In Japan’s stagnant economy, very few sectors are doing well. These rare healthy sectors are characterized by some unique market factor that has created an unbalance and thus a business opportunity. One such sector is healthcare, where technological breakthroughs are occurring in pharmaceuticals, genomics, and medical technology. Healthcare needs increase as one ages, and Japan is fast becoming the “aging society” test market for the world with its ever-increasing demand for healthcare-related products and services. All parts of the pharma-medical industry are seeing aggressive market positioning by foreign companies seeking to gain market share and profit from this opportunity.

Not long ago, if you wanted to get into the pharma-medical industry you had to take the career path approach and join as a raw freshman and work your way up as a Medical Representative (MR) doing cold call sales. If you were lucky, you got to do something interesting after 5 or 10 years. Well, now there’s a chance to get in and do the interesting stuff right away. This chance is available via a global healthcare research company called ISIS Research.

ISIS Research is a leading international market research and consulting firm specializing in the healthcare industry. The company is headquartered in London, and has offices throughout Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The company has been growing at 25-30% per year compounded over the past several years, and as a result of this rapid growth it now has job openings at its Tokyo office.

The positions being offered are three market researcher/analyst positions for Japanese nationals with good English skills, and one position for a native speaker of English with fluent Japanese skills. These positions would be suitable for anyone interested in biotechnology, data interpretation, research, or even someone who is simply interested in finding out what is going on in the healthcare industry. What makes this opportunity so exciting is that not only will you be working with some of the smartest people at the world’s leading healthcare companies, but you will also be pioneering relationships in a medical system that is begging for change.

As interesting as ISIS is, what really sets the company apart in Japan is its talented CEO, Bill Hall. Bill is a well-known, long-term resident of Tokyo. He has filled many illustrious positions during his 30 years in the Japanese business scene, including serving as President of Sterling-Winthrop, a major pharmaceutical company, and as President of Kodak Imagex in Japan. Bill is famous for being someone who gets the job done at the highest professional level. While he demands the best from his people, his clients love him and he has the pick of projects to choose from. THIS is a guy you can really learn the business from.

ISIS’s main business is the provision of ad hoc and syndicated research and consulting services to major companies involved in the healthcare field. Reports are based on primary data drawn from interviews with physicians, nurses, technicians, patients, hospital purchasing agents, medical wholesalers, and respondents in associated fields.

To get the job, you need to have an undergraduate degree in science, biology, or a related subject, and preferably a Masters or PhD from an overseas institution. ISIS is looking for the best people because the customers themselves set very high standards. This is because they have to – it takes around a billion dollars of investment to bring a single new drug to market, and usually over a time span of 5 or more years.

The competitive salaries make ISIS an interesting option, but I think the icing on the cake is that the whole team is so professional. This is a complex business and fully-developed research experts in the field are scarce. Accordingly, Isis offers extensive training to new employees. Each year, the head office in the UK recruits from elite universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, and offers an intensive training program in the field. Japanese candidates will get to meet their foreign colleagues because the first two months of employment will be spent in the company’s UK training facility. There, new employees will learn about clients, research techniques, and clients’ latest products and services. This initial two-month stint is a good indication of the commitment the company makes to its staff – it is dedicated to keeping you up-to-date and competitive.

If you’re interested in entering the fast-growing healthcare industry, sign up at www.workinjapan.com, and send us your resume and availability for a phone and personal interview. Lastly, to research the company’s own web page, go to www.isisresearch.com.