Advisory Consultant - Business Advisory

Role Description

Advisory Consultants within the Business Advisory Beacon at ZS are part of a team focused on building and incubating the firm's strategic advisory capabilities. We target building and strengthening relationships with a diverse range of Commercial and R&D decision-makers. We serve them on topics that are cross-functional and relevant to their higher business priorities.

 

What You’ll Do 

As an Advisory Consultant at ZS, you will play a critical role in working on projects that support Pharma organizations to define and address client-specific business questions that require cross-functional thinking across Commercial and R&D:

• Project Execution & Impact
• Work with project leadership to shape strategic choices, guide cross-functional thinking, and address industry-wide trends and challenges
• Support and share ownership of end-to-end project delivery by collaborating with clients, ZS leadership, and delivery team members to ensure effective coordination and successful outcomes
• Communicate interrelated business issues to clients and internal teams
• Provide thought leadership and innovation within projects, practices and clients 

• Strategic Problem-Solving & Delivery
• Tackle complex, often ambiguous, problems by combining data, qualitative insights, and creativity to develop practical, innovative and fit-for-purpose solutions  
• Develop clear, compelling deliverables that connect analysis to the recommendation, helping clients make confident decisions
• Lead project task execution by driving progress, organizing project data, structuring key analyses, coordinating team meetings and presenting results that create measurable impact
• Participate and support in business development
• Culture & Growth 
• Contribute to internal firm initiatives
• Champion ZS culture and values. Integrate within our values driven culture as a team player; Embody ZS’s values of treating people right, doing the right thing, and getting it right
• Actively participate in and support team & office events to cultivate an engaging, inclusive ZS work life beyond day-to-day project work

What You’ll Bring 

• At least 5-8 years of relevant work experience in a management consulting firm. Candidates with MBA or PhD and 3+ years of relevant experience may be considered
• Relevant MBA or an advanced degree ideally in business, economics, marketing, psychology, physical or life sciences, engineering, applied math, statistics, or related fields. Relevant PhD ideally in life sciences, health economics, decision sciences or related field with a business application
• Strong oral and verbal professional communication skills
• Skilled at navigating complex stakeholder environments and aligning diverse perspectives, with strong problem-solving abilities to address ambiguous challenges and uncover innovative or disruptive solutions
• Ability to understand client needs deeply and tailor solutions that deliver measurable impact
• Strong motivation, work ethic, maturity, and personal initiative
• Thrives in fast-paced environments, maintaining composure and focus under pressure while effectively managing multiple projects and balancing competing priorities
• Strong attention to detail, with a quality-focused mindset
• Expertise in macro industry and/or functional trends and the ability to apply them to client contexts
• Demonstrates strong business and financial acumen with the ability to interpret strategic documents and financial statements, draw meaningful conclusions, and communicate implications—while also exhibiting sharp business intuition and the agility to quickly grasp and influence executive priorities
• Proven experience in leading and managing teams, with a passion for developing talent

• Passion for learning and intellectually curious