Position Summary
The Pharmaceutical & Specialty Solutions Segment distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and over-the-counter healthcare and consumer products in the United States. This segment also provides services to pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers for specialty pharmaceutical products; operates nuclear pharmacies and radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities; provides pharmacy management services to hospitals, as well as medication therapy management and patient outcomes services to hospitals, other healthcare providers and payers; and repackages generic pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter healthcare products.
The Vice President, Strategy & Business Development is a highly visible leadership role responsible for shaping and advancing strategic initiatives across Cardinal Health’s upstream and downstream Specialty businesses. Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development for the Pharmaceutical Segment, this position will identify, prioritize, and lead high-impact growth opportunities for Cardinal Health’s Specialty business, one of the company’s fastest-growing businesses, serving as a significant driver of enterprise growth and innovation.
In addition to serving as a key strategic leader, this role will lead and develop a highly seasoned strategy team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and execution excellence. The successful candidate will combine strategic vision, thought leadership, strong people leadership capabilities, and deep expertise in the Biopharma Services landscape to guide the team in delivering enterprise-wide initiatives that drive business growth and long-term value creation.
Location: Cardinal Health Headquarters in Dublin, OH highly preferred; relocation support available as appropriate.
Responsibilities
- Lead strategy development for the Specialty businesses that service pharmaceutical manufacturers and specialty community-based provider offices and create linkages across the business strategies where appropriate
- Lead the development of and prepare best-in-class content to support strategic recommendations
- Anticipate and build alignment around the evolution of the industry landscape
- Determine strategic direction by identifying gaps in the existing portfolio as well as determining capabilities to scale which could be increased
- Lead or assist with the creation of all phases of a business case (e.g., market analysis, value proposition, strategic fit, economic models and launch) to support a new initiative
- Proactively prospect for, develop and maintain a pipeline of strategic opportunities
- Drive business unit merger and acquisition processes from the business unit perspective, in conjunction with Corporate Development. Remain involved in acquisitions post-integration with a vested interest in ensuring the acquisition becomes sustainable post integration
- Serve as a trusted advisor to the leaders across the Specialty businesses and collaborate with them in the development of strategic direction and objectives
- Serve as a senior people leader for the Strategy and Business Development team, with responsibility for hiring, coaching, developing, and managing team members while fostering a culture of accountability, growth, and high performance
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Master’s degree in business or related area strongly preferred
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in strategy roles preferred
- Experience in Biopharma Services (such as patient access HUB services, real-world data/evidence, 3PL or related biopharma service offerings) or in related functions within pharmaceutical manufacturers
- Strong understanding of how purchasing decisions are made for HUB services, RWE, 3PL, and related biopharma service offerings
- Prior healthcare provider side experience preferred
- Prior consulting experience within healthcare, life sciences, or pharmaceutical manufacturers preferred
- Strong understanding of strategic thinking, business acumen and analytical methods
- Demonstrated familiarity and understanding of the strategic landscape and competitive environment for specialty pharmaceuticals and related healthcare services
- Mergers and acquisitions and/or partnership development experience preferred
- Strategic thinker with the ability to develop actionable, high-value strategies
- Collaborator to leverage resources and capabilities across teams
- Influential leader and trusted advisor with the highest integrity
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to alter for varying audiences
- Innovative coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit
- Strong financial acumen and business savvy
- Individually motivated
- Travel expectation: 10%
Anticipated salary range: $166,300 - $281,270
Bonus eligible: Yes
Benefits: Cardinal Health offers a wide variety of benefits and programs to support health and well-being.
- Medical, dental and vision coverage
- Paid time off plan
- Health savings account (HSA)
- 401k savings plan
- Access to wages before pay day with myFlexPay
- Flexible spending accounts (FSAs)
- Short- and long-term disability coverage
- Work-Life resources
- Paid parental leave
- Healthy lifestyle programs
Application window anticipated to close: 10/9/2026 *if interested in opportunity, please submit application as soon as possible.
**The salary range listed is an estimate. Pay at Cardinal Health is determined by multiple factors including, but not limited to, a candidate’s geographical location, relevant education, experience and skills and an evaluation of internal pay equity.
