Cell Therapy Strategy and Commercial Executive Director

A high-impact leadership role within the AstraZeneca Cell Therapy Enterprise, accountable for shaping and driving the end-to-end strategy for a defined indication or disease area in cell therapy. You will lead global commercial and strategic initiatives, partnering with Therapeutic Areas on clinical strategy, collaborating with in-market commercial and medical affairs on launch readiness, and aligning with global pricing and brand teams.

About the role

This position is a key architect of AstraZeneca’s Cell Therapy strategy, reporting to the VP of Cell Therapy Strategy and Commercial. You will work cross-functionally with senior leaders to define early asset, disease, and portfolio strategies through PH3IDs, and lead cross-functional execution.

Responsibilities

• Deliver end-to-end strategy, including:
  • Prioritization of current and future unmet needs
  • Indication-level strategic vision for both near-term and long-term
  • Integrated clinical strategy across all cell therapy platforms within the same indication
  • Collaboration with global Clinical and ClinOps to develop a comprehensive development strategy
  • Competitive early pipeline, long-term portfolio, and life cycle management
  • Above-asset initiatives (e.g., Translational Medicine, Precision Medicine, Data Sciences)
• Own insights generation for R&D and commercial activities
• Oversee and guide development of industry-leading competitive intelligence, customer insight, market intelligence, and analytics to frame business problems and opportunities
• Shape future-proofed strategies and deliver sustainably differentiated brands, early assets, business development opportunities, and TA strategies
• Ensure robustness and transparency of forecasts for PH3IDs
• Bring an intelligence-driven perspective to strategic recommendations by synthesizing insights from diverse sources and publicly available information at the brand and Therapeutic Area level
• Create and curate an evidence bank from real-world data sources to support PH3ID forecasts
• Build referral capabilities between specific disease areas and Cell Therapy delivery centers
• Partner closely with Cell Therapy, Global Commercial, in-market commercial, and medical affairs teams to ensure execution of global strategy
• Lead and collaborate with cross-functional teams (e.g., GPTs, Clinical Development, Discovery, BD, Lifecycle and Pipeline, Competitive Intelligence) to develop disease area strategy content
• Provide strategic counseling to Global Clinical Strategy Head (GCSH), Global Commercial and Medical Affairs leadership, and other senior leaders

Requirements

• BA/BS and 10+ years of experience in life sciences or consulting firm with focus in life science programs, or
• MS/MBA and 8+ years of experience in life sciences or consulting firm with focus in life science programs, or
• PhD or MD and 5+ years of experience in life sciences or consulting firm with focus in life science programs
• Ability to interact and communicate effectively with senior executive teams
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence experienced professionals
• Critical and creative thinking with strong problem-solving skills
• Ability to navigate and succeed in a fast-paced, highly matrixed work environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong analytical and communication skills
• Strong business acumen and strategic thinking skills, preferably in a pharma-related environment
• Effective interpersonal and relationship management skills with a consultative approach
• Operational effectiveness, highly organized with strong follow-through
• Strong initiative to understand core business goals and establish processes or programs to drive alignment
• Financial background and understanding of forecasts, budgets, and financial tools
• Resourceful, motivated, influential, and proactive with ability to prioritize in a fast-growing organization
• Experience in strategic planning processes and tools
• Scientific background and understanding of the pharmaceutical business (including R&D)
• Experience translating business needs into coordinated plans with cross-functional senior leadership
• Ability to develop creative and simple solutions to complex problems

Schedule

In-office working requirements: a minimum of three days per week from the office to foster collaboration and innovation. This role offers flexibility in location.

Pay

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $267,914 to $401,870. Eligibility for various incentives, including short-term bonuses, equity-based awards, and commissions (for sales roles), is available.

Benefits

• Qualified retirement programs
• Paid time off (vacation, holiday, and leaves)
• Health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with applicable plans

Location options: Gaithersburg, MD; Boston, MA; South San Francisco, CA; New York, NY.