Vice President, New Business (Health)

Ogilvy Health US•New York, NY

8d•$100,000 - $230,000

About The Position

Ogilvy Health is seeking a highly motivated and experienced VP, New Business to lead and drive strategic pitch processes for large, complex healthcare opportunities. This key role will be highly visible at the most senior levels of Ogilvy Health and will require collaborative leadership across highly specialized, cross-disciplinary teams. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, this role will be responsible for leading and supporting purposeful growth across our teams in North America.

Requirements

10+ years’ experience in a Business Development or senior Client Services/Account Leadership role within recognized healthcare, pharmaceutical, or wellness marketing agencies.
Deep understanding of the pharmaceutical commercialization process, including what drives Pharma CMO, Brand Director, and Procurement decisions across Professional (HCP), Patient (DTC), and Payer/Market Access audiences.
Solid understanding of FDA, OPDP, and global regulatory environments, with an appreciation for how to push creative boundaries safely and strategically within highly regulated parameters.
Exceptional oral and written communication skills with a proven ability to deliver professional, highly persuasive, and scientifically sound presentations.
Demonstrated talent for abstract thinking, spotting health and wellness trends, an innate curiosity about human behavior/patient journeys, and a nuanced understanding of outstanding creative work.
Strong leadership, long-range strategic planning, budget management, and operational/time-management skills.
Excited by the opportunity to identify challenges, diagnose them and provide solutions.
Ready and able to embrace change.
Motivated by collective success, with a competitive spirit and strong desire to win.
Always there for your teammates and reliable.
Putting together pieces in new ways to create new approaches that inspire teams and keep new business work fresh.
Acting on ideas to make things happen and get stuff done.
Focused on the greater good with generosity as a core value.

Responsibilities

Lead mid-to-large new business pitches as a strategic architect, facilitating the entire pitch process from opportunity qualification through proposal development and pitch delivery.
Guide integrated teams crafting compelling strategies and narratives that balance breakthrough, culture-shifting creativity with medical/scientific accuracy and regulatory compliance.
Foster a culture of creative ambition, championing bold and winning creative concepts that go beyond the RFP by showcasing a creative vision that challenges standard healthcare communications conventions.
Partner closely with scientific, medical, strategy, and creative leads to ensure clinical data and complex disease-state landscapes are translated into compelling, human-centric creative narratives.
Lead discussions with pitch teams on “what will win this” and “how do we make this even better?”, ensuring recommendations address specific commercial challenges and tell a compelling story for prospective clients.
Ensure the pitch team has relevant brand, clinical, regulatory, and competitive background, and provide strategic and effective feedback throughout the process.
Help build relationships with C-suite, commercial leads, and pharmaceutical procurement teams throughout the process.
Develop and own relationships with key health-specific pitch consultants.
Serve as a partner and collaborator with sister agencies in Ogilvy Health Group and WPP partners, providing leadership and support to drive network and integrated pitches.
Work with Project Management and Finance on the best financial and staffing model approach (SOWs, FTE allocations, and rate cards specific to health/pharma).
Understand internal resource costs and align growth goals to investment and expected ROI.
Ensure all delivered work meets exceedingly high standards—both in scientific content accuracy and design/creative execution.
Acquire and maintain thorough knowledge of major pharma, biotech and consumer health care trends, therapeutic categories, digital health innovation, and market access/payer dynamics to regularly educate agency leadership on market developments.
Manage and nurture talent on the New Business team, creating an inclusive environment supporting equity and professional growth.
Conduct regular team meetings, set clear goals, and lead through the lens of core values.