Position Overview: The Associate Scientific Strategy Consultant sits within the North American consulting group wherein key accountabilities include driving project elucidation, stakeholder management and defining & driving project success in partnership with internal and external stakeholders. The successful candidate will lead medium-to-high complexity consulting engagements for multiple customers. This role blends scientific expertise, industry knowledge, and informatics/data skills with leadership and collaboration to deliver high-quality solutions. You will work closely with senior consultants, client stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to ensure project success, drive operational excellence, and contribute to business development.
Key Responsibilities: Consulting & Scientific Strategy - Engage as a leader to define and own project success, leveraging core consulting behaviours such as active listening, empathetic collaboration, strong sense of ownership and effective communication across multiple audiences
- Own accountability for business analysis deliverables including user requirements specifications (URS), functional requirements specifications, data & process maps, workflows, gap analyses, implementation roadmaps, evaluation methodologies, and questionnaires.
- Conduct vendor evaluations and define implementation strategies to enable effective decision-making by pharma/biotech/agritech clients.
- Assess system landscapes and contribute to IT, informatics and data landscape roadmaps.
Project Execution & Leadership - Manage one or more large projects/programs, including estimation, scheduling, risk management, and milestone tracking.
- Facilitate project meetings, communicate status updates, and escalate risks when necessary.
- Mentor associates across Zifo, guiding their project engagements and professional development.
- Track and monitor key project metrics to ensure the success of client engagements as well as adherence to operational components of project delivery.
Customer Engagement & Collaboration - Serve as primary point of contact for clients and internal stakeholders, managing expectations on process, quality, schedule, and delivery - all with an overall view of what qualifies as successful engagement
- Build rapport with client managers and support and/or drive strategic customer meetings.
- Identify opportunities for additional value creation within client organizations and internal process improvements.
Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement - Plan and track billable effort, manage utilization and productivity of themselves and teams, and support budget forecasting.
- Manage escalations, identify & track risks to project execution, initiate corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
- Support internal training programs, and mentor team members in emerging areas.
Business Development & Thought Leadership - Assist in proposals related to emerging opportunities with clients and supporting RFP responses.
- Contribute to case studies, presentations, and white papers.
- Attend industry conferences for learning, networking, and representing Zifo.
Learning, Mentorship & Continuous Improvement - Demonstrate continuous learning in scientific domains, informatics systems and data strategies, change management and strategic consulting methodologies.
- Identify needs and drive efforts for internal development and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
- Mentor other analysts across business units within Zifo, fostering collaboration career development.
RequirementsQualifications: - Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant scientific discipline such as biology, chemistry, chem/bioinformatics among others (Master's preferred)
- 5-7 years of relevant industry experience in pharmaceutical R&D, biotechnology, or agritech.
- Experience leading informatics solution projects (e.g., ELN, LIMS implementations)
- Familiarity with scientific workflows (e.g., bioanalysis, compound management, medicinal chemistry)and key data concepts within the life sciences industry and relevance to operational activities and enabling decision-making.
- Strong communication skills and ability to drive problem elucidation activities, influence internal and external stakeholders and convey technical concepts to diverse audiences.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively in multi-disciplinary teams as well as manage project deliverables and stakeholder expectations.
Desired Attributes: - Proactive problem-solving and adaptability in fast-paced environments.
- Interest in further developing leadership capabilities and taking ownership of project outcomes.
- Able to navigate ambiguity and drive clarity on problem statements and potential solutions.
Travel expectations: - Travel (up to 25%) to client sites and for internal meetings as needed.
BenefitsWe offer a competitive compensation package including accrued vacation, medical, dental, vision, 401k with company matching, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts.
