Agency:
Portland
Job Function:
Consulting
Job Subfunction:
Business and Change Consulting
Job Description:
Director, Healthcare & Life Sciences
Portland is a global advisory firm, helping companies, foundations, governments and organisations communicate effectively, grow and succeed. We advise clients navigating business and reputational challenges, including regulatory change, political transition, and legal disputes and crises, ensuring they seize opportunities to engage in policy discussions and in the media when it matters most.
Headquartered in London, with a network of team members in critical markets, our advisors are drawn from the worlds of politics, business, law and journalism. Our work is supported by specialist digital, research and creative teams, and backed by Omnicom’s global network and capabilities. Combining political nous and cultural savvy, Portland’s advisers build strategies and campaigns tailored to clients’ needs, delivering outcomes that make a difference.
The Team
Our Healthcare and Life Sciences team is a group of trusted advisors to the world’s most influential healthcare and scientific organisations, helping them navigate the fast-evolving policy, political and media landscape.
The Role
We’reseeking an experienced agency leaderto work across our portfolio of integrated healthcare communications, publicaffairsand policy accounts – with a particular focus on UK public affairs and policy programmes. You’ll lead stakeholder engagement, shape policy and media conversations, build corporate reputation amongst high-level policymakersand deliver impactful results.
Key Responsibilities:
- Principle lead on major client accounts, providing senior counsel to clients as a trusted partner
- Leading account teams and providing senior support to ensure on-time, high-quality delivery
- Design and strong oversight of high impact, UK and global strategic and public affairs communications campaigns
- Driving growth of accounts, marketing and new business, developing strategies for business development including leading end-to-end proposal and pitch processes
- People management and recruitment
- Day-to-day commercial performance – revenue, servicing, capacity planning
- Networking and thought leadership to raise the profile of Portland
- Integration across the Portland offer and wider Omnicom network, including partnership working with other Omnicom agencies
- Working as part of a cohesive senior management group
What we’re looking for:
- Significant experienceleading healthcare and life sciences policyprogrammes for pharmaceutical, biotech and wider healthcare companies,ideallywithin an agency / consultancy environment
- Strong UK political connections within Government, Parliament and amongst policy officials.
- Excellent knowledge of the UK healthcare policy and parliamentary landscape and expertise in the UK ecosystem, including ministerial engagement, policy developments, access and reimbursement, health systemprioritiesand stakeholder dynamics
- Proven experience leading integrated strategic communications programmes that combine policy, media, stakeholderengagementand digital activity
- Trusted senior advisor who can independently provide counsel to senior clients and stakeholderson complex pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, e.g. VPAG, NICE, MHRA, outcomes from the oversight committee.
- Experience leading stakeholder engagement programmes and advisory groups involving policymakers, healthcare professionals, patient organisations, industrybodiesand other relevant audiences
- Commercially minded and able to lead all financial aspects of accounts, including budgeting, servicing, invoicing and resourcing
- Significant experience in leading and winning new business proposals and pitches for healthcare and life sciences companies
- A collaborative leadership style with a strongtrack recordof developing and supporting colleaguesand working in partnership across a large agency network / multi-market consultancy
- Demonstrable experience of using AI tools in healthcare communications / policy programmes
- Desirable: Excellent network within government stakeholders and influencers
What We Offer
At Portland we offer hybrid working, with our teams working together from the office three days a week. We are committed to development and have an open doors culture where you will have the opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced people in the business.
Our remuneration package also includes our competitive pension contributions, private healthcare or health cash plan, life assurance cover, company contribution to gym membership, wellbeing workshops and activities, company parties, birthday day off, lunch contribution each week and more!
To the extent permissible by local law, Omnicom’s policy requires employees to work in the office for a minimum of three days a week, unless additional in-office days are directed by their agency or manager.
Omnicom is committed to hiring and developing exceptional talent. We agree that talent is uniquely distributed, and we’re focused on developing inclusive teams that can bring the best solutions to everything we do. We strongly believe that celebrating what makes us different makes us better together. Join us—we look forward to getting to know you. We will process your personal data in accordance with our Recruitment Privacy Notice.
Link to Recruitment Privacy Notice: https://www.omc.com/privacy-notice/
Director, Healthcare & Life Sciences employer: Adelphi Group
Adelphi Values PROVE is an exceptional employer that prioritises your professional growth and development within the healthcare consultancy sector. With a supportive and collaborative work culture, you will have access to comprehensive training opportunities, competitive benefits including private healthcare and gym memberships, and a vibrant team atmosphere enriched by regular social activities and charitable initiatives. Join us in making a meaningful impact on healthcare decisions while enjoying a fulfilling career in a dynamic environment.
