Vice President, Accounts

Location: US-Tri State preferred, Hybrid or Remote

Job Summary 

The Vice President, Accounts owns a major portion of the organization’s business outright — holding full P&L responsibility for their client portfolio and setting the leadership agenda for every Account Director and account team within it. The VP leads a portfolio of 2 or more accounts, each run day-to-day by an Account Director(s) and staffed by teams across Accounts, Projects, and Scientific. Growth is the mandate: the VP is expected to expand revenue within existing accounts and bring new accounts into the organization at a scale that materially moves the business.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Client Management  & Satisfaction

• Builds and owns client relationships from day-to-day contacts through upper-level management; serves as the senior strategic lead with medical VP lead delivering the big-picture view of the brand and business, and shapes the strategic direction that drives the brand’s success
• Responsibility for ensuring Client Services teams deliver the highest levels of strategic rigour throughout Promotional materials across assigned accounts
• Accurate interpretation of client briefs, high standard of service excellence
• Professional and effective liaison with clients and all external stakeholders
• Proactive provision of strategic counsel, insights, recommendations and solutions to clients on their projects
• Excellent financial management to ensure business plans are delivered while maximising recoverability of all time spent on client business
• Holds final accountability for ensuring every project delivered across the business unit is scientifically sound and strategically relevant
• Owns the overall profitability of the business unit — full accountability, no deflection

Project Planning & Execution

• Directs resources across the business unit to guarantee client services support and communication; drives every tactical and strategic implementation to be on target, on time, and on budget — without exception

Business Expansion/Business Development/Organic Growth

• Organically grows current client business. Actively sells within existing accounts and drives new accounts into the organization in collaboration with business development. Owns growth as a core deliverable of the role, not an occasional ask

• Identification of new opportunities within existing accounts, supporting the wider team to pursue organic growth opportunities across the business unit via building strong long-term trusted advisor client relationships
• Provision of support for new business activities, leading proposals and pitches, demonstrating a clear understanding of client objectives, therapy area and product, ensuring effective delivery and high conversion rate

Financial Management and project performance

• Partners with account, project, and finance teams to guarantee profitability across every account and the business unit as a whole; delivers routine financial forecasts to Management; owns resource allocation in collaboration with ELT to ensure profitable, quality delivery; drives regular financial reporting to clients
• Maintain an annual budget of contract revenue: $5MM–$10+MM

People Management and Development

• Effective line management to drive high performance standards across the team and support the career and personal development goals of assigned line reports, including performance reviews, objective setting, succession planning and management of under-performance
• Development of close working relationships with team members to guide, coach, and motivate them, providing support as required and offering regular feedback on performance, both directly and to line managers (Client Services or Medical & Scientific Services)
• Participation in the development and delivery of training initiatives to ensure the highest possible team calibre and standards
• Oversee 5–8+ accounts (dependent upon scope) — each a full book of business led by its own Account Director and staffed by a dedicated team

Other — Takes on additional duties in support of the organization as directed by the Executive Vice President

Experience, Skills, and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• 12+ years in medical education, including 5+ years in senior-level account leadership positions
• Familiarity with a variety of therapeutic categories, as required
• Medical education experience and a genuine passion for client success — a true advocate for the growth of clients’ brands and their complete satisfaction
• Demonstrated ability to manage a P&L
• A team leader and motivator with a proven track record of recruiting and developing top talent
• Excellent judgment and communication skills when dealing with clients, team members, and healthcare professionals
• Demonstrated ability to sell into existing clients and bring new clients into the organization
• Develops and maintains contacts and access to key decision makers across pharmaceutical clients
• Deploys resources to best balance the company’s overall business objectives
• Interacts with third parties (other agency vendors, professional organizations/societies) where appropriate

Travel Requirements

• Ability to travel as required (up to 30%)