Client Partner - Pharma & Life Sciences

 

 

 

Axle is seeking a Client Partner to own and grow our relationship with a top-10 global pharmaceutical company and to build a portfolio of pharmaceutical and biotechnology accounts around it. This is a senior commercial seat in the pharma vertical, Axle's key-account business unit, which cross-sells the full catalog of Axle services, solutions, and products into a small number of strategic enterprise clients.

The Client Partner is a hybrid operator, not a pure seller. Roughly 60 percent of the role is growth: developing executive relationships across the anchor client's business and technology organizations, shaping opportunities, and closing engagements. The remaining 40 percent is delivery accountability: owning the account plan, acting as the executive sponsor for every active engagement, and making sure what Axle sells is what Axle delivers.

The right candidate arrives with credibility in the pharma R&D, clinical, data, or technology ecosystem, an existing network that can be activated early, and the judgment to translate Axle's scientific, data/AI, and technology capabilities into outcomes a pharma executive will sponsor. The role blends strategic account leadership, consultative selling, and delivery assurance, with direct accountability for revenue, margin, and client health.

Key Responsibilities

Account Leadership & Relationship Development

• Serve as Axle's primary commercial owner and executive point of contact for a strategic anchor account, with a mandate to expand into adjacent pharmaceutical and biotechnology accounts.
• Build and maintain senior relationships across the client's research, clinical development, manufacturing, commercial, and technology organizations, including the buying centers that procure data, analytics, and IT services.
• Develop and maintain a living account plan: relationship map, white-space analysis across Axle's service catalog, opportunity pipeline, pricing posture, and competitive position.
• Leverage an existing network and industry relationships to accelerate pipeline creation and early deal conversion.
• Develop deep understanding of the client's business model, scientific priorities, regulatory environment, procurement and vendor-management processes, and operational pain points.

Growth & Deal Execution

• Own an individual revenue and gross-margin target for the pharma vertical, with the anchor account as the foundation.
• Own the full opportunity lifecycle from identification and qualification through proposal, negotiation, close, and expansion.
• Translate Axle's scientific, data/AI, and technology capabilities into outcome-driven value propositions tied to the client's R&D, clinical, and operational objectives.
• Structure and negotiate engagements ranging from pilots and staff augmentation to multi-phase programs and managed services, working with Axle's pricing, contracts, and legal functions.
• Work with the Solutions Architects to shape client-specific solutions, and with the Growth Consultant to convert hunted introductions into qualified opportunities.
• Maintain accurate pipeline, forecast, and activity data in the CRM in partnership with Sales Enablement.

Delivery Assurance & Client Health

• Act as executive sponsor for every active engagement on the account; the assigned Program Manager owns day-to-day execution and the Client Partner owns the outcome and the relationship.
• Lead the transition from sale to delivery: scope confirmation, staffing plan with the supporting delivery units, governance cadence, and success criteria.
• Monitor engagement health, margin, and client satisfaction; escalate and resolve risks before they reach the client.
• Run periodic business reviews with client executives that connect delivered results to the next opportunity.
• Carry a direct delivery or advisory role on engagements during the pre-contract and early-contract phases, scaling back as program managers are in place.

Market Insight & Go-To-Market Contribution

• Contribute account-level insight to Axle's pharma and life sciences go-to-market strategy.
• Provide structured market feedback to refine Axle's offerings, pricing, and positioning for the sector.
• Identify repeatable solutions and reference-able outcomes from the account that can be shared across the vertical.
• Contribute to client-facing materials, case studies, and sales-enablement content.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of experience in client-facing roles (account leadership, business development, consulting, or engagement management) at a consulting, IT services, data/analytics, CRO, or life sciences technology firm, or in a commercial, procurement, or technology role inside a large pharmaceutical company.
• Demonstrated success selling and growing services, data, or technology engagements with pharmaceutical or biotechnology clients, including at least one account grown to a multi-million-dollar annual relationship.
• Experience carrying both a revenue target and accountability for delivery outcomes or account margin.
• Track record building and sustaining relationships with director-to-VP-level stakeholders in regulated enterprise environments with long, multi-stakeholder sales cycles.
• Strong working knowledge of pharma and life sciences operating environments: R&D and clinical development, data and analytics ecosystems, GxP and regulatory expectations, and enterprise vendor-management processes.
• Ability to translate scientific, data/AI, and technology capabilities into business outcomes for both technical and executive audiences.
• Proficiency with CRM-based pipeline management and forecasting.
• Excellent communication, executive presence, and organizational skills.
• Existing relationships within Eli Lilly or its ecosystem of vendors and partners.
• Bachelor's degree required; an advanced degree in a life sciences, engineering, or business discipline is a plus.

Preferred Attributes

• Builder mindset: comfortable standing up an account and a vertical from an early-stage pursuit, with limited structure, and creating the playbook as you go.
• Equally credible in a scientific review, a delivery steering committee, and a procurement negotiation.
• Strategic thinker who balances long-term account health against near-term quota.
• Experience working in a growth-stage or advisory-driven organization.

 

 

Disclaimer: The above description is meant to illustrate the general nature of work and level of effort being performed by individuals assigned to this position or job description. This is not restricted as a complete list of all skills, responsibilities, duties, and/or assignments required. Individuals may be required to perform duties outside of their position, job description or responsibilities as needed.

The diversity of Axle’s employees is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on age, race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation, status with respect to public assistance, and other characteristics protected under state, federal, or local law and to deter those who aid, abet, or induce discrimination or coerce others to discriminate.

Accessibility: If you need an accommodation as part of the employment process please contact: [email protected]

This role has a market-competitive salary with an anticipated base compensation range listed below. Actual salaries will vary depending on a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location.