Senior Director, External Science Engagement & Strategy - Cell Therapy

About the Company

Responsibilities

• ● Scientific Panels, Cell Therapy Science Committees, academic collaborations, Investigator-Initiated Trials, strategic-site partnerships, and priority medical congresses. Your work will help translate emerging science and external insight into stronger study designs, evidence-generation plans, operational improvements, and portfolio decisions.
• ● Accountabilities
• ● External Scientific Expert Panels and Academic Partnerships
• ● Contribute to an integrated external scientific engagement and partnership strategy aligned with Cell Therapy Enterprise R&D priorities across hematology, autoimmune diseases, rare diseases, and neurology.
• ● Design and lead External Scientific Panels (ESPs), Cell Therapy Science Committees, advisory engagements, and other scientific forums that address clearly defined program- and portfolio-level questions.
• ● Identify, cultivate, and manage strategic relationships with Key External Experts, academic institutions, professional societies, investigators, and leading cell therapy centers.
• ● Partner with Clinical Development and cross-functional teams to define engagement objectives, identify appropriate experts, and develop scientific agendas, briefing materials, and follow-up plans.
• ● Leverage external expertise to inform development strategy, study design, patient populations, clinical endpoints, safety management, evidence generation, and the operational delivery of early- and late-stage cell therapy programs.
• ● Establish a coordinated approach to expert engagement across the portfolio that reduces duplication, strengthens continuity, and maximizes the strategic value of each interaction.
• ● Serve as the primary AstraZeneca point of contact for select external experts and strategic partners, establishing clear governance, facilitating issue resolution, and supporting effective collaboration.
• ● Establish measurable objectives for external engagements and partnerships and track their influence on strategic decisions, clinical development plans, and trial delivery.
• ● Facilitate clear communication and information sharing across Cell Therapy Enterprise programs.
• ● External Science Engagement and Congress Strategy
• ● Lead the strategic planning, execution, and follow-up of priority medical congresses and external scientific engagements relevant to the Cell Therapy Enterprise portfolio.
• ● Develop integrated, portfolio-level strategies for Tier 1 and Tier 2 congresses, including ASH, ACR Convergence, ASCO, EHA, ESMO, AANEM, ASTCT, and other strategically important scientific forums.
• ● Define priority stakeholders, scientific objectives, engagement plans, key activities, governance, and expected outcomes for each congress or external forum.
• ● Serve as the Cell Therapy Enterprise lead for priority congresses, partnering across R&D, Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, and global functions to deliver a coordinated and impactful AstraZeneca scientific presence.
• ● Lead cross-functional congress planning forums and oversee congress playbooks, briefing materials, leadership communications, stakeholder meeting plans, and execution resources.
• ● Coordinate the deployment of AstraZeneca subject-matter experts and scientific capabilities to advance scientific dialogue and capture competitive, clinical, and emerging scientific insights.
• ● Identify opportunities to improve coordination, reduce duplication, and increase the scientific and strategic value of external engagements.

Requirements

• ● BS, MS, PhD, or advanced degree in Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences, or a related scientific field with a minimum of 15 years experience
• ● Demonstrated ability to synthesize external scientific, clinical, competitive, and market insights into actionable recommendations that inform R&D, portfolio, and program decisions.
• ● Strong understanding of scientific engagement, strategic partnerships, external stakeholder management, or evidence-generation strategy.
• ● Strong organizational, project management, and business-planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and complex timelines.
• ● Ability to solve problems, make sound decisions, and navigate organizational complexity within a highly matrixed environment.
• ● Strong cross-functional leadership, strategic influencing, and relationship-management skills.
• ● Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and executive communication skills.
• ● Ability to communicate complex scientific information clearly to scientific, clinical, operational, and senior leadership audiences.
• ● Proficiency in English and strong working knowledge of Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.
• ● Willingness and ability to travel as needed to support medical congresses, site visits, scientific forums, and external partner engagements.
• ● Advanced degree, such as a PharmD, PhD, MD, NP, PA, or equivalent qualification.
• ● Working knowledge of FDA requirements, industry standards, and integrated evidence planning.
• ● Familiarity with digital engagement, virtual platforms, and omnichannel scientific communication.
• ● Familiarity with Externally Sponsored Research or Externally Sponsored Collaborative Research governance and Investigator-Initiated Trial review, contracting, and execution processes.
• ● Why AstraZeneca
• ● Here, courage, curiosity, and collaboration fuel a relentless focus on transforming cancer outcomes, powered by a pipeline that fuses cutting-edge science with advanced technology. You will work in an environment where unexpected teams come together to spark bold ideas, backed by meaningful investment and a clear path from discovery to impact. We value kindness alongside ambition, and we empower leaders at every level to ask sharp questions, take smart risks, and turn data into decisions that help patients sooner.
• ● Compensation & Benefits
• ● The annual base pay for this position ranges from 233,586.40 - 350,379.60. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives-an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.
• ● When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility.
• ● Join us in our unique and ambitious world.