Director - Healthcare and Life Sciences - Pharma & Biotech
About the role
The Director role within Simon-Kucher's Healthcare & Life Science Division focuses on unlocking better growth for pharma and biotech clients. This is achieved by optimizing their commercial strategy across various levers including pricing and market access, product, pricing, innovation, marketing, distribution, and sales. The role is based in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco.
Responsibilities
Lead the development and execution of pricing and market access (P&MA) strategies across the product lifecycle, including pre-launch pricing and access planning, contracting strategy, and launch / lifecycle excellence.
Deliver high-impact consulting engagements by leveraging deep content knowledge of US P&MA trends and a strong understanding of client commercial models in the biopharmaceutical sector.
Navigate complex regulatory, access, and payer environments across US and global markets, ensuring strategic alignment with client objectives.
Identify client pain points and develop custom solutions to complex strategy engagements.
Serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to senior client stakeholders in pharma and biotech, proactively identifying their unmet strategic needs.
Support and/or drive business growth by sourcing and converting project opportunities, authoring compelling proposals, and participating in client pitches and strategic account development.
Lead new service development and thought capital initiatives to expand the Pharma and Biotech team’s offerings in pricing, access, and broader commercial strategy.
Build and sustain high-trust relationships with senior client stakeholders, providing strategic counsel grounded in actionable and data-driven insights.
Act as a senior presence in client engagements, ensuring executive-level alignment, facilitating workshops, and guiding clients through complex pricing and access challenges.
Demonstrate an elevated level of empathy and emotional intelligence when managing conflict and or communicating change.
Lead, mentor, coach, and develop a team of consultants and managers, fostering a culture of collaboration, curiosity, and high performance.
Manage and oversee multiple client engagements and project teams simultaneously, providing strategic direction, day-to-day support, and ensuring on-time, high-quality delivery while balancing delivery excellence, team development, and execution efficiency.
Support the recruitment and onboarding of new talent into the practice, shaping the next generation of pricing and access leaders.
Lead the creation of thought leadership content—including white papers, case studies, and access frameworks—focused on the evolving pricing and market access landscape.
Represent Simon-Kucher at industry events, webinars, and conferences, strengthening the firm's brand in the global P&MA ecosystem.
Stay abreast of current business and industry trends relevant to our clients' businesses.
Qualifications
Outstanding drive, determination, and desire to be part of a growing, top-tier consulting firm.
Strong knowledge of and passion for the pharma and biotech sector.
An undergraduate degree is required; MS, MSc, MPH, PhD, MBA, or other advanced degree are a plus but not required.
Minimum 8+ years of experience in management consulting, life sciences strategy, or healthcare commercialization with a strong track record in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.
Deep expertise in one or more of the following: US pre-launch pricing and access planning, contracting strategy, and launch / lifecycle excellence.
A strong understanding of global pricing and market access trends, the US healthcare landscape, and US payer / provider dynamics.
Proven ability to lead complex consulting engagements from end to end, including content, client management, and team leadership.
Strong analytical skills and comfort with data-driven decision making; experience with payer data, forecasting models, or advanced analytics is a plus.
Effective communicator with excellent presentation skills and executive presence.
Demonstrated success in building, mentoring, and managing high-performing teams.
Proven track record in leading client engagements and delivering P&MA strategy.
Excellent business development capabilities, including identifying opportunities, writing proposals, and converting prospects into projects.
Willingness to travel as needed with a hybrid work model (2-3 days / week in office or client site).
Benefits
Total compensation for this role includes base salary, performance bonus, eligibility for annual merit-based increases, and a comprehensive benefits package.
The base salary range for this position is between $215,000 to $275,000 per year for U.S. roles.
Specific compensation within these ranges will depend on factors such as experience, skills, and location.
Benefits for eligible employees include paid time off, 13 paid holidays, medical, dental, and vision coverage, life insurance, and a 401(k) plan.