Head of Sales and Marketing

RLS•Princeton, NJ

1d•Remote

About The Position

RLS is a specialized consulting firm serving the healthcare and life sciences industries. We help clients evaluate and maximize commercial opportunities through pharmaceutical forecasting, opportunity assessment, strategic market research, modeling, pricing, and market access support. Our clients rely on us for rigorous analysis, practical insight, and strategic guidance across the product lifecycle. We are seeking a dynamic, commercially oriented Head of Sales and Marketing to lead the firm’s growth strategy, strengthen market visibility, and drive revenue expansion. This role combines strategic marketing leadership with hands-on business development. The successful candidate will be responsible for shaping the firm’s external market presence, generating qualified demand, building client relationships, and converting opportunities into high-value consulting engagements. The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in life sciences consulting, professional services marketing, and business development, with a proven ability to translate specialized capabilities into compelling client value. This individual must be comfortable operating at both the strategic and execution levels, working closely with consulting leadership to position the firm’s forecasting and related advisory services in the market.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Life Sciences, or a related field; MBA preferred.
8+ years of experience in marketing, business development, sales, or commercial leadership, preferably within a professional services or consulting environment.
Strong experience in healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotech, or life sciences required.
Demonstrated success driving revenue growth and securing high-value client engagements.
Experience marketing and selling specialized consulting, analytics, forecasting, market research, or strategy services.
Strong understanding of the pharmaceutical commercial landscape and the types of business questions supported by forecasting and related advisory work.
Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to develop and execute strategic marketing and sales plans in a highly specialized B2B environment.
Strong collaboration skills and ability to work effectively across consulting, leadership, and client-facing teams.
Proficiency in CRM platforms and business development reporting tools.

Nice To Haves

Existing network within pharmaceutical, biotech, or life sciences commercial organizations.
Experience supporting or selling services related to launch planning, new product forecasting, portfolio strategy, licensing opportunity assessment, market access, or commercial analytics.
Experience developing thought leadership and demand-generation content for senior client audiences.

Responsibilities

Manage the business development process from lead qualification through proposal development, negotiation, and close.
Serve as a primary point of contact for new business requests and ensure timely, professional follow-up.
Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, industry partners, and key stakeholders.
Collaborate with internal consulting leaders to align client needs with the firm’s capabilities and craft tailored solutions.
In collaboration with Principals, negotiate commercial terms and support contract discussions with prospective clients and partners.
Develop and manage a robust pipeline of qualified opportunities across pharmaceutical, biotech, and broader life sciences clients.
Generate demand through a mix of outbound business development, relationship-based selling, marketing campaigns, referrals, and strategic partnerships.
Identify and pursue new client logos while expanding opportunities within existing accounts.
Build targeted outreach strategies to engage decision-makers in commercial strategy, forecasting, new product planning, business development, market research, and market access functions.
Lead capability presentations and introductory discussions with prospective clients.
Oversee proposal development in collaboration with the Principal or consulting lead responsible for the engagement.
Partner with consulting leadership to define project scope, pricing, timelines, and staffing approach.
Ensure proposals clearly communicate strategic value, methodological rigor, and commercial relevance.
Support a smooth transition from business development to project delivery by ensuring alignment on client objectives and engagement expectations.
Develop and execute an integrated marketing strategy aligned with the firm’s growth objectives.
Define and refine positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategy across the firm’s service offerings, including forecasting, modeling, market research, pricing, market access, and opportunity assessment.
Build market awareness and credibility through thought leadership, content marketing, conference participation, webinars, digital campaigns, and client-facing collateral.
Oversee development of capability decks, case studies, proposals support materials, website content, and other brand assets.
Ensure consistent and differentiated messaging across all external communications and business development channels.
Monitor market trends, competitor activity, client priorities, and broader developments within the pharmaceutical and life sciences consulting space.
Use market insight to refine marketing strategy, sharpen commercial messaging, and identify new growth opportunities.
Track emerging client needs related to forecasting, launch planning, portfolio strategy, licensing support, and commercial decision-making.
Maintain disciplined CRM management and ensure accurate tracking of contacts, leads, opportunities, and account activity.
Develop, track, and report on key marketing and business development metrics, including pipeline health, lead generation, conversion rates, win rates, and revenue contribution.
Provide regular updates to leadership on progress against growth goals, key opportunities, commercial risks, and areas for improvement.
Participate as a member of the management team and contribute to broader commercial and strategic planning.