Head of Oncology Strategy
CONFIDENTIAL — A leading global biopharmaceutical company is hiring a Head of Oncology Strategy.
Job title: Head of Oncology Strategy (working title)
Reporting to: Senior Leadership (to be confirmed)
Department: Oncology Strategy
Location: To be confirmed
The position
Our client, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, is building a broad, multi-programme oncology portfolio. As the pipeline matures, the priority is shifting from generating scientific options to making rigorous choices about where to focus and invest.
The company is seeking a Head of Oncology Strategy to act as a scientific and strategic thought partner to senior leadership. Working directly alongside a senior executive, you will help evaluate the oncology portfolio, test the assumptions behind individual programmes and shape well-informed product and portfolio decisions.
This is not a conventional commercial strategy or project-management role. It requires someone who can engage deeply with oncology science while applying the structured, hypothesis-driven thinking developed in consulting.
Key responsibilities
Your key responsibilities will include:
- Evaluate oncology assets and opportunities through the lenses of underlying biology, mechanism of action and disease context.
- Examine and challenge the assumptions and development hypotheses underpinning individual programmes.
- Assess the scientific attractiveness and strategic role of assets within the wider portfolio, informing prioritisation and deprioritisation decisions.
- Distil complex scientific, clinical and strategic material into clear conclusions and recommendations for senior leadership.
- Interpret external analyst research and advisory work, applying relevant insights to the company's circumstances.
- Work with leading external oncology advisers while independently testing their conclusions.
Your experience and profile
We are seeking an outstanding scientific strategist who can move fluently between detailed evidence and its portfolio implications.
The successful candidate will bring:
- Deep grounding in oncology, with the scientific credibility to engage meaningfully with medical oncologists, company scientists and external experts.
- Experience in strategy consulting (or a comparably rigorous environment), with strong exposure to R&D and portfolio strategy; scientifically grounded oncology BD backgrounds will also be considered.
- The judgement to recognise incomplete reasoning or unsupported assumptions.
- The ability to conceptualise complex ideas, structure ambiguous problems and communicate clearly with senior audiences.
Extensive direct drug-development experience is not essential; analytical strength and scientific depth are the priority.
This is a rare opportunity to move from advising companies to actively shaping one, working close to senior decision-making on consequential oncology questions, with the potential to build towards a broader operational leadership role.
Application and further information
Please submit your application, including a CV and a cover letter outlining your motivation.
For further information, please contact Monisha Banerjee, Spencer Stuart, London.
We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all applicants.