Senior Transaction Director

Boston, MA – Finance Hybrid Work (on average 3 days/week in office)

About the role

The Business Development Operations (BDO) team is a stand-alone business unit within AstraZeneca that pursues a variety of value-enhancing business development opportunities with a clear strategic fit to our portfolio and commercial capabilities. These transactions can be alliances, strategic acquisitions to enhance our portfolio and pipeline in our main therapy areas, externalisation activity to broaden or accelerate the value in our pipeline, or divestments to streamline our focus.

You will lead all aspects of the transactional phase of transactions and, for externalisation/divestment projects, also lead the initial evaluation and external marketing phase. This role handles a wide range of projects through the entire transaction process—engaging with prospective partners, negotiating and finalising contracts, and collaborating with the Evaluation Director equivalent from Corporate Development or the Therapy Area throughout the deal process. You will work flexibly across all AstraZeneca therapy areas and lead multi-functional cross-SET area teams to progress transactions, including developing business cases and presenting them to senior management.

Responsibilities

• Establish and independently lead international, senior-level, diverse, multifunctional teams to prosecute transactions in all therapy areas, at all development phases with a primary focus on Phase 1 and beyond, as well as on-market deals in any geography.
• Interpret and synthesize data gathered from third parties, desk sources, and internal AstraZeneca knowledge, distilling facts to key aspects while balancing the needs of AstraZeneca and the counterparty in building business cases.
• Work with leadership to ensure appropriate prioritization and ranking of transactions across the business.
• Identify transaction risks and opportunities, making clear recommendations to senior management to progress or close.
• Interact at the Board level with partners, targets, investment banks, law firms, and other consultants and advisers.
• Manage relationships with potential partners during the transaction phase in a timely and professional manner.
• Ensure AstraZeneca remains competitive in third-party deal processes and is positioned as a partner of choice.
• Work with Senior Due Diligence Directors to ensure due diligence assessments focus on key risks.
• Construct and negotiate optimal deal structures in discussions with internal and external stakeholders, including working with the Evaluation Director/Team from the Term Sheet phase.
• Prepare and present deal propositions to relevant governance bodies, including the Board of Directors.
• Lead deal negotiation and closure.
• Ensure post-closure activities are fully completed.
• Develop, manage, and maintain stakeholder relationships with the Evaluation Director (when applicable) and other relevant team members, including internal accountability to devise and lead a high-quality stakeholder management strategy involving the CEO, SET, other Governance groups, Science Committee, and AZ PLC Board of Directors.
• Contribute to stakeholder updates as appropriate.
• Ensure appropriate records are maintained and decision-support documentation is uploaded.
• Ensure effective handover to the relevant Alliance-Integration Manager, including preparation of mandated handover documentation (e.g., Executive Summary).
• Ensure thorough deal learning reviews are undertaken and takeaways are shared across the BD deal-making community.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 7+ years of experience leading business development negotiations and execution of significant late-stage and on-market transactions (deal sheet required).
• Broad knowledge of the pharmaceutical business, processes, and activities.
• A flexible, team-oriented approach, willing to contribute skills to deliver AstraZeneca priority projects.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to determine relevant issues from large volumes of information.
• Numerate with financial literacy.
• Experience and effectiveness in presenting written and verbal business cases.
• Knowledge of alternative deal structures and legal principles applicable to a range of deal types.
• Strong negotiation skills and experience working in high-pressure deal environments.
• Gravitas and experience creating positive relationships with third parties as an AstraZeneca Ambassador at the Board and Executive Committee level.
• Experience leading multiple, large, international, multi-functional project teams of senior professionals.
• Structured and measured leadership, interactions, and decision-making during high-intensity external or internal deliberations.
• Interpersonal and team leadership skills, demonstrating flexibility and the capacity to handle complexity under time pressure.
• Strong judgment and decision-making skills to take responsibility for progressing and terminating transactions.

Qualifications (Desirable)

• Bachelor of Science degree.
• Advanced degree (e.g., MBA, PhD).
• Knowledge of disease areas, drug development activities, and commercial processes.

Schedule

In-person working gives us the platform 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. Flexibility is balanced with the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual needs.

Pay

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $200,799.20 to $301,198.80 USD. Eligibility for various incentives includes short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles, and commissions for sales roles.

Benefits

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