Principal Consultant

Are you looking to work for an inspiring, fast-paced, global award-winning consultancy, working with the top twenty pharma companies worldwide. At the cutting edge of the pharma industry’s R and D pipeline, working on exciting areas of new science and working on innovative medicines that will transform patients’ lives?

Are you ready to move into a consultancy role, as a Principal? If you have approximately 10 years’ experience of working as a marketing director or similar commercial role in a pharma business, this could be the right opportunity for you. Our Principals are senior members of the Uptake team, working on some of the largest global consulting projects.

We are a female-led organisation, recognised as a diverse supplier for many organisations, and have been winning industry awards since 2013, from the PMEA for our work with clients, and we were acknowledged in 2023 with a National Businesswomen’s Award. In 2024, we were honoured with the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.

Take a look at our video of Shannon and Jon, two of our star team members, talking about their transition from pharma into consultancy and working at Uptake.

As a Principal, you perform a critical role for our clients and internal project team members. You will develop strong client relationships, comprehend their challenges, and design and deliver impactful solutions to client problems, which will deliver value to the clients and contribute to the advancement of Uptake’s reputation and business.

This role provides outstanding future career progression and potential; we offer unrivalled professional development, due to the significant variety of geographies, clients, disease areas, and consulting challenges, with the opportunity to build strong, sustainable client relationships.

Your accountabilities include:

Delivering Client Consulting Projects

• Partner with clients to develop and implement practical solutions that meet their business needs and deliver measurable business impact.


• Successful management and delivery of projects in your practice on time and within budget, in partnership with the Director and Project Lead.


• Share and adopt learnings and best practices from across our internal teams to improve the effectiveness and impact of our client-facing teams.

Building Client Relationships

• Build trusted relationships with key clients and stakeholders in your practice, invest time in building knowledge of their business key priorities and identify critical deliverables to them and the Uptake team.


• Serve as a trusted advisor to clients, providing them with expert guidance, strategic recommendations, and innovative solutions to address their challenges and opportunities.


• Proactively manage any client feedback or delays / risks to the projects that arise to ensure we maintain the client relationship.


• Deliver high-quality and impactful solutions for the client, escalating issues to the Head of Practice for action or awareness when needed.

Business Development

• Identify and pursue opportunities to expand Uptake’s client base and revenue growth within the pharmaceutical industry.


• Collaborate with the Director and principal team to develop and execute account plans for key clients, to drive growth.


• Create the storyboard and content for proposals, working in partnership with the principal and Director team.  Confidently deliver pitch presentations, which lead to new business being won.  

Promoting Uptake Brand and Reputation

• Stay abreast of emerging trends, best practices, and Uptake thought leadership materials, sharing with personal network and Uptake clients as appropriate to support business development opportunities.


• Contribute to the development of thought leadership content, case studies, publications and awards as requested to enhance Uptake’s reputation and brand.

What will Uptake provide for you?

• The opportunity to work and travel internationally, particularly in the US, and across a variety of time-zones, and to client sites throughout Europe and the UK


• You will work and collaborate with leaders in the top 20 biggest pharma companies in the world


• Our cutting edge HR policies include the flexibility of core working hours, and incredible support for your wellbeing

• Enjoy a weekly team day in the office


• Take advantage of the ability to work from an alternative location for up to two weeks of the year


• Five weeks paid holiday plus public holidays, and an extra day off for your birthday


• The opportunity to take an unpaid summer sabbatical for up to four weeks in the summer


• A hugely competitive range of benefits including private medical insurance and group income protection


• A dog-friendly office that welcomes and cares for your canine associates, bring them with you on your team day in the office

Does this sound like the sort of team you want to be part of?

If it does, please click the apply button.

We are committed to employment practices that promote diversity and inclusion in employment regardless of age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion, or belief.

Please let us know if we can make any adjustments at any stage of the application and interview process.