Senior Manager, Corporate Strategy

PharmaEssentia U.S.A.

About The Position

The Associate Director, Corporate Strategy & Business Development plays a critical role in advancing PharmaEssentia’s enterprise, portfolio, and disease-area strategies. This role will independently lead major strategic projects, drive portfolio governance processes, and generate high-quality insights that support senior decision-making across the organization. The ideal candidate brings a strong background in biopharma or large pharmaceutical environments—preferably with prior experience in top-tier management consulting or equivalent strategic roles. This individual will serve as a key thought partner to the Head of Strategy and has a dotted-line to Director, Corporate Strategy, providing analytical leadership, structured problem-solving, and polished executive deliverables. This is a unique opportunity to work closely with the Head of Global Strategy and take strong ownership of projects that directly shape PharmaEssentia’s growth trajectory. The Associate Director will gain high-visibility exposure across commercial strategy, medical affairs, business development, and emerging AI-driven initiatives—all within a fast-moving, entrepreneurial biotech environment. Success in this role requires exceptional analytical capability, deep scientific and market understanding (especially in hematology/oncology), strong cross-functional leadership, intellectual curiosity about emerging technologies, and mastery in communication and daily deliverables.

Requirements

Advanced degree strongly preferred (PhD, MD, PharmD, MBA).
5–10+ years total experience, with at least 3–5 years in big pharma/biotech strategy, corporate development, portfolio strategy, and/or top-tier management consulting (MBB strongly preferred).
Strong understanding of drug development, clinical evidence, market access, and commercial dynamics—preferably in hematology, oncology, or immunology.
Proven experience leading complex strategic projects with multiple stakeholders.
Exceptional analytical skills, including financial/market modeling, forecasting, and competitive assessments.
A fast learner with genuine intellectual curiosity and a willingness to quickly get up to speed on the rapidly evolving AI and technology landscape as it applies to biopharma commercial and medical operations.
Advanced PowerPoint and Excel mastery with demonstrated ability to produce polished executive presentations.
Strong communication, facilitation, and influence skills with ability to deliver clear recommendations to senior leaders.
Comfortable operating in a dynamic, fast-growing biotech environment with evolving priorities and high expectations for ownership.

Responsibilities

Strategic Project Leadership
Independently lead high-impact enterprise and therapeutic-area strategy projects, including framing problem statements, structuring analyses, managing workstreams, and delivering recommendations to senior leadership.
Drive cross-functional strategic initiatives spanning corporate affairs.
Own project timelines, stakeholder engagement, and output quality, ensuring projects advance on schedule and deliver clear strategic value.
AI & Innovation Project Support (Commercial & Medical Affairs)
Provide hands-on project management support for AI-related initiatives across Commercial and Medical Affairs functions, including workflow automation, AI-assisted content generation, data analytics, and digital engagement projects.
Serve as the primary point of contact with AI and technology vendors, managing day-to-day coordination, deliverable tracking, and vendor performance evaluation.
Stay current with the rapidly evolving AI landscape—including generative AI, large language models, and AI applications in life sciences—and proactively identify opportunities to apply new tools and approaches to PharmaEssentia’s commercial and medical operations.
Coordinate cross-functional input and approvals for AI-related projects, ensuring alignment with compliance, legal, and data privacy requirements.
Prepare project updates, status reports, and recommendations for senior leadership on AI initiative progress and ROI.
Portfolio Governance & Strategic Planning
Lead PharmaEssentia’s portfolio review process, including meeting design, agenda setting, data synthesis, and preparation of executive/Board-level materials.
Ensure portfolio decisions are aligned with corporate strategy, capital allocation priorities, and long-range plans.
Maintain a comprehensive, strategic perspective across all programs, identifying risks, opportunities, and cross-asset implications.
Maintain and evolve portfolio dashboards, KPIs, and decision-support tools that enable senior leaders to monitor performance and make informed choices.
Business Development & Commercial Due Diligence
Conduct commercial due diligence on target assets on an ongoing basis, including market sizing, competitive landscape assessment, unmet need analysis, and clinical differentiation evaluation.
Engage directly with target company management teams and C-suites to assess organizational capabilities, pipeline depth, and strategic fit.
Conduct financial assessment, including scenario modeling, P&L forecasting, rNPV building, clinical/market inflection tracking, and value-based prioritization.
Synthesize insights into clear, concise executive summaries and presentations.
Evaluate deal structures and transaction economics, including licensing terms (milestone/royalty structures, upfront vs. contingent payments), option deal mechanics, and co-development/co-commercialization arrangements; pressure-test term sheets and provide recommendations on deal design.
Manage external diligence processes, including coordinating with outside advisors, KOL consultants, and legal counsel on deal terms; maintain relationships with investment bankers and BD intermediaries.
Proactively source and screen BD targets by maintaining a target landscape, running screening criteria against strategic priorities, and surfacing opportunities for leadership review using databases and industry intelligence.
Vendor Coordination & Project Management
Serve as a key contact point with external vendors and consultants across strategy, AI/technology, and business development workstreams.
Provide project management support for cross-functional initiatives, including timeline management, action item tracking, meeting coordination, and stakeholder follow-up.
Help evaluate new vendor capabilities and manage onboarding processes as projects scale.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Influence
Collaborate closely with R&D, Clinical, Commercial, Medical, and BD stakeholders to gather insights, pressure-test assumptions, and ensure cross-functional alignment.
Act as a strategic integrator—connecting scientific, clinical, and commercial viewpoints to shape cohesive strategic recommendations.
Serve as a trusted thought partner and right hand to the Head of Global Strategy on high-priority initiatives.
Executive Communication & Deliverables
Produce high-quality, executive-ready PowerPoint materials, including strategic frameworks, narratives, investment cases, and portfolio updates.
Draft memos, analyses, and communication materials used by the CEO, Executive Team, and Board.
Ensure clarity, accuracy, and compelling storytelling in all deliverables.