Director of Analytics

Smith Arnold Partners; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Smith Arnold Partners, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, seeks a Senior Director, Forecasting to lead forecasting strategy for a major portfolio. You will influence portfolio planning, investments, launches, and long-range business decisions across commercial, finance, market access, and R&D.

You will build and refine forecasting frameworks, develop scenario analyses, and partner with senior leaders to translate data into strategic narratives and actions.

Qualifications

• Doctorate or Master’s with 5+ years in forecasting, analytics, or related fields; or Bachelor’s with 11+ years of experience.
• 5+ years of people leadership experience and managing teams, programs, or resource allocation.
• Deep biopharmaceutical forecasting experience with launch, pricing, and market access knowledge.
• Ability to integrate market research, analytics, and financial inputs into forecasting recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Lead forecasting strategy and execution for a major portfolio including pipeline assets, launches, and lifecycle planning.
• Develop short-, mid-, and long-range forecasts to support strategic planning and investment decisions.
• Build advanced forecasts incorporating adoption, payer dynamics, adherence, and market access factors.
• Create executive-ready narratives and align forecasting with financial planning and long-range goals.

Skills

Forecasting leadership

Strategic thinking

Executive communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Portfolio management

Education

Doctorate degree

Master’s degree

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

A leading global biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of innovative therapies is seeking a Senior Director, Forecasting to lead forecasting strategy for a major portfolio. This is a highly visible leadership opportunity for an experienced forecasting professional who wants to influence major portfolio, investment, launch, and long-range business decisions across a dynamic and rapidly evolving healthcare environment.

The role combines sophisticated commercial forecasting with strategic leadership. You’ll work across Commercial, Finance, Market Access, Medical, R&D, Market Research, Analytics, Competitive Intelligence, and regional leadership to turn complex market dynamics into clear, actionable business recommendations.

Why This Opportunity?

• Lead forecasting strategy for a major portfolio spanning pipeline assets, launches, lifecycle opportunities, and long-range therapeutic-area planning.
• Have a direct influence on high-value decisions involving portfolio strategy, investment, launch planning, resource allocation, market expansion, and lifecycle management.
• Work at the intersection of science, commercial strategy, market access, competitive intelligence, and advanced analytics in a highly dynamic area of healthcare.
• Partner directly with senior and regional leadership and serve as a trusted advisor on market outlook, forecast risk, opportunity, and strategic trade-offs.
• Build and shape forecasting capabilities, methodologies, governance, and best practices across a global organization.
• Join an environment that values analytical rigor, strategic thinking, collaboration, and the ability to turn complex information into clear business decisions.

What People Are Saying About the Opportunity

• “This is the kind of forecasting role where your work actually influences major business decisions. You’re not simply maintaining a model-you’re helping leadership understand where the market is going and what the organization should do next.”
• “The breadth of exposure is tremendous. You’re working with Commercial, Finance, Market Access, Medical, R&D, and senior leadership, so you really get to see how the entire business comes together.”
• “It’s a great environment for someone who enjoys solving complex problems, challenging assumptions, and building forecasts when the future isn’t perfectly clear.”

Title: Senior Director, Forecasting

Salary: $210,000-$290,000 +Bonus

What You’ll Do

• Lead forecasting strategy and execution for a major portfolio, including pipeline assets, launch brands, lifecycle opportunities, and long-range therapeutic-area planning.
• Develop short-, mid-, and long-range forecasts that support strategic planning, investment decisions, portfolio prioritization, launch planning, and business performance.
• Build sophisticated forecasts incorporating treatment adoption, patient flow, diagnosis and treatment rates, payer dynamics, adherence, persistence, capacity constraints, competitor entry, and evolving standards of care.
• Evaluate key commercial drivers including patient segmentation, demand generation, product differentiation, market expansion, switching, discontinuation, competitive response, pricing, reimbursement, and access.
• Develop scenario analyses that clearly communicate upside potential, downside risk, sensitivities, and the assumptions driving the forecast.
• Translate complex forecast outputs into clear strategic recommendations for senior leadership.
• Partner with Finance to align forecasting with financial planning, revenue expectations, annual operating plans, and long-range business planning.
• Collaborate with Market Access and Pricing teams to incorporate reimbursement scenarios, access timing, net pricing, payer restrictions, and affordability considerations.
• Work closely with Market Research, Analytics, and Competitive Intelligence to ensure forecasts reflect the best available evidence and are continuously updated as new information emerges.
• Support launch planning, lifecycle management, portfolio reviews, business development evaluations, licensing opportunities, and investment decisions.
• Develop executive-ready presentations and narratives that clearly explain forecast changes, key assumptions, market dynamics, risks, and strategic implications.
• Establish forecasting frameworks, methodologies, governance processes, and consistent assumptions across stakeholders.
• Drive forecast quality through disciplined model development, assumption documentation, sensitivity analysis, version control, and rigorous governance.
• Develop and implement best practices around patient-based forecasting, epidemiology-driven models, analog selection, launch curves, scenario planning, and competitive-event modeling.
• Identify opportunities to enhance forecasting capabilities through advanced analytics, automation, real-world evidence, and improved data integration.
• Maintain a forward-looking view of market risks and opportunities and proactively advise leadership as market conditions change.
• Ensure forecasts remain transparent, credible, evidence-based, and connected to real-world business decisions.

Cross-Functional & Collaboration

• Partner with general managers, regional commercial leaders, Finance, R&D, Medical, Market Access, Supply, Manufacturing, and Strategy teams to align on assumptions and business implications.
• Influence senior stakeholders within a complex, highly matrixed global organization.
• Facilitate productive debate around key assumptions while driving alignment and timely decision-making.
• Balance consistency with the unique market dynamics and realities of individual countries and regions.
• Build strong relationships across functions and ensure forecasting is viewed as a strategic business capability rather than simply a financial exercise.
• Lead, develop, and mentor forecasting professionals supporting the portfolio.
• Create a culture centered on analytical rigor, transparency, accountability, curiosity, and strong business partnership.
• Coach team members on forecasting methodology, scenario planning, assumptions, and interpretation of forecast outputs.
• Build organizational forecasting capabilities and establish consistent standards across teams.
• Encourage innovation while maintaining disciplined, high-quality forecasting practices.

What We’re Looking For

• Doctorate degree and 5+ years of experience in forecasting, analytics, market insights, finance, strategy, or commercial planning; or
• Master’s degree and 9+ years of experience in forecasting, analytics, market insights, finance, strategy, or commercial planning; or
• Bachelor’s degree and 11+ years of experience in forecasting, analytics, market insights, finance, strategy, or commercial planning.
• 5+ years of experience directly managing people and/or leading teams, projects, programs, or significant resource-allocation initiatives.
• Deep biopharmaceutical forecasting experience, ideally within a major therapeutic area or large primary-care or specialty market.
• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical markets, including launch dynamics, pricing and reimbursement, market access, regional differences, and competitive strategy.
• Experience developing patient-based forecasts, epidemiology-driven models, analog-based launch forecasts, scenario analyses, and long-range portfolio forecasts.
• Ability to integrate market research, secondary analytics, competitive intelligence, clinical development, medical, market access, and financial inputs into cohesive forecasting recommendations.
• Strong executive communication skills and the ability to translate complex models and assumptions into concise, compelling strategic narratives.
• Proven ability to challenge assumptions constructively, operate effectively in ambiguity, and make sound recommendations with incomplete information.
• Experience supporting major investment decisions, launch planning, lifecycle strategy, business development assessments, or portfolio prioritization.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect forecast implications to commercial strategy, resource allocation, and enterprise value.
• Highly adaptable and comfortable operating in a rapidly evolving therapeutic area with significant competitive and market uncertainty.