Strategy Insights and Planning Associate Consultant

Shape how life-changing therapies reach patients - by helping pharmaceutical companies navigate the payer and market access landscape with sharper intelligence.

ZS's Value & Access practice partners with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies to solve their most pressing market access and reimbursement challenges. Our work spans payer strategy, pricing architecture, access program design, and reimbursement research grounded in direct, rigorous primary research with the payers, PBMs, and providers who make coverage and formulary decisions every day.

As an Associate Consultant, you'll be in the room conducting in-depth interviews with managed care decision-makers, synthesizing findings into access strategies, and helping clients understand the coverage and reimbursement landscape before and after launch.

What you'll do

• Translate complex payer and provider intelligence into access landscape assessments, coverage barrier analyses, and reimbursement risk frameworks that guide pre-launch and in-market strategy
• Lead pricing and contracting strategy projects, synthesizing WAC/net pricing benchmarks, formulary positioning data, and competitive access dynamics into actionable recommendations
• Oversee quantitative analyses using claims data, formulary databases, and pricing benchmarks, ensuring analytical rigor and strategic coherence across workstreams.
• Structure and deliver executive-level presentations to senior client stakeholders, including VP and C-suite market access and commercial leaders
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Associates and Associate Consultants - setting the standard for research quality, client presence, and professional growth
• Contribute to ZS's Value & Access thought leadership, proposal development, and capability building as a recognized expert in the payer and reimbursement space
• Gain immediate familiarity with client's internal processes.
• Develop expertise within a client analytics area.
• Be available for clients during regular working hours.

What you'll bring

• MBA with a bachelor's (and often graduate) degree in a quantitative, analytical discipline, such as Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Management Science, Data Science, Statistics, Econometrics, or Engineering.
• 3+ years of market access, payer strategy, or reimbursement consulting experience in or serving the pharmaceutical industry with a track record of leading engagements, not just contributing to them
• Demonstrated expertise conducting qualitative primary research with U.S. payers, PBMs, and providers; including experience designing research programs and moderating senior-level interviews independently
• Comprehensive fluency in the U.S. payer landscape: managed care organizations, Medicare Part B and D, Medicaid, formulary management, prior authorization, step therapy, and specialty pharmacy channels
• Command of pharmaceutical pricing strategy and contracting - WAC, net pricing, rebate structures, value-based agreements, and GPO/IDN dynamics
• Strong analytical foundation - able to oversee and pressure-test claims data analyses, formulary database modeling, and pricing benchmarking work
• Proven ability to lead client relationships with autonomy. You manage expectations, navigate difficult conversations, and consistently earn trust with senior stakeholders
• Experience leading and developing junior consultants, with a genuine investment in their growth
• Fluency in English
• Client-first mentality
• Intense work ethic
• Collaborative spirit and problem-solving approach

How you'll grow:

• Cross-functional skills development & custom learning pathways
• Milestone training programs aligned to career progression opportunities
• Internal mobility paths that empower growth via s-curves, individual contribution and role expansions

Perks & Benefits:

At ZS, your growth matters. We offer a comprehensive total rewards package that supports your health and well-being, financial future, time away, and professional development. With robust skills-building programs, multiple career progression paths, internal mobility, and a deeply collaborative culture, you'll have the opportunity to do meaningful work, expand your capabilities, and thrive as part of a global community. For details on total rewards in United States, visit ZS US office locations | Where we work | ZS.

Hybrid working model:

We are committed to giving our employees a flexible and connected way of working. A flexible and connected ZS allows us to combine work from home and on-site presence at clients/ZS offices for the majority of our week. The magic of ZS culture and innovation thrives in both planned and spontaneous face-to-face connections.

Travel:

Travel is a requirement at ZS for client facing ZSers; business needs of your project and client are the priority. While some projects may be local, all client-facing ZSers should be prepared to travel as needed. Travel provides opportunities to strengthen client relationships, gain diverse experiences, and enhance professional growth by working in different environments and cultures.