Regional Operations Director, Cell Therapy, Patient Operations - Northwest

About the role

In AstraZeneca's Cell Therapy division, we follow the science to explore and innovate, working toward treating, preventing, modifying, and even curing some of the world's most complex diseases. We are committed to growing our pipeline and positively impacting patients worldwide by fusing data and technology with the latest scientific innovations.

This role is part of the Oncology R&D team supporting Clinical and Commercial production across multiple sites. The Regional Operations Director (ROD) leads and manages the Associate Directors – Territory Operations Management (AD‑TOM) assigned to their region, overseeing the expansion of AZ cell therapy territories to ensure alignment with company‑wide goals across multiple therapeutic areas for clinical and commercial cell therapy products. The ROD is responsible for team performance and development, requires cell therapy operational and quality leadership, and must oversee a large portfolio across a dynamic landscape. The position is remote, reporting to the Senior Director, Cell Therapy Global Field Patient Operations, with a preference for the ROD to be located in the Northwest US region.

Responsibilities

• Provide subject matter expertise (SME) in operational, clinical, and site infrastructure for operationalizing AstraZeneca (AZ) cell therapy trials and commercial products; build a team and lead regional cross‑functional activities with internal partners.
• Lead a team of AD‑TOMs assigned to territories within the region.
• Develop and implement regional operational plans; collaborate across therapeutic areas (TAs) to set targets and activation forecasts.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key partners (MD, PA, RN, MLT, CQA, etc.) from sites responsible for establishing the service line to support AZ's clinical and commercial cell therapy goals.
• Contribute to SOPs and guidance documents to provide a standardized approach to operationalize cell therapy studies and commercial products, ensuring quality parameters are met at sites.
• Foster relationships with HCPs and partnerships within the assigned region.
• Provide leadership and mentorship to team members, promoting their professional development.
• Lead business change management and conduct process maturity assessments for site activation and post‑activation.
• Analyze regional market and site dynamics; identify opportunities, roadblocks, and solutions across therapeutic areas (hematology, solid tumors, rare disease, biopharma).
• Work across TAs with Clinical Ops, SMM, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Medical, IT leadership, and others to support operationalizing and getting sites ready for AZ cell therapy products.
• Manage and contribute to continuous improvements and development of solutions to deliver enhanced patient care experience during site activation, post‑activation, and throughout the lifecycle of cell therapy products.
• Present patient operational reports and regional plans to senior management.
• Maintain current knowledge of and follow established AZ activation goals, processes, regulatory standards, compliance, and procedures.
• Follow AstraZeneca's core values, policies, and procedures.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Business, IT, Life Sciences, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of experience working within a Cell Therapy Program as an Operational Champion/Other, in a healthcare/pharmaceutical environment, directly working with patients and/or healthcare providers.
• Minimum 5 years of experience working in a Cell Therapy leadership role.
• Develop and execute operational strategies in cell therapy.
• Change management and ability to resolve complex problems promptly.
• Flexibility in schedule to provide support outside regular business hours for emergent patient cases.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 50%.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated understanding of the healthcare customer environment and hospital regulations.
• Experience working in a matrix organization with complex IT systems or portals that support customer service, health‑care scheduling, supply chain management, and call centers.
• Familiarity with working in a heavily regulated, quality‑control environment (e.g., following strict SOPs when available and extrapolating fundamental principles to situations not defined).

Benefits

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

Pay

The annual base pay (or hourly rate of compensation) for this position ranges from $171,622 to $257,433. The role is eligible for short‑term incentive bonuses, equity‑based awards for salaried roles, and commissions for sales roles.