Managing Director - Life Science Strategy Consulting

Barrington James; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Barrington James is seeking a Managing Director to join its senior leadership team in Boston. The role blends business development, account growth and strategic oversight of engagements, with direct involvement in delivery and client relationships.

You will lead launch and corporate strategy work, shape portfolio growth initiatives, and coach consultants, operating in a highly collaborative environment with a hybrid office pattern.

Responsibilities

• Originate and grow meaningful consulting relationships across the biopharma industry.
• Build and manage a portfolio of significant client accounts.
• Lead and oversee high-impact commercial, corporate and launch strategy engagements.
• Remain meaningfully involved in project delivery rather than solely as a business developer.
• Develop long-term client relationships that generate repeat engagements.
• Identify opportunities to broaden relationships through additional capabilities and strategic services.

Job description

A high-growth, boutique life sciences strategy consultancy is looking to appoint a Managing Director to join its senior leadership team and play a meaningful role in the continued growth and evolution of the business.

The firm partners with emerging biotech through to global pharmaceutical organisations on high-impact strategic challenges, developing particularly deep relationships with clients at critical commercial inflection points.

This is a genuine seller-doer leadership opportunity. The successful individual will combine business development and account growth with senior-level oversight of strategic engagements, while also contributing to the development of the firm, its people and its culture.

For someone looking to move away from the bureaucracy or highly segmented responsibilities of a larger consultancy, the opportunity provides the chance to have direct influence over the growth of the business, remain close to clients and strategic work, and operate as part of a highly collaborative senior leadership team.

Project Focus

• Launch strategy and launch readiness
• Corporate and commercial strategy
• Organisational and operating strategy
• Portfolio and strategic growth initiatives
• Senior-level strategic thought partnership
• Longer-term embedded and retainer-based client engagements

Key Responsibilities

• Originate and grow meaningful consulting relationships across the biopharma industry.
• Build and manage a portfolio of significant client accounts.
• Lead and oversee high-impact commercial, corporate and launch strategy engagements.
• Remain meaningfully involved in project delivery rather than operating solely as a business developer.
• Develop long-term client relationships that generate repeat and expanded engagements.
• Identify opportunities to broaden relationships through additional capabilities and strategic services.
• Collaborate closely with other senior leaders on business development and account growth.
• Coach and develop consultants across multiple levels of the organisation.
• Contribute to internal initiatives and the continued evolution of the firm's capabilities, culture and operating model.
• Act as a senior representative of the consultancy with executive-level client stakeholders.

Business Development & Account Leadership

This is not a pure hunting role.

The firm places equal importance on the ability to win work and deliver exceptional work, with successful business development often resulting directly from the quality and impact of existing client engagements.

Candidates should therefore demonstrate a sustained seven-figure business development track record, alongside evidence of developing multiple significant client relationships simultaneously.

Cultural alignment is particularly important.

The business operates with a highly collaborative partnership mentality and is looking for an MD who views clients and opportunities as collective relationships rather than individually protected accounts.

The successful individual will be someone who naturally collaborates with other senior leaders, shares relationships and expertise, develops colleagues and prioritises the success of the wider organisation.

A highly individualistic or "lone wolf" approach is unlikely to fit the firm's culture.

Why Consider the Opportunity?

Influence: Join the senior leadership team of a growing consultancy and have genuine input into the future direction of the business.

High-impact work: Work directly with senior biopharma leaders on strategically important challenges rather than becoming detached from delivery.

Entrepreneurial environment: Retain the agility and connectivity of a boutique consultancy without the bureaucracy associated with significantly larger organisations.

Long-term client relationships: Build deep strategic partnerships, including substantial multi-year and retainer-based relationships, rather than focusing solely on transactional projects.

Growth platform: Join at an important stage of the firm's development, with the opportunity to build accounts, develop people and strengthen existing capabilities.

Broader capabilities: Access complementary capabilities across a wider life sciences platform, creating additional ways to support clients and expand strategic relationships.

Culture: Join a collaborative senior leadership team where teamwork, quality, client impact and people development are fundamental to how the business operates.

Boston, MA is strongly preferred.

The firm operates a hybrid working model, typically with approximately three days per week in the office, alongside flexibility for client commitments and travel.

For this senior leadership appointment, in-person connectivity is considered particularly valuable as the business continues to scale.