Portfolio Lead, Client Engagement (Med Comms)

Red Nucleus is hiring a Portfolio Lead, Client Engagement on our Medical Communications team.

Our purpose is advancing knowledge to improve lives. We succeed by being the premier provider of strategic learning and development, scientific advisory services, and medical communications solutions for the life sciences industry. Our global team is composed of nearly 1000 full-time employees whose commitment to creativity, quality, and on-time delivery is unrivaled in our space.

At Red Nucleus, we believe in providing a rich working environment that pushes us to innovate in ways that engages our employees to be their best selves. Our culture is about meaningful work, a true sense of community, and fun. We love to celebrate our people and we are proud to have been Internationally recognized as a “Great Place to Work".  

How You Will Contribute

In this position, you will be working with our Medical Communications team.  For more information about our team, please visit MedComms | Red Nucleus.

Job Overview

The Portfolio Lead, Client Engagement is responsible for leading a multi‑account client portfolio totaling approximately $8–10M in annual fee revenue, with accountability for portfolio‑level client experience, financial performance, and delivery excellence.

This role will support oversight of a multi-account client portfolio, primarily centered around Medical Affairs initiatives. While the overall mix of work may fluctuate in the future based on new business assignments and client needs, a significant portion of the portfolio is currently centered around publications work. Portfolio Leads should be comfortable operating within publications accounts as well as other Med Comms areas and partnering cross-functionally as business needs evolve.

This role serves as the Client Engagement leader for the portfolio and partners closely with the Portfolio Lead, Scientific Services to ensure alignment across client strategy, scientific leadership, resourcing, and execution. Together, the Client Engagement and Scientific Portfolio Leads co‑own the overall health, growth, and long‑term success of the portfolio, operating as strategic partners to clients and internal teams.

The Portfolio Lead operates with a high degree of autonomy and influence, establishes portfolio‑level ways of working, proactively identifies risks and opportunities, and ensures predictable, high‑quality delivery across accounts. This individual thrives in a fast‑paced, matrixed environment and is recognized by clients and colleagues as a trusted leader, sound decision‑maker, and steward of long‑term client partnerships.

Responsibilities:

Under the guidance of executive leadership, the Portfolio Lead, Client Engagement is responsible for:

Portfolio Leadership & Governance

• Leading a multi‑account portfolio with accountability for prioritization, escalation, and portfolio‑level performance.
• Establishing consistent ways of working across accounts to support predictable delivery, operational excellence, and a differentiated client experience.
• Partnering closely with the Portfolio Lead, Scientific Services to align client commitments, resourcing strategy, escalation paths, and delivery priorities.
• Collaborating with PMO, Scientific, Creative, and Capability Leads to ensure alignment and coordination across the portfolio.
• Communicating portfolio health, risks, opportunities, and performance updates to senior leadership.

Account Planning & Organic Growth

• Leading the Key Account Planning (KAP) process at the portfolio level, including forecasting, monthly tracking, and performance review.
• Driving organic growth by identifying opportunities to expand medical communications offerings in partnership with Scientific and Client Solutions Strategy leaders.
• Maintaining working knowledge of portfolio MSAs, procurement frameworks, and contractual requirements.
• Partnering with Business Development on selected new business opportunities and account expansions, as appropriate.

Client Partnership & Experience

• Building and maintaining trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders across the portfolio.
• Participating in high‑stakes client meetings, planning sessions, and escalations as needed.
• Setting expectations for best‑in‑class client experience aligned with the Global Medical Communications vision.
• Proactively addressing client‑related challenges to protect trust and delivery continuity.

Financial & Operational Leadership

• Owning portfolio‑level forecasting, revenue delivery, and financial performance.
• Partnering with Finance to review portfolio performance, identify variance drivers, and support corrective action planning.
• Supporting account‑level solutioning to improve efficiencies and overall portfolio health.
• Escalating material financial risks or deviations with clear rationale and mitigation plans.

People Leadership

• Providing leadership, coaching, and development support to Client Engagement Directors within the portfolio.
• Ensuring effective utilization, workload balancing, and resourcing alignment across accounts.
• Fostering collaboration, accountability, and professional development across Client Engagement teams.

Education and Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required (Communications, Marketing, Life Sciences, or related field preferred).
• Advanced degree a plus.

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in client services, medical communications, or related agency environments
• Demonstrated success leading complex client portfolios and senior stakeholder relationships
• Proven financial and commercial leadership experience
• Experience leading and developing senior‑level Client Engagement team members

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong understanding of the life sciences and medical communications landscape
• Advanced client leadership and executive‑level communication skills
• Portfolio‑level financial acumen and strategic planning capability
• Ability to lead through influence in a highly matrixed environment
• Strong judgment, problem‑solving, and escalation management skills
• Solutions‑oriented mindset balanced with operational rigor
• Comfort operating under ambiguity and managing competing priorities at scale

Diversity, equity and inclusion are valued at Red Nucleus and we believe we have a shared responsibility to provide equal opportunity and foster an inclusive spirit.  We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, caste, sexual orientation, gender, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

To learn more about working at Red Nucleus, please visit Careers | Red Nucleus.

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