group functions in Ireland so that the US runs as one joined-up operation.

This is a hands-on general management role for a leader who has run a US affiliate of an international business. The Country Manager sets the direction for the US team, builds and develops its leaders, owns our most important customer relationships, leads the response when product, compliance or channel issues arise and represents Scope in the US market, working closely with the CEO and the Senior Leadership Board.

Key Responsibilities

General Management and Business Leadership

• Own the US business plan, annual budget and P&L, delivering agreed revenue, gross margin, operating profit and cash targets.
• Turn Scope’s group strategy into a clear three-year US growth strategy, annual operating plan and capability roadmap, with measurable priorities and outcomes.
• Lead the monthly business review, rolling forecast and annual planning cycle for the US, working with Group Finance.
• Oversee the governance of the US legal entity, including contracts, insurance, risk management and compliance with US employment and commercial law, with support from group and external advisers.
• Set priorities and allocate resources across the US business, making clear trade-offs between growth, profitability and capability building.

Sales Leadership

• Lead the Head of Sales and, through them, the national field sales organisation of regional sales managers and account managers calling on eye care professionals.
• Shape the field coverage model, territory design and call strategy so the team reaches the right practices with the right frequency.
• Own with HOS the US sales incentive plan with People & Culture and Finance, making sure it rewards the behaviours and results the business needs.
• Drive sales effectiveness through CRM discipline, clear KPIs, field coaching and regular performance reviews.
• Support professional education and engagement with optometrists and ophthalmologists, including major US meetings such as AAO, Vision Expo and regional congresses.

Key Accounts and Channels

• Lead Key Accounts across eye care (optical retail chains, buying groups and practice networks, including private equity groups) and retail (national pharmacy, grocery, mass and club retailers). ·
• Build joint business plans with strategic accounts, covering range, pricing, promotions, trade investment, in-store execution and shared growth targets.
• Own trade terms, contract negotiations and trade spend, with clear measurement of return on investment.
• Manage relationships with wholesalers and distributors serving pharmacy and eye care channels. ·
• Own Amazon and e-commerce performance, including marketplace health, pricing integrity, reviews, content and brand protection.
• Make sure field sales and Key Accounts work as one team, so agreements made at head office are delivered at practice and store level.

Marketing and Brand

• Work with the US brand plan with the group marketing team, adapting global brand strategy to US customers, channels and consumers.
• Work on US marketing budget across professional, shopper, consumer and digital activity, with clear return on investment.
• Lead US product launches with Head of Marketing & Head of Sales end to end, from launch readiness through customer and channel activation to post-launch review.
• Make sure all promotional material and claims are approved through the proper medical, regulatory and legal review.

Medical and Professional Affairs

• Work with Medical and Professional Affairs to build strong relationships with key opinion leaders and professional bodies.
• Support clinical evidence, professional education and medical information activity in the US.
• Make sure adverse event and product complaint reporting is handled promptly and correctly. Quality and Regulatory
• Bring US quality and regulatory activity together into one coordinated operation, working with group Quality and Regulatory teams.
• Make sure the US business meets FDA requirements across OTC drug products, medical devices and dietary supplements, including registration and listing, labelling, complaints and post-market obligations.
• Lead the US response to product and compliance issues, including recalls, FDA inspections and correspondence such as warning letters, protecting patients, customers and the business.
• Make sure the business meets retailer compliance, product safety and state-level requirements.

Supply Chain, Warehousing and Logistics

• Oversee US supply chain performance with the group supply chain team, including demand planning, S&OP, inventory levels and product availability.
• Manage the US third-party logistics (3PL) and warehousing partners, including service levels, costs, storage conditions and contract performance.
• Oversee inbound logistics, import and customs, and outbound distribution to customers, retailers and Amazon fulfilment.
• Lead US customer service and order-to-cash, including order management, returns, deductions, chargebacks and credit control with Finance.
• Drive service, cost and working capital improvements across the US supply chain.

People and Organisation

• Build and lead a high-performing US leadership team, with a culture that reflects Scope’s values.
• Shape the US organisation design as the business grows, and lead hiring for new roles with People & Culture.
• Establish clear objectives and accountability across the leadership team, ensuring effective performance, development and succession planning.
• Build engagement, retention and organisational resilience, with appropriate succession and contingency plans for business-critical roles and make sure HR practices meet US employment law.

Growth, Innovation and Ways of Working

• Bring the voice of US customers and the market into Scope’s pipeline and support new product and business development opportunities with group teams.
• Run the business on clear data, reporting and forecasting, supported by the Sales Operations Project Manager.
• Champion the smart use of AI, digital tools and automation across the US team.
• Represent Scope with industry bodies such as the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, and keep the US and Ireland closely connected.

Qualifications

• Degree in a science or life science discipline (for example pharmacy, optometry, biology or chemistry) is desirable.
• MBA or equivalent business qualification required.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Extensive senior general management typically acquired over many years of affiliate or business-unit leadership experience in consumer healthcare, OTC, pharmaceutical, medical device or eyecare is required.
• Proven experience leading a US affiliate, subsidiary or business unit of an international company, ideally with a European headquarters.
• Strong commercial background, built mainly in sales leadership, with full P&L and budget ownership.
• Extensive US pharmacy and mass retail experience, with a proven track record of growing business with national accounts such as CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Kroger and Target.
• Deep understanding of how US retail works: category reviews, planograms, trade spend, promotions, deductions and retailer compliance.
• Strong eye care experience, with credibility among optometrists, ophthalmologists and eye care practices.
• Experience growing business with optical retail chains, buying groups and practice networks across OD/MD’s.
• Track record of leading and developing a national field sales organisation, including sales managers.
• Hands-on experience of US quality and regulatory matters, such as FDA inspections, recalls or warning letters.
• Experience overseeing supply chain, 3PL warehousing, logistics and customer service operations.
• Experience in both smaller, fast-growing companies and larger organisations, US product launches, Amazon and e-commerce, and wholesaler relationships desirable.
• Strong business acumen, financial literacy and commercial judgement, and a skilled negotiator with senior customers, partners and suppliers.
• Clear, confident communicator, comfortable presenting to a leadership board.
• High emotional intelligence; builds trust quickly with teams, customers and colleagues in Ireland.
• Calm under pressure, with a problem-solving, solution-focused mindset, and data-driven with strong planning skills.
• Progressive and curious; an early, practical adopter of AI and digital tools.
• A visible, hands-on leader who spends real time with customers and the field team, and who lives Scope’s values: Authentic, Creative, Driven and The Craic.
• Authorised to work in the United States, with willingness to travel regularly across the US and to Ireland.

Scope provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.