Consulting Principal, Life Sciences – R&D

Cognizant

Pittsburgh (Allegheny County)

Hybrid

USD 122,000 - 194,000

Full time

4 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Paid holidays

401(k) plan

Disability insurance

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant Consulting seeks a Consulting Principal, Life Sciences – R&D to guide strategic transformations across preclinical through clinical development for pharma, biotech and CRO clients. You will lead engagements, shape operating models, and drive scientific decision-making with cross-functional teams.

You will mentor consultants, advance AI and data-enabled discovery initiatives, and partner with account teams to expand the firm’s Life Sciences footprint in a hybrid work setup.

Qualifications

14–18 years of professional experience in pharma/biotech/CRO R&D
Demonstrated expertise in R&D transformation and digital initiatives
Proven track record leading complex consulting engagements
Experience working with external research partners and CROs

Responsibilities

Lead discovery-to-clinical development advisory engagements
Shape discovery operating models and portfolio strategy
Guide teams across biology, chemistry, translational science and data platforms
Drive client outcomes with risk-based planning, governance and value realization
Support business development and expand consulting footprint

Skills

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Education

Life sciences degree

Job description

About Cognizant Consulting
Cognizant Consulting is more than Cognizant’s consulting practice—we’re a global community of 5,000+ experts dedicated to helping clients reimagine their business. Blending our deep industry and technology advisory capability, we create innovative business solutions for Fortune 500 clients. And now, we’re looking for our next colleague who’ll join us in shaping the future of business. Could it be you?

About the role
As a Consulting Principal, Life Sciences – R&D, you will make an impact by leading strategic transformation engagements across the end-to-end research and development value chain—from preclinical drug discovery and translational research through clinical development for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and contract research organization clients. You will help clients modernize discovery operating models, accelerate scientific decision-making, and advance promising assets from target identification through candidate selection, IND-enabling studies, and clinical development. You will be a valued member of Cognizant’s Life Sciences Consulting team and will work collaboratively with senior scientific and business stakeholders, account leadership, and cross-functional consulting and technology teams to deliver measurable business outcomes.

In this role, you will

Preclinical Drug Discovery & Translational R&D Advisory

Lead consulting engagements spanning target identification and validation, assay strategy, screening, hit-to-lead, lead optimization, candidate selection, and IND-enabling development.
Advise clients on discovery portfolio strategy, translational research, biomarker planning, and evidence-based stage-gate and go/no-go decisions.
Design future-ready operating models that connect biology, medicinal chemistry, in vitro and in vivo pharmacology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, toxicology, bioinformatics, and early development teams.
Identify opportunities to apply AI, computational modeling, advanced analytics, automation, and integrated research data platforms to improve experiment design, compound prioritization, and scientific decision-making.
Support preclinical development strategies, including study planning, external research partner oversight, data integration, regulatory readiness, and the transition of assets into first-in-human development.

Clinical Trial Transformation Advisory

Lead consulting engagements focused on clinical trial strategy, operational excellence, and digital enablement across Phase I–IV development.
Advise clients on improving clinical trial productivity, patient recruitment, site performance, and monitoring effectiveness.
Design and implement future-ready operating models incorporating decentralized trials, risk-based monitoring, and intelligent clinical operations.
Identify and assess opportunities to leverage AI, advanced analytics, and digital platforms to accelerate clinical development.

Engagement Leadership & Delivery

Manage end-to-end consulting engagements, including problem structuring, solution design, delivery governance, and value realization.
Lead multidisciplinary teams of consultants, domain specialists, and technology experts.
Ensure delivery excellence through structured methodologies, robust program management, and proactive risk mitigation.
Present insights, analyses, and recommendations to senior client stakeholders and executive leadership.

Business Development & Account Expansion

Identify and develop consulting opportunities across pharmaceutical sponsors, biotechnology companies, and contract research organizations, spanning discovery research, preclinical development, translational science, and clinical operations.
Lead proposal development, solution positioning, and client presentations for strategic consulting pursuits.
Partner with account teams to expand the consulting footprint across discovery operating models, research data strategy, laboratory and informatics ecosystems, preclinical development, clinical operations, and digital R&D platforms.
Contribute to practice revenue growth and achievement of consulting pipeline targets.

Thought Leadership & Practice Development

Develop consulting frameworks and reusable assets for discovery and preclinical transformation, translational R&D, clinical trial transformation, and digital innovation.
Produce thought leadership on emerging topics such as AI-enabled drug discovery, multimodal research data, translational biomarkers, external research ecosystems, and next-generation clinical development.
Represent the firm at industry forums, client roundtables, and innovation workshops.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

Mentor consultants and managers to build clinical trial domain expertise and consulting capabilities.
Foster a high-performance culture focused on collaboration, accountability, and client impact.
Support the recruitment, onboarding, and development of Life Sciences consulting talent.

What will help you stand out

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Medicine, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Bioinformatics, or a related discipline; an advanced scientific degree is preferred
14‘18 years of professional experience, including consulting or industry experience within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or contract research organization R&D, with meaningful exposure to discovery or preclinical development
Demonstrated expertise in R&D transformation and associated digital initiatives, with an understanding of target-to-candidate workflows, translational research, preclinical studies, and the transition into clinical development
Proven track record leading complex consulting engagements and supporting business development activities
Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, and problem solving skills

These will help you succeed

Experience with discovery, preclinical, translational, or broader R&D operational excellence and transformation programs
Working knowledge of target identification and validation, assay development, screening, hit-to-lead, lead optimization, candidate selection, and IND-enabling studies
Exposure to AI, computational methods, data, automation, and digital innovation within Life Sciences R&D
Understanding of in vitro and in vivo research, pharmacology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, toxicology, bioinformatics, and research data workflows
Experience working with or managing external research partners and contract research organizations
Knowledge of regulatory compliance, GxP environments, research quality, and data integrity expectations
Experience developing consulting assets, methodologies, or thought leadership
Prior experience leading or mentoring consulting teams

Working model

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring presence in a client or Cognizant office as needed. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and requirements. Rest assured;’ we will always be clear about role expectations

Compensation

The annual salary for this position is between $122,400 - $194,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits