Consultant/Senior Consultant (Healthcare Strategist) (Perm/FL) in Slough

Help global pharma teams turn complexity into clear strategic direction. ASCEND Strategy is a senior-led pharma strategy consultancy helping Global, US and EU teams navigate high-stakes decisions with greater clarity, confidence and momentum. We work where the questions are complex, the evidence is evolving, and the answer is not obvious: launch strategy, brand planning, portfolio choices, competitor response, insight synthesis, scenario planning and cross-functional alignment.

Our belief is simple: most teams do not lack data. They lack clarity on what to do next. That is where ASCEND focuses. We bridge the gap between data and decision through expert synthesis, constructive challenge and senior-led facilitation, helping pharma teams align around the choices that matter most.

We are now looking for an experienced, entrepreneurial consultant to join our close-knit strategy team.

The role

• Location: Remote-first
• Terms: Freelance or full-time employee
• Package: £50,000–£70,000 per annum depending on experience, or freelance equivalent

This is a mid-to-senior role for someone who enjoys taking complex insight, evidence and market information and turning it into clear strategic direction. You will work across oncology-focused projects, supporting senior pharma teams on brand, launch, portfolio and competitive strategy. You will help design and facilitate workshops, shape strategic recommendations, build executive-ready narratives and work directly with senior client stakeholders.

Alongside delivery, you will also help ASCEND grow in the right way: through trusted relationships, strong thinking, high-quality proposals and a sharp understanding of where we can create value. This is not a role for someone who wants to sit several layers away from the client or simply produce slides from a brief. It is for someone who wants to be close to the problem, close to the thinking and close to the decision.

What you’ll be doing

• Turning insight into strategy: You will analyse and synthesise clinical, commercial, competitive, customer and organisational inputs, distilling complexity into clear implications and strategic choices.
• Shaping brand, launch and portfolio direction: You will support strategy projects across brand planning, launch strategy, portfolio positioning, opportunity mapping, competitive strategy and scenario planning.
• Designing and leading workshops: You will help create engaging working sessions that move teams from discussion to alignment, including senior client workshops, internal strategy sessions and cross-functional planning meetings.
• Creating executive-ready outputs: You will build clear, compelling narratives that connect evidence, insight and strategy. The aim is not simply to report what we found, but to help clients understand what it means and what to do next.
• Partnering with senior pharma stakeholders: You will work confidently with global and regional pharma teams, including commercial, insights, franchise, brand, launch and strategy stakeholders.
• Supporting relationship-led growth: You will contribute to business development by identifying opportunities, shaping proposals, building client relationships and helping us articulate where ASCEND can add value.
• Helping shape ASCEND’s future: As part of a boutique, growing consultancy, you will have the opportunity to improve how we work, develop new frameworks, sharpen our use of AI-supported synthesis and contribute to the company’s direction.

What we’re looking for

Essential experience: You are likely to have:

• 4+ years’ experience in a pharma strategy consultancy, healthcare consulting firm, strategic agency or closely related role.
• Experience in brand planning, launch strategy, competitive strategy, insight synthesis or portfolio strategy.
• The ability to work with complex inputs and find the red thread: the few points that really matter.
• Strong written communication and slide-writing skills, with the ability to create clear, senior-level outputs.
• Confidence working in ambiguity, where the answer is not already defined.
• Experience engaging clients and contributing meaningfully in senior conversations.
• Strong project ownership, attention to detail and a completer-finisher mindset.

Ideal experience: We would be especially interested if you also bring:

• 6+ years’ experience in pharma strategy consulting or a similar environment.
• Connections with global or regional commercial or medical teams in big-mid sized pharma or biotech’s.
• Significant oncology experience, particularly in complex launch, competitive or portfolio contexts.
• Experience designing and facilitating workshops.
• Familiarity with HCP, patient, KOL, advisory board or market research processes.
• Experience in competitive intelligence, scenario planning or wargaming.
• Strong storytelling skills and a good design eye for visually sharp, strategically clear deliverables.
• Experience contributing to proposals, client development or relationship-led business growth.
• Interest in using AI thoughtfully to accelerate synthesis, stress-test thinking and improve strategic outputs.

The mindset that will help you thrive here: ASCEND is a small, senior-led team. That means we value people who combine strong strategic thinking with humility, ownership and warmth. You will probably enjoy this role if you:

• Like solving difficult, ambiguous problems.
• Care about clarity, quality and the craft of strategy.
• Enjoy working directly with clients rather than staying behind the scenes.
• Can challenge thinking constructively without being performative.
• Are comfortable moving between analysis, storytelling, facilitation and delivery.
• Want to help build a consultancy, not just work inside one.
• Prefer a high-trust, low-bureaucracy environment where people roll up their sleeves.

What we offer:

• High-impact strategy work: You will work on meaningful pharma strategy questions that influence brand, launch, portfolio and competitive decisions.
• Direct senior client exposure: You will work closely with senior pharma stakeholders and see how strategic decisions are shaped in real time.
• A senior-led boutique environment: No unnecessary layers, no dilution of thinking and no large-consultancy machinery. You will work directly with experienced strategists who stay close to the work.
• Room to grow and shape the business: As ASCEND grows, you will have the opportunity to shape our frameworks, ways of working, proposals, thought leadership and client offer.
• Flexibility: The role is remote-first, with freelance or full-time options available. Occasional travel may be required for client workshops or internal team sessions.
• A collaborative team culture: We care about quality, intellectual honesty, momentum and enjoying the work. We are looking for people who are serious about strategy without taking themselves too seriously.

Core competencies:

• Structured strategic thinking
• Insight synthesis and interpretation
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Executive storytelling
• Workshop design and facilitation
• Client relationship-building
• Project management and ownership
• Attention to detail
• Commercial awareness
• Collaborative problem solving

Education: A Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, business, healthcare, strategy or a related field is preferred. An advanced degree such as an MBA, MSc or PhD is helpful but not required.

Recruitment process: Our process is designed to understand both your experience and how you think. It will typically include:

• CV and cover note review
• A short, time-boxed written task focused on turning insight into strategy
• A virtual interview to explore your experience, fit and strategic approach
• A half-day assessment session, including live case work, group discussion and presentation to senior team members

We use this process to see how you structure ambiguity, communicate recommendations and engage with others, not just how your experience reads on paper.

Diversity and inclusion: We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. What matters most is your ability to bring clarity, curiosity, judgement and strategic thinking to complex healthcare challenges.

How to apply: Please send your CV and a short cover note to . In your note, we would be interested to hear what kind of strategic pharma problem you most enjoy solving and why. Thanks for your interest in ASCEND and the role.