Salesforce Engagement Leader (Healthcare/Pharma)

About Persistent:

We are an AI-led, platform-driven Digital Engineering and Enterprise Modernization partner, combining deep technical expertise and industry experience to help our clients anticipate what’s next. Our offerings and proven solutions create a unique competitive advantage for our clients by giving them the power to see beyond and rise above. We work with many industry-leading organizations across the world, including 20 Fortune 50 companies and 4 of the 5 top banks in both the US and India, and numerous innovators across the healthcare ecosystem

Our disruptor’s mindset, commitment to client success, and agility to thrive in the dynamic environment have enabled us to sustain our growth momentum. Persistent has been recognized across top industry platforms for innovation, leadership, and inclusion. We have delivered 24 sequential quarters of growth with $436.5M in Q4 FY26 revenue, up 17.4% Y-o-Y growth. Our 26,500+ global team members, located in 18 countries, have been instrumental in helping the market leaders transform their industries. We won th ce and were named 25.

Role: Salesforce Engagement Leader (Healthcare/Pharma)

Location: Chicago, IL (preferably around Mettawa)

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Engagement Director to lead strategic client relationships, executive stakeholder management, and large-scale digital transformation engagements. The ideal candidate will be based in the Chicago area and bring deep experience managing enterprise accounts within the Healthcare and/or Life Sciences/Pharmaceutical industry , along with a proven track record of successfully delivering and growing large Salesforce programs .

This role requires a strong blend of executive presence, business consulting, delivery oversight, financial accountability, and growth orientation. The Engagement Director will serve as the trusted advisor to client executives while ensuring successful execution of complex, multi-million-dollar engagements.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Stakeholder Management

• Develop and maintain trusted relationships with C-level executives, business leaders, and technology stakeholders.
• Act as the primary executive point of contact for strategic client engagements.
• Facilitate governance forums, steering committee meetings, executive business reviews, and strategic planning sessions.
• Influence customer decision-making through consultative engagement and thought leadership.
• Manage stakeholder expectations, communication plans, and client satisfaction initiatives.

Engagement Leadership

• Provide overall accountability for the successful delivery of complex transformation programs and managed service engagements.
• Lead cross-functional teams consisting of delivery, consulting, Salesforce, data, cloud, and product specialists.
• Drive program governance, risk management, issue resolution, and escalation management.
• Ensure alignment between client business objectives and delivery outcomes.
• Monitor engagement health, delivery metrics, milestones, and customer success measures.

Salesforce Program Leadership

• Lead large-scale Salesforce implementations, transformations, and managed services engagements.
• Guide solution strategy across Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Experience Cloud, Health Cloud, and related Salesforce ecosystems.
• Collaborate with Salesforce alliance teams and client stakeholders to maximize business value realization.
• Ensure adoption of best practices, delivery excellence, and platform optimization.

Healthcare & Life Sciences Advisory

• Understand healthcare and pharmaceutical business processes, regulatory considerations, and industry trends.
• Support clients in areas such as patient engagement, customer engagement, commercial operations, medical affairs, market access, and digital innovation.
• Translate industry challenges into business and technology transformation opportunities.

Financial & Commercial Management

• Own engagement P&L, pricing, margin performance, forecasting, and revenue attainment.
• Drive account growth through identification of expansion opportunities and strategic initiatives.
• Partner with sales teams to develop proposals, statements of work, and account growth strategies.
• Support contract negotiations and renewals.

Team Leadership

• Mentor engagement managers, program managers, and delivery leaders.
• Foster a culture of accountability, customer centricity, and operational excellence.
• Drive resource planning, talent development, and succession planning within the engagement organization.

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in IT consulting, digital transformation, or professional services.
• 5+ years in an Engagement Director, Client Partner, Account Director, Program Director, or similar leadership role.
• Demonstrated success managing enterprise client relationships and executive stakeholders.
• Experience leading engagements with annual revenues exceeding $5M+.
• Strong governance, program management, and executive communication skills.
• Experience managing global and distributed delivery teams.
• Willingness to work from the Chicago office a minimum of three days per week.

Preferred Qualifications

Healthcare / Pharmaceutical Experience

One or more of the following:

• Healthcare payer or provider experience.
• Pharmaceutical or Life Sciences industry experience.
• Experience supporting commercial, patient, clinical, or regulatory initiatives.
• Knowledge of healthcare compliance and regulatory environments.

Salesforce Experience

One or more of the following:

• Leadership of large Salesforce transformation programs.
• Experience with Health Cloud, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, or Experience Cloud.
• Salesforce consulting partner background.
• Salesforce certifications or experience leading certified Salesforce teams.

Critical Success Competencies

• Executive Presence
• Strategic Stakeholder Management
• Client Relationship Management
• Business Development & Account Growth
• Program Governance
• Salesforce Transformation Leadership
• Healthcare / Pharma Domain Expertise
• Financial Acumen (P&L Ownership)
• Negotiation & Influencing Skills
• Risk & Escalation Management
• Team Leadership & Mentoring
• Outcome-Based Delivery Mindset

What Success Looks Like

Within the first 12 months, the Engagement Director will:

• Establish trusted advisor relationships with key client executives.
• Maintain high client satisfaction and engagement health scores.
• Drive growth across assigned accounts through strategic expansion initiatives.
• Ensure successful delivery of large-scale Salesforce and digital transformation programs.
• Achieve revenue, margin, and operational performance targets.
• Build a strong governance and stakeholder management framework that improves business outcomes and customer confidence.