Define the commercial leadership mandate.
For pharma and biotech companies preparing a U.S. launch, start with the decisions each leader will own and the responsibilities already covered. Use Phase III readout, NDA/BLA submission, PDUFA date and launch to open that conversation; search scope and sequencing adapt to the mandate and existing team capacity.
These titles describe the recruiting scope ACS can discuss. They are not current openings or claims of completed placements.
Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).
A proposed CCO mandate can bring commercial strategy, functional priorities and leadership accountability together before launch. Define which decisions the role owns and how it connects with the existing executive team.
SVP / VP Commercial.
An SVP or VP Commercial brief can translate the commercial mandate into functional responsibilities, reporting lines and launch preparation. Clarify its relationship with the CCO and other leaders so the remit has clear boundaries.
VP Market Access.
A proposed VP Market Access remit can connect payer strategy, pricing, contracting, trade and patient access responsibilities to the commercial plan. Define the access leadership mandate around the payer environment and distribution model.
Explore Market Access recruiting for the related function.
VP Marketing (Brand/Franchise).
A VP Marketing brief can define ownership of brand or franchise strategy, commercial planning and coordination with access and sales leaders. Calibrate the remit against the product, payer and channel experience the role requires.
VP Sales.
A proposed VP Sales remit can define sales strategy, field leadership responsibilities and the structure of the sales organization. Set reporting lines and decision rights before translating the mandate into further sales-team searches.
VP Commercial Analytics.
A VP Commercial Analytics brief can define ownership of commercial analysis, planning inputs and the information leaders need to make decisions. Clarify how the role works with commercial operations, access, marketing and sales.
Connect the appointment to the wider team.
Use the commercial launch team role map to discuss how a leadership appointment connects with access, sales, field leaders and marketing. For broader functional scope, explore commercial pharma and biotech recruiting.
Executive search focuses on a critical appointment. Fractional recruiting adds capacity around active hiring work. Start with the mandate and internal resources to determine the support to discuss.
The commercial search process.
Clarify the role
Shape responsibilities, experience, and timing around the launch.
Focus the search
Source and screen against a clear commercial brief.
Evaluate fit
Assess leaders against the commercial mandate.
Commercial leadership search questions.
Which commercial leadership roles can we discuss?
ACS can discuss CCO, SVP/VP Commercial, VP Market Access, VP Marketing (Brand/Franchise), VP Sales and VP Commercial Analytics searches for pharma and biotech teams.
When should we start the leadership search conversation?
Start by discussing the leadership mandate and responsibilities already covered. The right search scope and sequence depend on existing team capacity and the work ahead.
Does every launch need these roles in this order?
No. These are role conversations, not a required organization chart or fixed hiring timetable. Some responsibilities may already have an owner; others may need a different scope before a search begins.
How does a Market Access leadership search fit?
Start with ownership of access, pricing, contracting, trade and patient access responsibilities. Calibrate the VP Market Access brief against the commercial mandate, payer environment and distribution model.
Can fractional recruiting support the leadership build?
Executive search focuses on a critical appointment. Fractional recruiting can add sourcing, screening and coordination around active roles when internal recruiting capacity needs support. Discuss the model around the mandate and hiring work ahead.