Assistant Manager – Lifesciences

Roles and responsibilities

Project Management

• Independently manage and collaboratively execute customized business research projects focused on procurement and business strategies, for numerous clients including large–midsized life sciences corporations and professional service firms
• Lead one or more project teams, guiding team(s) on all aspects including scoping, timelines, content structuring, research methodologies, and client communication
• Deliver high-quality, client-ready outputs consistently
• Conduct continuous quality management of the outputs to ensure consistency and timeline adherence
• Be pragmatic in deciding required involvement and contribution in projects to ascertain efficient project execution and meet client commitments
• Serve as a mentor to the project team members imparting experiential- and knowledge-based guidance, and providing constructive feedback (verbal and written); counsel analysts on technical and business skills to elevate their performance

Client Engagement

• Interact with key client stakeholders to understand project requests and business needs, and communicate project progress/challenges
• Serve as the primary POC for project-related communication to discuss/decide project timelines/scope and collect feedback
• Undertake teleconference-based project kick-off calls and review meetings
• Identify risks /issues and escalate to the reporting manager (RM) and/or Client Lead (CL)
• Identify up-selling/cross-selling opportunities in conjunction with the CL/RM
• Participate in business proposals and new client pitch-decks to attract new business prospects and enhance business growth

Team and Career Management

• Display exceptional project/team management skills maintaining high levels of motivation and work ethic among team members
• Handle difficult situations such as dissatisfaction/disagreement among team members and escalate to RM, when essential
• Function as the performance appraiser of 2–5 junior team members and be responsible for their overall career management

Training and Organisational Initiatives

• Contribute to different organisational tasks such as hiring, training, and other organisational initiatives

Ideal Candidate

• Market research and/or consulting experience of 4–7 years; experience in procurement and commercial research/strategies is preferred
• Good understanding and knowledge of the Life Sciences industry and dynamics; educational qualification in life sciences will be preferred, but not essential
• Through knowledge of various secondary and primary research methodologies (including databases such as Nexis, Thomson, Factiva and Bloomberg)
• Through knowledge of various secondary and primary research methodologies (including databases such as Thomson, Factiva, and LexisNexis)
• Understanding of industry dynamics such as KPIs and frameworks such as SWOT analysis, Porter’s Five Forces, and GE-McKinsey Matrix
• Potential of handling a large team of 10-15 employees as a single point of contact for their daily operational needs as well as overall needs related to career aspiration, performance, expectations, team building etc.
• Team player
• Motivated, fast thinking, dynamic person with strong business acumen
• Motivated and dynamic person with strong business acumen
• Work in demanding and high-pressure situations without compromising on work quality and timelines
• Result oriented, self-driven, and solution seeker
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to do multitasking with ease
• Ability to take tough/difficult decisions with reason and logic
• Patient, calm, and composed demeanour
• Quick grasp and ability to think on the feet
• Quick learner with the ability to think outside the box
• Strong people management skills
• High value system, and fair and judicious in decision-making
• Perseverant and ‘can do’ attitude
• Proactive in reaching out to others beyond his immediate area of responsibility to help/assist
• Proactive collaborator
• Able to lead by example
• Subject-matter-expert who can indulge in unprompted knowledge-sharing
• Efficient in handling difficult client and people situations