Director, Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice- (Life Sciences)

RiseMe; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 280,000 - 330,000; Full time

Job summary

West Monroe is seeking a Managing Director to accelerate growth of its Life Sciences practice and lead transformative engagements across clinical research, patient services, product commercialization, and supply chain. You will build executive relationships with pharma, biotech, and CRO leaders to deliver measurable outcomes.

You will originate opportunities, shape strategy, and guide teams in leveraging AI and data analytics to accelerate patient journeys and improve operations, while upholding

Qualifications

• 12+ years in consulting and/or Life Sciences with leadership of transformations.
• Experience translating industry challenges into strategic investments.
• Executive-level client management in pharma, biotech or CRO sectors.
• Knowledge of supply chain resilience and manufacturing in regulated environments.
• Willingness to travel 25–50%.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership for complex transformations spanning clinical research, patient services, commercialization and supply chain.
• Originate opportunities and expand strategic accounts within Life Sciences.
• Develop differentiated capabilities and market strategies around AI, data, and analytics.
• Oversee engagement quality, economics, risk, and executive relationships.
• Collaborate across West Monroe to attract talent and foster a high-performing culture.

Skills

Executive relationships

Transformational leadership

Life Sciences expertise

AI / data analytics integration

Travel 25–50%

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Are you ready to make an impact?

West Monroe is seeking a Managing Director to accelerate the growth of our Life Sciences business and lead complex transformations across clinical research, patient services, product commercialization, and supply chain. This executive will build trusted relationships with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and clinical research organization (CRO) leaders, combining deep industry expertise with consulting and commercial leadership to improve patient outcomes, accelerate commercialization, strengthen operations, and build resilient supply chains. The Managing Director will originate and expand strategic client relationships, provide executive oversight of transformational engagements, and shape differentiated Life Sciences capabilities and market strategies for West Monroe.

What You Will Do

Client Delivery

• Serve as a trusted advisor to C-suite and senior executives across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, CRO, and broader Life Sciences organizations.
• Provide executive leadership for complex transformations spanning clinical research operations, patient services, commercialization and launch readiness, supply chain, and manufacturing.
• Advise clients on improving clinical trial and patient operations, including recruitment, engagement, support services, and the data and technologies supporting the patient journey.
• Shape supply chain and launch strategies spanning operational readiness, planning, manufacturing networks, distribution, resilience, localization, and reshoring.
• Maintain executive oversight of client outcomes, engagement quality, economics, risk, and senior stakeholder relationships.
• Leverage AI tools to accelerate analysis, synthesize complex information, and support data-driven recommendations for clients, exercising sound judgment in evaluating outputs.
• Apply AI technologies (e.g., generative AI, automation tools, data models) to enhance insights, improve delivery efficiency, and elevate the quality of client outcomes.

Business Development

• Originate, shape, and close significant transformation opportunities while expanding relationships within strategic Life Sciences accounts.
• Build trusted executive relationships and establish West Monroe as a strategic partner to senior industry leaders.
• Develop business through existing relationships, market networks, strategic partnerships, and collaboration across West Monroe.
• Lead pursuits from opportunity identification and solution strategy through executive presentations, negotiations, and closing.
• Strengthen West Monroe’s market presence through industry relationships, events, partnerships, and thought leadership.

Practice Development

• Define and execute growth priorities, go-to-market strategies, offerings, and investments for West Monroe’s Life Sciences business.
• Develop differentiated perspectives and solutions around AI, data, clinical innovation, patient engagement, commercialization, supply chain resilience, and reshoring.
• Build, mentor, and retain high-performing leaders and teams while developing the next generation of West Monroe leadership.
• Support recruiting and foster an inclusive, collaborative, high-performing culture.

What You Will Bring

• 12+ years of consulting and/or Life Sciences industry experience, including leadership of complex transformation initiatives and executive client relationships.
• Deep Life Sciences expertise across clinical research/CRO operations, patient services, commercialization or product launch, and supply chain or manufacturing.
• Demonstrated success originating opportunities, expanding strategic accounts, and driving consulting revenue growth.
• Experience advising senior executives and translating industry challenges into transformational strategies and investment priorities.
• Experience with supply chain strategy, manufacturing networks, resilience, localization, and/or reshoring within regulated environments.
• Experience connecting business strategy with data, analytics, technology, AI, and operational transformation.
• Strong executive communication, commercial leadership, strategic planning, and risk management capabilities.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Experience integrating AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) into day-to‑day workflows to enhance productivity and insight generation, coupled with strong critical thinking to assess accuracy, mitigate bias, and ensure high‑quality outputs.
• Ability to travel 25 to 50%.
• A commitment to inclusion and diversity, and openness to new ideas and perspectives.
• Ability to work permanently in the United States without sponsorship.

Based on pay transparency guidelines, a reasonable expectation for the salary range for this role is listed below. Information on our competitive total rewards package, including our bonus structure and benefits is here. Individual salaries are determined by evaluating a variety of factors including geography, experience, skills, education, and internal equity. Employees in proximity of our Seattle, Washington DC, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco offices will have a geographic premium applied to this salary scale. Employees (and their families) are covered by medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees are able to enroll in our company’s 401k plan, purchase shares from our employee stock ownership program and be eligible to receive annual bonuses. Employees will also receive unlimited flexible time off and ten paid holidays throughout the calendar year. Eligibility for ten weeks of paid parental leave will also be available upon hire date.

National

$280,000 — $330,000 USD

West Monroe is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. We believe in treating each employee and applicant for employment fairly and with dignity. We base our employment decisions on merit, experience, and potential, without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, religion, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited by federal, state or local law. To learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion at West Monroe, visit www.westmonroe.com/inclusion. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in our recruiting process, please inquire by sending an email to [e-mail].

Please review our current policy regarding use of generative artificial intelligence during the application process. Additionally, West Monroe uses the BrightHire platform to record live interviews so our team can capture notes more accurately, stay focused on the conversation, and continually improve our interview process. You can review our privacy notice for more information about this process and how recordings are used. If you have any questions, reach out to [e-mail].

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read West Monroe’s Notice at Collection for California residents, provided pursuant to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and linked here.