Forecasting Consultant

This role is for one of Weekday’s clients

• Min Experience: 3+ years
• Location: Bengaluru
• JobType: full-time

We are seeking an experienced Forecasting Consultant to lead pharmaceutical forecasting activities across multiple international business units (IBUs), markets, and therapeutic areas. The role involves managing forecasting projects from model development through final delivery, ensuring analytical accuracy, consistency, and alignment with business planning requirements.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on expertise in patient-based and demand-based forecasting models, pharmaceutical market dynamics, and forecast accuracy measurement. You will work closely with affiliate and global stakeholders across Europe, Asia, and the US, translating complex business requirements into robust forecasting approaches and actionable insights.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

1. Forecasting Delivery & Analysis

• Oversee forecasting assignments across multiple markets and disease areas, covering short-term and long-term demand forecasts for existing products and new launches.
• Develop and review patient-based models covering disease prevalence, patient flow, and disease progression, along with demand-based forecasting models.
• Conduct scenario planning, sensitivity analysis, assumption updates, and forecast accuracy assessments.
• Develop forecasting methodologies to address complex business and planning requirements.
• Translate stakeholder requirements into structured workplans and allocate tasks based on team capabilities, priorities, and capacity.
• Review forecast models, assumptions, outputs, dashboards, and presentations to ensure analytical rigour, consistency, and clarity.
• Analyse commercial performance, patient dynamics, market developments, epidemiological inputs, payer dynamics, and competitive trends across EU, Asian, and US markets.
• Ensure forecasting deliverables align with brand planning, Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), and Long-Range Planning (LRP) cycles.

2. Stakeholder Management & Collaboration

• Act as the primary point of contact for assigned affiliates across Europe, Asia, and the US, as well as global IBU stakeholders.
• Understand and clarify forecasting requirements, establish delivery commitments, communicate risks, and manage stakeholder expectations.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure timely and accurate delivery of forecasting projects.
• Establish consistent working practices for request intake, version control, assumption documentation, forecast scheduling, and quality reviews across geographies and time zones.
• Communicate complex forecasting insights and recommendations effectively to affiliate and global stakeholders.

3. Process Improvement & Operational Excellence

• Lead initiatives to automate recurring forecasting activities and improve operational efficiency.
• Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI (GenAI) tools to accelerate assumption research, forecast deviation analysis, narrative development, and model documentation.
• Review and optimise existing forecasting reports and models, identifying opportunities for standardisation, automation, and process improvement.
• Continuously enhance forecasting methodologies and deliverables in line with evolving business priorities.

Required Skills & Experience

• 3–5 years of progressively responsible experience in pharmaceutical forecasting, including initial exposure to people management or project leadership.
• Hands-on experience developing and managing patient-based models, including prevalence and disease-progression models, as well as demand-based forecasting models.
• Experience in short-term and long-term forecasting for existing products and new launches.
• Strong understanding of scenario planning, assumption management, launch forecasting, and forecast accuracy measurement.
• Experience working across multiple geographies and therapeutic areas, with mandatory experience supporting European markets, such as EU4, the UK, the Nordics, or other European affiliates.
• Exposure to Asian and US markets is a strong advantage.
• In-depth knowledge of pharmaceutical forecasting methodologies, demand drivers, patient flow approaches, and market dynamics outside the US.
• Familiarity with pharmaceutical data sources, including IQVIA MIDAS, local audit data, prescription and claims data, and epidemiological sources for non-US markets.
• Working knowledge of statistical and machine learning forecasting techniques, including regression methods and patient-based modelling.
• Ability to guide methodology selection, review model outputs, and identify technical risks across forecasting projects.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.

Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Statistics, Economics, or a related quantitative discipline is required.
• Master's degree or MBA in Analytics, Economics, Data Science, Business, or a related quantitative field is strongly preferred.
• Relevant certifications in forecasting, analytics, cloud platforms, or statistical methods will be an added advantage.

Must-Have Skills

• Pharmaceutical Forecasting
• Patient-Based Modelling
• Demand-Based Modelling

Good-to-Have Skills

• Forecasting Methods
• Demand Drivers
• Patient Flow Approaches
• Statistical and Machine Learning Forecasting Techniques
• AI and Generative AI Applications