Consultant - Literature Reviews

Costello Medical; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 55,350 - 67,650; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary profit share

Hybrid working

25 days holiday

Private medical insurance

Critical illness cover

Income protection

Training funding

Job summary

Costello Medical is seeking a Consultant to lead high-quality literature review projects informing healthcare decision-making and contribute to the growth of our Literature Reviews team.

You will take responsibility for successful delivery of multiple projects, shape scope and methodology, lead client discussions, manage timelines and budgets, and oversee project teams to ensure robust, strategic outputs.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years experience conducting literature review projects in consultancy, agency, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology or other relevant setting.
• Within this, 1–2 years of managing projects and project teams.
• Strong technical knowledge of systematic literature review methodology, including review design, database searching, screening, data extraction, quality assessment and synthesis; familiarity with AI applications.
• Experience managing complex projects from initiation through to final delivery, including timelines, resourcing, budgets, scope and quality.
• Excellent attention to detail, written communication and data presentation skills.
• Experience communicating with clients or senior stakeholders and advising on project approach.
• Ability to maintain exceptional customer service under multiple competing demands.
• Ability to build robust client relationships.
• Experience contributing to business development and maintaining a project pipeline; writing proposals, developing budgets, pitching.
• Experience line managing or mentoring junior colleagues.
• Desire to contribute to a welcoming, collaborative team culture.
• A degree level or higher qualification in a scientific discipline (minimum 2.1).

Responsibilities

• Lead literature review projects and act as primary client contact; nurture client relationships; build project pipelines; contribute to growth and strategic direction of the Literature Reviews team.
• Take overall responsibility for the successful delivery of multiple projects, shaping scope/methodology, leading client discussions, and managing timelines and budgets.
• Oversee work of project teams and ensure deliverables are scientifically robust and strategically useful.
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients, recommending review approaches and identifying opportunities to support existing clients.
• Contribute to business development, proposals, pitches and building a sustainable pipeline of literature review work.
• Line manage and mentor colleagues, provide feedback, and help refine methods, tools, and internal processes.
• Support recruitment and training initiatives; foster a collaborative, ambitious team culture.

Skills

Literature review

Client relationship management

Project management

Written communication

Business development

Mentoring

Education

Degree in a scientific discipline

Job description

• Responsibilities: You will lead literature review projects, acting as the primary client contact; nurture client relationships; build project pipelines; and contribute to the growth and strategic direction of our Literature Reviews team
• Salary: £61,500 per annum (please note that we have established salary bands that are determined by your level of previous experience to ensure a fair and consistent approach for all applicants, eliminating the need for individual negotiations)
• Benefits: Discretionary profit share bonuses paid twice per year, hybrid and flexible working options, generous holiday allowance, private medical insurance, critical illness cover, income protection, full funding for external training and more
• Role Type: Full-time preferred but part-time (30 hours/week) considered
• Start Date: We are recruiting for start dates throughout 2026, which occur on a monthly basis. You will be asked to state your availability on your application form
• Application Deadlines: Whilst there are no set application deadlines, we strongly recommend applying as early as possible. The role will close when a suitable candidate is found
• Location: This role is available in our Cambridge, London or Manchester offices, with a preference for candidates based in our Global Headquarters in Cambridge
• Hybrid Working: Colleagues can work from home up to 50% of the time, averaged over a two-week period. We cannot offer this role on a fully remote basis

• Responsibilities: You will lead literature review projects, acting as the primary client contact; nurture client relationships; build project pipelines; and contribute to the growth and strategic direction of our Literature Reviews team
• Salary: £61,500 per annum (please note that we have established salary bands that are determined by your level of previous experience to ensure a fair and consistent approach for all applicants, eliminating the need for individual negotiations)
• Benefits: Discretionary profit share bonuses paid twice per year, hybrid and flexible working options, generous holiday allowance, private medical insurance, critical illness cover, income protection, full funding for external training and more
• Role Type: Full-time preferred but part-time (30 hours/week) considered
• Start Date: We are recruiting for start dates throughout 2026, which occur on a monthly basis. You will be asked to state your availability on your application form
• Application Deadlines: Whilst there are no set application deadlines, we strongly recommend applying as early as possible. The role will close when a suitable candidate is found
• Location: This role is available in our Cambridge, London or Manchester offices, with a preference for candidates based in our Global Headquarters in Cambridge
• Hybrid Working: Colleagues can work from home up to 50% of the time, averaged over a two-week period. We cannot offer this role on a fully remote basis

Role Summary

About The Role

Join us as a Consultant to lead high-quality literature review projects that inform healthcare decision-making, and play a key role in the continuing growth and success of our renowned Literature Reviews team.

As a Consultant, you will take overall responsibility for the successful delivery of multiple projects. This will include shaping the project scope and methodology, leading client discussions, managing timelines and budgets, overseeing the work of project teams, and ensuring that deliverables are scientifically robust, strategically useful and produced to an exceptional standard.

You will be expected to act as a trusted advisor to clients, helping them to navigate complex evidence needs and recommending appropriate review approaches. You will also contribute to business development by identifying opportunities to support existing clients, developing proposals, delivering pitches and helping to build a sustainable pipeline of literature review work.

Beyond project delivery, Consultants play an important role in developing people and improving how we work. You will line manage and mentor colleagues, provide constructive feedback, support training initiatives, contribute to recruitment, and help refine our methods, tools and internal processes as this thriving team continues to grow.

Requirements

About You

• A minimum of 5 years' experience of conducting literature review projects in a consultancy, agency, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology or other relevant setting. Within this, your experience will include at least 1-2 years of managing projects and project teams
• Strong technical knowledge of systematic literature review methodology, including review design, database searching, screening, data extraction, quality assessment and qualitative or quantitative synthesis. In addition, familiarity with how AI can be used to facilitate these project stages
• Experience managing complex projects from initiation through to final delivery, including responsibility for timelines, resourcing, budgets, scope and quality
• Excellent attention-to-detail, written communication and data presentation skills, with the ability to produce/guide others to produce clear, accurate and strategically focused scientific content
• Experience communicating directly with clients or senior stakeholders, including advising on project approach, confidently presenting findings and managing expectations as required
• Capacity to maintain exceptional customer service and quality of deliverables under multiple competing demands in a fast-paced consulting environment
• Ability to build robust and sustainable client relationships
• Experience contributing to business development and maintaining a project pipeline, including proactively identifying opportunities, writing proposals, developing budgets and pitching
• Experience line managing, mentoring or formally supporting the development of junior colleagues, including the provision of constructive feedback
• A strong desire to contribute positively to our welcoming, collaborative, and supportive-yet-ambitious team and company culture
• A degree level or higher qualification in a scientific discipline (minimum 2.1)

Benefits

About Costello Medical

Costello Medical is a rapidly growing global healthcare consultancy specialising in medical communications, market access, and health economic and outcomes research. We work with a wide range of clients, including pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, patient and public health bodies, and charitable organisations.

We have been listed in the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For list since 2017, the Boston Globe's Top Places to Work list in 2025, and were proud to receive B Corporation accreditation in 2022. We are independently owned and managed, which gives us the freedom to invest in the areas that matter most to our clients, our colleagues and the communities we work within. Learn more about us, our work, and our mission on our website: https://www.costellomedical.com/

What We Offer

• £61,500 per annum, depending on your previous experience, as well as a discretionary profit share bonus paid twice per year. Please note that we have established salary bands to ensure a fair and consistent approach for all applicants, eliminating the need for individual negotiations
• 25 days' annual leave plus bank and public holidays, as well as a holiday buy and sell scheme
• Flexible working hours and the chance to work from home for up to half of your working time after passing probation
• A flexible benefits scheme offering cash payments, additional pension contributions and more
• Private Medical Insurance, Critical Illness Cover, Income Protection and Life Assurance
• Paid study leave and funding for external qualifications
• Paid and unpaid sabbaticals based on length of service
• Regular company-funded social activities and opportunities to contribute to charitable and pro bono initiatives

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce and, throughout the recruitment process, there are a number of reasonable adjustments we can provide: https://www.costellomedical.com/reasonable-adjustments/

Visa Sponsorship

We can provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates for our Consultant positions. You will be asked to provide details of your right to work in the UK within your application, however this will have no impact on the processing of your application.