Account Manager

Cactus Life Sciences; United States; On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave and holidays

Personal days

Birthday day off

Parental leave

Sabbatical opportunities

Health coverage

Mobile phone provided

Job summary

Cactus Life Sciences is seeking an Account Manager to independently manage accounts and standard projects, ensuring delivery on budget, on schedule, and to required specifications.

The AM may support larger accounts under senior guidance, while working in a remote-first environment focused on East Coast–based candidates.

Qualifications

• Degree in life sciences or equivalent with relevant healthcare experience.
• 2+ years' experience in healthcare communications or medical affairs.
• Fluency in English, written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Manage accounts and projects within budget and schedule, meeting client specs.
• Collaborate with senior CS team to develop plans, scopes of work and client engagement.
• Lead regular client communications, and monitor KPIs and account health.
• Support MSA framework adoption and internal processes for accounts.
• Identify growth opportunities and contribute to proposals for existing accounts.

Skills

Client relationship

Project management

KPI measurement

Education

Life science degree

Job description

Cactus Life Sciences partners with the global biopharma industry to drive innovation and elevate patient outcomes through agile, science-driven medical communications. We transform complex data into actionable insights, bridging the critical gaps between research, decision-making, and real-world healthcare impact. We are seeking an experienced candidate for the Account managers role.

The Account Manager (AM) plays a crucial role in managing accounts and standard projects independently, ensuring they are completed on budget, on schedule, and to the required specifications. This role is critical in meeting the organization's KPIs and consistently meeting clients' expectations. Additionally, AMs may support larger, more complex accounts and projects under the guidance of senior team members.

Please note: While we are a remote-first organization, this role is specifically for candidates located on the East Coast of the US.

Responsibilities

Five core responsibilities underpin the role of the AM:

1.Client Management: Building strong client relationships to support account growth and assist in maintaining Key Account Plans (KAPs)

• Support and collaborate with senior CS team to develop KAPs and maintain client engagement plan, helping to ensure successful delivery of anticipated annual fee
• Along with the Medical Account Lead build and maintain solid relationships with clients to ensure account sustainability and growth
• Support senior CS team to develop scopes of work
• Share client insights with senior CS team to develop preferred ways of working on account and be a knowledge point for account health checks.
• Actively seeks first-hand client feedback, and seeks support from senior team members to implement new solutions
• Maintain regular client communications ensuring service levels are being met. Where needed, flag concerns to senior team members to help support risk mitigation plan(s)
• Update CRM/Excel (client meetings, objectives, financial insights) for account(s)

2.Strategic and commercial insight: With Medical / CS Account Leads work towards trusted advisership with clients, supporting client discussions

• Seek advice from senior CS support (e.g., line manager, CSD) to understand client's broader enterprise environment
• Ensure implementation of MSA framework (e.g., hourly rates, charging for travel time) and internal processes, seeking support if required.
• Seek to understand the therapy area, product, and asset competitors, as well as knowledge of CLS services
• Seek to understand client's broader environment e.g., governing body limitations such as ISMPP/ABPI/Sunshine Act, and evolving opportunities such as social media and AI to ensure best possible solutions for accounts and service offerings

3.Account team leadership: Supports smooth running of accounts through project management excellence

• Ensure smooth account delivery by leading status meetings, maintaining proactive client communication, tracking project timelines and finances, prioritizing workload, and fostering strong collaboration across internal teams with clear role understanding.
• Request support from senior CS team members (e.g., line manager, CSD) to cascade negative client feedback to the team
• Utilize CS Leadership (e.g., Executive Sponsor/CSD) support for complex, strategic, innovative and new service projects.
• On accounts, attend standard project briefings and client debriefs (with Medical Account Lead and senior CS support, where needed). Embed key learnings and improved ways of working on account delivery
• Regularly review (monthly) performance of account (quality/project recoveries/timelines/fee vs forecast)
• With support of senior CS team (e.g., Executive Sponsor/CSD), embrace team changes (where necessary), retaining a flexible mindset
• With support of senior CS team (e.g., line manager, CSD) cascade client's internal processes and MSA account specifics to account team, to facilitate ongoing adherence (including compliance training, Sunshine/EFPIA reporting, AE reporting, financial aspects etc.)

4.Business maintenance: Identify organic account growth opportunities and where appropriate make recommendations to the client

• Where possible, identify and generate new opportunities within existing accounts, calling upon expertise of senior CS team to explore new project types / opportunities.
• Increase knowledge of Cactus Medical capabilities and service offerings.
• With support of senior CS team, develop proposals on existing account(s) to drive organic growth
• Along with CS leadership, implement client engagement plan (as part of KAP) to sustain and grow account (with sign off from Executive Sponsor)

5.Financial/KPI accountability: Support in achieving account financial targets with an understanding of interconnected KPIs

• Clear knowledge of organizational metrics and what is needed from account teams
• Support senior CS team with account data (where required) for their MSA negotiations and meetings with procurement
• With support of senior CS team, assist in the development of KAPs with input from Medical Account Lead and Project Management Account Lead
• Ensures accurate monthly financial reporting including development of SoWs and simple reconciliations, out of scope tracking and flagging to client, assessing fee vs forecast flagging gaps accordingly to senior CS team member
• Support senior CS Lead in securing annual project conversion and organic growth to meet account targets in support of repeat/continual business
• Ensure formal approval (from Finance and Executive Sponsor) obtained before any discounts, rebates, and write-offs are provided to the client
• Where possible, assist in the development of streamlined / efficient account reporting practices and circulate to broader client service team

Qualifications And Prerequisites

• Degree minimum (life science degree advantageous) or demonstrable experience in medical communications or pharmaceutical industry. Fluency in English, both written and spoken, fluency in other languages is beneficial
• 2+ years' experience within healthcare communications agencies (medical communications preferable).
• Demonstrable client relationship building skills, experience in leading small accounts and/or multiple projects. Understands the importance of KPI measurement within a business setting

Benefits of this Role

• Annual leaves, public holidays, personal days, and a special day off for your birthday
• Supportive leave options including maternity, paternity, and sabbatical opportunities
• Comprehensive health coverage for you and your family, including dental and vision care
• Holistic wellness supports access to medical, mental health, and specialist care
• Financial security through life assurance and income protection
• Retirement savings plan with employer contributions and flexible options
• Company-provided mobile phone to keep you connected

Our hiring practices reflect our commitment to providing equal opportunities and creating an environment where everyone can thrive, develop, and succeed. We celebrate the uniqueness of our team members and prohibit discrimination of any kind, based on race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

AI at Cactus Life Sciences

The life sciences industry is undergoing a fundamental shift in how scientific knowledge is created, communicated, and delivered. We are building our work around it.

AI is embedded meaningfully across everything we do, through proprietary platforms purpose-built for life sciences and generative tools that deliver measurable value to our clients. It is core to how we operate, and an expected way of working for everyone who joins us.

We believe in Human-Anchored AI: whatever your discipline - science, communications, strategy, or operations, you will work in an environment where AI augments your expertise rather than replaces it.

You will build skills that are in genuine demand and still taking shape across the industry. If you are curious and focused on building capabilities for the world where human intelligence meets artificial intelligence, this is where you belong.

About CACTUS

At Cactus Life Sciences (cactuslifesciences.com), we believe the future of medical communications lies at the intersection of science, technology, and human connection. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, with teams in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, India, and Japan, we help biopharmaceutical organizations redefine scientific exchange - leveraging AI, automation, and innovation while keeping patients at the heart of everything we do.

Our expertise spans medical strategy, scientific content development, and medical education across therapeutic areas and the product lifecycle. By blending scientific rigor, agile operational models, and future-ready technologies, we partner with medical affairs teams to catalyze their transformation, adapt to a changing landscape, and drive meaningful outcomes for healthcare communities worldwide.