Decision Analytics Associate Consultant - Market Access

ZS is a place where passion changes lives. As a management consulting and technology firm focused on improving life and how we live it, we transform ideas into impact by bringing together data, science, technology and human ingenuity to deliver better outcomes for all. Here you'll work side-by-side with a powerful collective of thinkers and experts shaping life-changing solutions for patients, caregivers and consumers, worldwide. ZSers drive impact by bringing a client-first mentality to each and every engagement. We partner collaboratively with our clients to develop custom solutions and technology products that create value and deliver company results across critical areas of their business. Bring your curiosity for learning, bold ideas, courage and passion to drive life-changing impact to ZS.
Decision Analytics Associate Consultant - Market Access
Shape how life-changing therapies reach patients - by helping pharmaceutical companies navigate the payer and market access landscape with sharper intelligence.
ZS's Value & Access practice partners with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies to solve their most pressing market access and reimbursement challenges. Our work spans payer strategy, pricing architecture, access program design, and reimbursement research grounded in direct, rigorous primary research with the payers, PBMs, and providers who make coverage and formulary decisions every day.
As an Associate Consultant, you'll be in the room conducting in-depth interviews with managed care decision-makers, synthesizing findings into access strategies, and helping clients understand the coverage and reimbursement landscape before and after launch.
What You'll Do

• Lead research engagements to understand how reimbursement dynamics, prior authorization burdens, and step therapy requirements shape prescribing and patient access
• Synthesize payer and provider interview findings into nuanced access landscapes, identifying coverage barriers, reimbursement risks, and positioning opportunities for pharmaceutical clients
• Develop advanced analyses using quantitative data - claims, formulary databases, and pricing benchmarks - to complement and validate qualitative research findings
• Build pricing and access strategy recommendations grounded in payer intelligence, competitive dynamics, and product value narratives
• Create crisp, executive-ready deliverables that translate complex reimbursement intelligence into clear strategic guidance for brand, market access, and commercial teams
• Manage key project workstreams end-to-end, coordinating research design, recruitment, fieldwork, and analysis on deadline
• Guide and mentor junior Associates, modeling rigorous thinking and strong research craft

• Design custom analyses in software such as R, Tableau, SAS, SQL, Visual Basic and Excel to investigate and inform client needs.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's or master's degree required in any discipline with strong record of academic success in quantitative and analytic coursework such as business, economics, marketing, data science, statistics engineering, and life sciences .

• 3+ years of post-collegiate consulting experience in market access, payer strategy, or reimbursement research experience in or serving the pharmaceutical industry.
• Demonstrated experience conducting qualitative primary research with U.S. payers, PBMs, or providers. You're comfortable leading interviews and probing beyond surface-level responses
• Fluency in the U.S. payer landscape: managed care organizations, Medicare/Medicaid, formulary tiers, prior authorization, step therapy, and specialty pharmacy dynamics
• Understanding of pharmaceutical pricing strategy, including WAC, net pricing, contracting, and value-based arrangements
• Strong analytical skills - comfort working with claims data, formulary databases, or pricing benchmarks to build evidence-based recommendations
• A talent for synthesizing complex, sometimes ambiguous research findings into clear strategic narratives that resonate with commercial and access teams
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills - you build credibility quickly with senior clients and know how to keep projects on track
• Fluency in English
• Client-first mentality
• Intense work ethic
• Collaborative spirit and problem-solving approach

How you'll grow:

• Cross-functional skills development & custom learning pathways
• Milestone training programs aligned to career progression opportunities
• Internal mobility paths that empower growth via s-curves, individual contribution and role expansions

Perks & Benefits:
At ZS, your growth matters. We offer a comprehensive total rewards package that supports your health and well-being, financial future, time away, and professional development. With robust skills-building programs, multiple career progression paths, internal mobility, and a deeply collaborative culture, you'll have the opportunity to do meaningful work, expand your capabilities, and thrive as part of a global community. For details on total rewards in United States , visit ZS US office locations | Where we work | ZS .
Hybrid working model:
We are committed to giving our employees a flexible and connected way of working. A flexible and connected ZS allows us to combine work from home and on-site presence at clients/ZS offices for the majority of our week. The magic of ZS culture and innovation thrives in both planned and spontaneous face-to-face connections.
Travel:
Travel is a requirement at ZS for client facing ZSers; business needs of your project and client are the priority. While some projects may be local, all client-facing ZSers should be prepared to travel as needed. Travel provides opportunities to strengthen client relationships, gain diverse experiences, and enhance professional growth by working in different environments and cultures.
Considering applying?
At ZS, we honor the visible and invisible elements of our identities, personal experiences, and belief systems-the ones that comprise us as individuals, shape who we are, and make us unique. We believe your personal interests, identities, and desire to learn are integral to your success here. We are committed to building a team that reflects a broad variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Learn more about our inclusion and belonging efforts and the networks ZS supports to assist our ZSers in cultivating community spaces and obtaining the resources they need to thrive.
If you're eager to grow, contribute, and bring your unique self to our work, we encourage you to apply.
ZS is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment and advancement opportunities without regard to any class protected by applicable law.
To complete your application:
Candidates must possess or be able to obtain work authorization for their intended country of employment. An on-line application, including a full set of transcripts (official or unofficial), is required to be considered.
NO AGENCY CALLS, PLEASE.
Find Out More At:
www.zs.com
Salary: $120,000.00 - $137,000.00