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Openings at Accenture for various levels
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What’s R&D consulting like at Accenture?
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Coach
Depends on what your long term goals are.
Lots of jobs in the in 1 and 3. I think number 1 usually has the lowest ceiling than 2 or 3 but it is probably the easiest/has the best WLB.
2 is usually the most interesting/prestigious but is a smaller field so you might not have clear paths to advancement at smaller companies.
3 has a path to the c-suite but it typically requires hitting a lot of waypoints if you want to advance, e.g., a rotation in field sales.
I view 4 as a bit of a dead end. You don't want to be at an org that is constantly transforming. It usually has a sprint and then rest. So you ultimately end up somewhere else unless you can constantly hop companies.
@D1, that really depends on the company to be honest…
Any of # 2-4 are transferable to most roles in my opinion. #1 is probably the most specialized, but it’s definitely a steadily in demand job. People seem to move around within pharma roles. Pursue the seniors you like more than the vertical (assuming you like the project work itself)
Value and access is most complex to understand and highly skilled, and I have seen many spend 2-3 years in V&A, and move to 2 & 3. The classic sales and marketing skill set is no more in demand post covid and every role requires marketing skill set. Funnily, this is what senior leadership was discussing during an offsite last week and how they are not looking for people who can only be successful in one role or domain. I have seen this transition with medical affairs, health economics and now with MSLs…
1. 2&3 are a tie depending on if you want to own P&L or not. I may give the slightest of edges to commercial only because I think slightly wider variety of exit opps (within LS). But I think most learning opps in either of these areas and great career path ahead of you regardless.
2. Value & Access- access is a never ending battle, so there will always be opportunities.
3. Transformation-in my 10 years of experience, I haven’t figured out what the transformation team does except for talk about lean, initiatives, and all that jazz. I’m admittedly uninformed so probably not valuing this properly.
Would think #2-3 would be the most versatile in terms of exit opps to other industries since they are more aligned with sector-agnostic strategy studies. #1 is quite specific to LS since the payer/provider/patient dynamic is very unique to the industry. Can’t speak much to #4 as I have not done work in this space yet.
Agree with all the above. Also agree with ITI on pursuing seniors you like vs vertical.
Community Builder
Start with which ones you actually enjoy doing. But generally:
1. Will continue to be a hot topic for a while. You will always be in demand.
2. Corp Strat teams - even at big pharma - tend to be relatively small and skew towards more senior employees who can leverage their experience to guide leadership. Portfolio strat is a pretty nebulous term and can come in many forms. I wouldn’t try to specialize in either per se, but maybe plan on doing an internal 2-3 stint in one of them (like a secondment)
3. You’re going to be part of the revenue generating side of the business. Great place to be and a prerequisite for senior leadership roles at many companies. But again, do it only if you could see yourself enjoying it. That’s what matters most.
4. Ideally, transformations only happen once in a while at each company. So great area to specialize in as a consultant but not so much on the industry side.