A recent analysis highlights the challenges professionals face when their job titles do not align with their actual responsibilities and market expectations, particularly in the biopharma sector. The piece follows the experience of a Senior Director at a small biotech company who was instrumental in building her team but found herself struggling to secure a new position after her role was eliminated due to company restructuring.
Despite holding a senior title and having a strong track record, she discovered that larger companies were less interested in her title and more focused on demonstrable capabilities. The analysis notes, "The title that felt earned at a 60-person company doesn’t translate at 300-person companies. The scope behind it was meaningful but narrow: expert in her domain but disconnected from cross-functional leadership, isolated from the conversations that set direction."
It is suggested that employees often place emphasis on titles, compensation, and immediate mission without considering whether they are developing skills that are transferable to other environments. "Most people focus on title, compensation, mission. They ask whether the work feels meaningful right now. What they don’t ask is this: Am I accumulating capability that translates, or am I just getting good at being here?" the article states.
The analysis breaks down how different organizational stages shape employee development. Early-stage biotechs offer speed and range but may lack scalable systems; scaling companies foster integrative judgment but can limit exposure to high-level decisions; established pharmaceutical firms provide rigor and systems thinking but may stifle autonomy.
Professionals are encouraged to regularly assess whether their current roles are helping them build capabilities valued by the broader market. The article advises those currently employed to ask themselves:
"Can I build cross-functional credibility here, or am I stuck in my lane?
Am I still learning things that would matter at a different company, or just learning how to navigate this one?
If I described my scope to someone outside this company, would it match my title?"
For job seekers facing difficulties landing new positions, the recommendation is to focus on demonstrating capabilities rather than defending previous titles during interviews: "Instead of 'I was Senior Director of Discovery,' say 'I built a Discovery team from 3 to 15 people and took two programs from target identification through IND-enabling studies. I know how to get results with limited resources.'"
Ultimately, the piece concludes with guidance for both current employees and job seekers: "If this job ended tomorrow, would the scope I’m building match the title I’m carrying? And would someone else pay for both?" It emphasizes prioritizing career development over short-term job optimization.
