Strategic Initiatives Associate - FullTime - Bern

About Us

Ikerian AG (formerly RetinAI Medical) is a fast-growing medical device software company headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. Our mission is to enable the right decisions sooner in healthcare, through transformative AI & data management solutions for disease screening and monitoring. Join our diverse team of entrepreneurs, developers, researchers, and commercial experts who are collectively shaping the future of healthcare.

Job Description

As our Strategic Initiatives Associate, you will support the CEO in advancing high-priority strategic projects across the company. The role focuses on translating defined ideas into structured analyses, execution plans, and coordinated actions. 

You will validate assumptions, prepare business insights, support partnership discussions, and ensure that initiatives progress in a disciplined and measurable way. 

This role is analytical, hands-on, and cross-functional. While you will not define company strategy, you will be instrumental in shaping and advancing CEO-sponsored initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the CEO in translating ideas into structured project plans with defined objectives and milestones, breaking them down into actionable steps and tracking deliverables, timelines, and dependencies.
• Conduct market research and competitor analysis, identifying assumptions and designing validation steps.
• Support preparation of business cases, including basic financial modeling and opportunity sizing.
• Conduct stakeholder interviews (customers, partners, internal teams), gathering and synthesizing insights to inform decision-making.
• Identify potential partners and collaborators, preparing briefing materials for partnership discussions, and support coordinating pilot projects and external collaborations.
• Work closely with Product, R&D, Regulatory, Commercial, and Finance teams to gather inputs, ensure internal alignment, and move initiatives forward.
• Track learning and iteration across initiatives.
• Prepare executive-ready summary reports and recommendation documents for internal review meetings.

• 2–5 years of experience in consulting, strategy, business analysis, venture building, or similar analytical roles, including a minimum of 2 years in ophthalmology/ healthcare/ pharmaceuticals.
• Strong analytical, problem-structuring, and problem-solving skills, with a keen eye for detail.
• Basic financial modeling capability. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated entrepreneurial and collaborative mindset, with the ability to work independently, cross-functionally, and manage multiple tasks in parallel.
• Ph.D. in a relevant scientific, medical, or business field.
• Knowledge of industry best practices in Ophthalmology / Eyecare
• Work from the Bern office whenever required, and willingness to travel internationally 3-4 times a year. 
• Available to work during Central European Time (CET) business hours.

• A chance to be part of an exceptional team driving innovation in healthcare.
• A competitive salary in a supportive work environment that fosters work-life balance.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development in an international setting.
• A culture of collaboration and inclusion, which is fundamental to our ethos.