Senior Vice President, Brand Strategy

SVP, Brand Strategy

Company description Heartbeat is a full-service agency for healthcare Challenger Brands. Challengers are playing a high-stakes gamethey must battle behemoth market leaders, upend ingrained treatment habits, or transform a "me-too" product into "yes-please." The agency is known for serving up distinctive strategies and differentiating approaches, ensuring clients' market positions are uniquely owned. Heartbeat designs their organization around a 100% integration model, housing media, strategy, med comms, creative, technology, and even point of care/population health under the same roof for the tightest, most integrated campaigns possible. They price work based on outcomes, not outputs. Their innovative model delivers not only alignment, but powerful orchestration, greater efficiency, and maximum impact for every dollar spentall the necessary elements for Challengers to triumph.
Overview The SVP, Brand Strategy is a senior strategic leader responsible for shaping brand strategy across oncology-focused pharmaceutical work. This role partners closely with senior client stakeholders and internal cross-functional teams to define strategic direction, guide complex decision-making, and ensure work ladders back to clear, meaningful business outcomes. This leader will set the strategic bar for the work, serve as a trusted thought partner to senior clients, and mentor a growing team of strategists. Success in this role requires deep pharmaceutical brand experience, comfort navigating ambiguity, and the ability to balance long-term vision with day-to-day operational rigor.
Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Brand Stewardship
Lead brand strategy across one or more oncology brands, indications, or portfolio segments, serving as the strategic authority for the work.
Own the core strategic narrative, including positioning, segmentation, target definition, brand architecture, and long-term roadmap development.
Translate complex clinical, competitive, and market dynamics into clear, actionable strategic direction.
Ensure all downstream workcreative, messaging, channels, and experiencesremains grounded in a coherent and defensible strategy.
Client Partnership
Act as a senior strategic advisor to brand, marketing, and cross-functional client team members.
Proactively anticipate client needs, identify white space, and surface opportunities to strengthen brand performance.
Lead high-stakes conversations, workshops, and presentations with confidence and credibility.
Partner with client teams on qualitative and quantitative research efforts and apply insights appropriately to brand decisions.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work in close partnership with Creative, Account, Experience, Medical, and Analytics teams to deliver integrated brand solutions.
Guide and inspire creative teams through clear briefs, focused problem definition, and ongoing strategic stewardship.
Ensure strategy is pragmatic, executable, and grounded in real-world brand and regulatory constraints.
Team Leadership & Development
Lead and develop a team of strategists, providing clear direction, candid feedback, and growth opportunities.
Set standards for critical thinking, brief quality, and client engagement across the strategy rigor.
Coach junior and mid-level strategists on both craft and presence, helping them progress as operators and leaders.
Contribute to the evolution of Heartbeat's strategic guidelines and points of view.
Agency & Growth Contributions
Participate in new business efforts, portfolio expansion, and organic growth initiatives.
Represent strategy leadership within Heartbeat and across the Publicis Health network.
Contribute to internal thought leadership and agency POV development where appropriate.
Qualifications
15+ years of experience in brand strategy within a pharmaceutical marketing agency, management consultancy, or closely related environment.
Significant experience leading oncology brands or portfolios; comfort navigating complex therapeutic categories is essential.
Proven ability to own and defend brand strategy with senior, enterprise-level clients.
Deep understanding of pharmaceutical marketing across HCP and patient audiences.
Strong experience guiding insight development, brand planning, launch strategy, and lifecycle management.
Exceptional storytelling and presentation skillsable to simplify complexity without losing rigor.
A collaborative leadership style that builds trust, accountability, and momentum.
Experience managing and developing high-performing strategy teams.
Comfort operating in embedded, fast-moving, highly accountable client environments.
Compensation Range: USD $180,215.00 - USD $299,637.00/Annually.