Director, Biotech & Pharma at Alvarez & Marsal Holdings, LLC in Chicago, Illinois

Job Description:

Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) is a premier independent global professional services firm specializing in providing turnaround management, restructuring, performance improvement, and corporate advisory services.

Our BioPharma, Life Sciences & MedTech team provides a broad range of services for our clients. When our clients are experiencing distress or significant change, we are there to guide their stakeholders and executives through the challenging times. When our clients are experiencing tremendous growth and see great opportunities, we provide the resources and expertise to help them grow without organizational strain. Lastly, when our clients' business is stagnant, we provide the deep industry, market, and financial expertise to move them towards profitability and growth.

Our team understands the growing need for agility and linkages to ever-changing market dynamics. We, therefore, observe industry trends closely, including navigating how the industry builds closer relationships with patients, evolving commercial strategies and models, deploying services that go beyond medicine or devices, considering how new tools like AI and the cloud can be transformative, and, how R&D and the definition of targeted therapy are developing before the worlds' eyes.

Our practice provides services across each pillar and support function of the enterprise including R&D, manufacturing, commercial, and business development to strategy, finance, IT, and HR. We assist our clients by finding new routes towards productivity and growth, we help reduce costs and increase supply chain reliability and security, and we support our clients by finding new paths to engage their customers.

Our Healthcare team prides itself on sustaining a culture that reflects our core values. We value integrity, quality, and objectivity in our work. We like what we do and with whom we do it. We embrace diversity, foster inclusiveness, and reward merit. We encourage and support our employees and communities through ongoing investments from leadership, social and networking events, peer-to-peer networks, Employee Resource Groups, volunteer opportunities, and pro-bono work. We are committed to promoting an inclusive environment in which all can develop, grow, and be supported.

What will you be doing?

As a Director, you will be leading a team and acting as the main conduit between our clients and our team on a range of complex assignments. You will manage projects by overseeing interview activities, gathering relevant data, developing goals and deadlines, reviewing work products of junior staff, and communicating with clients directly. Depending on the client project the responsibilities of a Director may typically include:

• Providing guidance to manage a client through crisis and/or quick solutions and time frames


• Developing growth strategies that include core business expansion, adjacencies, and white space opportunities


• Engaging in c-suite and board-level conversations regarding the challenges facing clients and strategic initiatives for solving them


• Utilizing your experience and expertise to effectively function in interim roles (e.g., CEO, CFO, COO, other)


• Helping clients understand their competitive advantages and product/service line profitability.

• Developing pricing and reimbursement strategies based on an understanding of customer and patient value drivers, cost structures, market dynamics and product lifecycle effects.


• Evaluating business and operating models for a growing product line


• Supporting clients with M&A activities by performing due diligence, post-merger integration


• Evaluating and remediating risks across each aspect of the business


• Leading restructuring and corporate transformation activities

• Partnering with private equity clients to evaluate potential investments and support current portfolio companies


• Turnarounds of pharmaceutical, biotech, medtech, and life sciences service companies, on behalf of PE or Public Market owners


• R&D strategy assessments with the goal of maximizing the output of the most viable drug candidates, typically in therapeutic areas such as oncology, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease and e.g. ALS, and more recently the acceleration of new COVID-19 vaccines


• Effectively managing client project plans and teams including meeting deadlines and managing on-time deliverables


• Knowledge of engagement economics and overall product delivery, budgeting, and timely billing & collections including managing the implementation risk and profitability


• Building relationships with clients and seeking opportunities to expand the scope of business while generating leads


• Managing and mentoring junior staff including training and development

As a Director on our team, you will work on the most interesting and challenging problems in the Life Sciences industry. You will be part of a team that is passionate about and known for delivering transformational change to the healthcare continuum. We are a group of entrepreneurial, action, and results-oriented professionals who take a hands-on approach to solving our client's problems and helping them reach their full potential.

What are we looking for?

• High energy and self-motivated individuals with a passion for life sciences, pharma, healthcare and solving complex issues

• A leader, entrepreneur and an individual who is eager to lead clients while helping to build the growing BioPharma, Life Sciences & MedTech practice at A&M


• A minimum of ten (10) years of prior work experience in healthcare consulting or twelve (12) years in the life sciences industry such as healthcare private equity, pharmaceutical, biotech, healthcare tech, CRO, CMO or other industry supporting organizations


• BA/BS degree and/or MBA/MS or other related healthcare fields such as MHA MPH or PhD


• An understanding of finance including the ability to review and understand financial statements and disclosures


• Deep industry expertise and specialization in one or more areas across the BioPharma and MedTech industries such as R&D, Manufacturing and Supply, Commercial, and Regulatory and Compliance


• Working knowledge of the life sciences industry dynamics and technologies

• Excellent verbal and written skills, with the ability to communicate with and present information to all levels of client personnel


• The ability to logically structure a narrative and develop accompanying presentations (within PowerPoint)


• Solid project management and organizational skills


• Ability to wrangle data and conduct analysis and synthesize information


• Strong Microsoft Excel and modeling skills including the ability to build and oversee the build of models such as financial and operational models.


• Willingness and ability to travel as required

How will you grow and be supported?

As a Director within the Healthcare Group, you will have the opportunity to take your career to the next level by gaining invaluable industry experience while enhancing and expanding your skillset. As part of our team, you will collaborate with many experienced professionals who will provide you with developmental feedback and growth opportunities.

We work with each of our employees to develop a customized career development plan to ensure you are matched with professional development opportunities that meet your unique needs and accelerate your development. We offer a variety of live and virtual training programs, access to best-in-class on-demand training, ongoing on-the-job coaching, a transitional coach to help you acclimate to the practice, and a partnership with a mentor who will guide you through your career.

Alvarez & Marsal offers competitive benefits and opportunities to support your personal and professional development. Click to learn about our commitment to your well-being . A&M recognizes that our people drive our growth, and you will be provided with the best available training and development resources through formalized training and on-the-job training. Learn more about why A&M is a great place to work.

Diversity & Inclusion

A&M's entrepreneurial culture celebrates independent thinkers and doers who can positively impact our clients and shape our industry. The collaborative environment and engaging work-guided by A&M's core values of Integrity, Quality, Objectivity, Fun, Personal Reward, and Inclusive Diversity-are the main reasons our people love working at A&M. Inclusive Diversity means we embrace diversity and we foster inclusiveness. It runs through how we recruit, develop employees, conduct business, support clients, and partner with vendors. It is the A&M way.

Voluntary Inclusion

It is Alvarez & Marsal's policy to provide and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, pregnancy, marital status, family status, religion, national origin, age or disability or any other non-merit based factor in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Unsolicited Resumes from Third-Party Recruiters

Please note that as per A&M policy, we do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters unless such recruiters were engaged to provide candidates for a specified opening. Any employment agency, person or entity that submits an unsolicited resume does so with the understanding that A&M will have the right to hire that applicant at its discretion without any fee owed to the submitting employment agency, person or entity.