[Hiring] Senior Director - Corporate Strategy & Development @Cencora

Role Description

The best consultants don't just solve problems — they find them. They see around corners, synthesize complexity into clarity, and know that the most valuable insight is the one nobody else has asked for yet. If that's how you think, this role was built for you.

Cencora — a Fortune 10, globally integrated pharmaceutical and healthcare solutions organization — is looking for a Senior Director, Corporate Strategy & Market Development to help define what the company becomes next. This is not a role where strategy gets handed down from above. This is where strategy gets made.

Reporting directly to the Vice President, Corporate Strategy, you will operate at the highest levels of the enterprise — partnering with C-suite and senior leaders to shape long-term direction, evaluate transformative growth opportunities, and turn market intelligence into decisive action.

For a consultant ready to move from advising from the outside to owning outcomes from the inside, this is a rare and compelling next step.

What You’ll Do:

• Shape Enterprise Strategy
  • Partner with senior leadership to define and continuously sharpen corporate strategy and long-term priorities.
  • Lead strategic planning cycles that connect enterprise goals with market realities and emerging industry shifts.
  • Drive development of initiatives that build durable competitive advantage.
• Identify and Unlock Growth Opportunities
  • Lead evaluation of new business opportunities, strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and divestitures.
  • Own development of rigorous, compelling business cases — assessing strategic fit, financial viability, and execution risk.
  • Advise senior leadership on investment prioritization, ensuring capital and focus align with long-term direction.
• Deliver Market and Competitive Intelligence
  • Conduct deep market research and synthesize competitive, customer, and industry signals.
  • Translate complex, ambiguous data into clear, actionable recommendations for executive audiences.
  • Anticipate disruption before it arrives and help position the organization to respond decisively.
• Lead Cross-Functional Strategic Initiatives
  • Drive high-priority initiatives from concept through execution, partnering across business units and functions.
  • Establish governance structures, KPIs, and accountability frameworks that keep initiatives on track.
  • Serve as a connector — aligning stakeholders, resolving tensions, and maintaining momentum.
• Champion Innovation and Transformation
  • Bring fresh thinking and new frameworks to complex, ambiguous business challenges.
  • Support change management efforts that enable strategic initiatives to land and scale.
  • Help build an organizational culture that prizes curiosity, agility, and continuous improvement.
• Influence and Build Strategic Relationships
  • Cultivate relationships with senior internal leaders, external partners, and industry stakeholders.
  • Act as a trusted advisor — connecting priorities, people, and ideas to drive alignment and results.
  • Communicate with credibility and conviction in front of executive and board-level audiences.
• Manage Strategic Investments
  • Oversee budgets and resource planning for strategic projects.
  • Ensure investments deliver measurable financial and strategic outcomes with clear accountability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, or a related field required; MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in corporate strategy, corporate development, market development, or a related field.
• Prior experience in management consulting, investment banking, or corporate development.
• Exceptional analytical and strategic thinking skills.
• Proven success leading cross-functional initiatives and advising senior leaders in complex, matrixed organizations.
• Executive-level communication skills — written, verbal, and everything in between.
• Ability to zoom out to the enterprise view and zoom in to drive execution.
• Healthcare or pharmaceutical industry experience is a plus, not a prerequisite.
• Willingness to travel up to 30%.

Benefits

• Comprehensive suite of benefits focusing on physical, emotional, financial, and social wellness.
• Support for working families, including backup dependent care, adoption assistance, and infertility coverage.
• Behavioral health solutions, paid parental leave, and paid caregiver leave.
• Variety of training programs, professional development resources, and mentorship opportunities.

Company Description

Cencora is committed to providing equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or membership in any other class protected by federal, state or local law.

The company’s continued success depends on the full and effective utilization of qualified individuals. Therefore, harassment is prohibited and all matters related to recruiting, training, compensation, benefits, promotions and transfers comply with equal opportunity principles and are non-discriminatory.