Senior Manager – Competitive Intelligence Pharma analytics and insights

C5i; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,500,000 - 7,500,000; Full time

Job summary

C5i Bengaluru invites a Senior Manager to lead strategic competitive intelligence engagements for pharmaceutical and life sciences clients. You will manage client relationships, ensure delivery quality, and mentor junior teams while guiding capability development and business growth.

You will translate business priorities into intelligence needs, direct project teams, and provide executive-ready insights and strategic recommendations. Up to 30% travel may be required.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of pharma/life sciences competitive intelligence experience, preferably in consulting or research.
• Strong understanding of clinical, regulatory, commercial, and lifecycle strategies.
• Proven ability to lead complex CI engagements and manage senior client stakeholders.
• Experience with AI-enabled research and automation is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage multiple complex CI engagements with strategic oversight across client accounts.
• Serve as principal client contact, aligning priorities, risks, and evolving needs.
• Translate inquiries into KITs, KIQs, and analytical approaches.
• Guide competitive assessments across clinical, regulatory, and market developments.
• Synthesize intelligence into actionable insights, implications, and recommendations.
• Oversee conference programs, reporting, and client debriefs.
• Review outputs for depth, coherence, and executive-readiness.
• Drive delivery frameworks, quality standards, and best practices.
• Support workforce planning, hiring, and onboarding initiatives.
• Promote AI, automation, and emerging methodologies to improve delivery quality.

Skills

CI leadership

Stakeholder mgmt

Strategic insights

Executive presentation

Team mentoring

Multi-client management

Tools

PowerPoint

Excel

CI databases

Conference intelligence tools

Job description

The Senior Manager will lead strategic Competitive Intelligence engagements for pharmaceutical and life sciences clients, with responsibility for client relationships, delivery quality, people leadership, and account growth.

The role requires the ability to independently engage senior client stakeholders, translate business priorities into intelligence needs, provide strategic direction to project teams, and ensure outputs deliver clear insights, implications, and recommendations. The Senior Manager will also contribute to capability development, innovation, AI-enabled delivery, and business development.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead and manage multiple complex CI engagements, ensuring strategic oversight and alignment across client accounts.
• Serve as a principal client contact, effectively managing expectations, priorities, risks, and evolving business needs.
• Translate business inquiries into clear Key Intelligence Topics (KITs), Key Intelligence Questions (KIQs), and appropriate analytical approaches.
• Guide comprehensive competitive assessments encompassing clinical, regulatory, commercial, and market developments.
• Synthesize intelligence into actionable insights, implications, scenarios, and strategic recommendations.
• Oversee engagements related to competitor monitoring, market assessments, launch readiness, business development opportunities, lifecycle planning, and conference intelligence.
• Manage conference programs including planning, prioritization, reporting, synthesis, and client debriefs.
• Review and challenge team outputs to ensure analytical depth, accuracy, storyline coherence, and executive-ready communication.
• Oversee project scope, timelines, resource allocation, utilization, quality, budgets, and delivery risks.
• Proactively identify and resolve client, project, and team-related risks.
• Coach and mentor Managers, Associate Managers, and junior team members, supporting their performance management and capability development.
• Drive the development of delivery frameworks, methodologies, quality standards, and best practices.
• Support workforce planning, hiring, and onboarding initiatives.
• Promote the adoption of AI, automation, and emerging research methodologies to enhance delivery efficiency and quality.
• Identify opportunities for account expansion and contribute to proposals, pitches, solution design, and business development efforts.
• Represent the CI function in senior client presentations, workshops, and internal leadership discussions.
• The position may require up to 20-30% travel.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• 10-15 years of relevant pharmaceutical/life sciences competitive intelligence experience, preferably within consulting, research, or intelligence-led organizations
• Strong understanding of clinical, regulatory, commercial, launch, and lifecycle strategies
• Proven experience in leading complex CI engagements and managing senior client stakeholders
• Expertise across 2-3 therapy areas; oncology preferred
• Strong knowledge of CI methodologies, secondary research, primary research, and conference intelligence
• Ability to translate complex information into strategic insights, implications, and actionable recommendations
• Strong analytical thinking, business acumen, and problem-solving skills
• Proven people leadership experience with a track record of developing Managers and high-performing teams
• Ability to manage multiple clients, projects, resources, and competing priorities effectively
• Strong executive presence, communication, and presentation skills
• Advanced PowerPoint and Excel skills; proficiency with key pharma information sources
• Experience in business development, proposals, and account growth
• Ability to influence stakeholders and manage conflicts effectively
• Familiarity with AI-enabled research and automation tools
• US/European pharmaceutical client experience preferred