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Medical Director, Senior Safety Physician

Posted date Mar. 27, 2026
Contract type Full time
Job ID R-248942
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Why choose AstraZeneca Spain?

AstraZeneca Spain is a rising force in our global business. With headquarters in Madrid and our global hub in Barcelona, we’ve become an important international centre of excellence in the fight against critical disease. Boasting vibrant universities and business schools, the Barcelona ecosystem is a place where scientists can thrive. We attract a diverse workforce from across the globe, shining a beacon for innovation in a country that’s committed to clinical development.

We invite you to bring your talents to Barcelona where our respiratory medicine R&D and Global Marketing centre offers opportunities in R&D, IT, Commercial and HR. Or join us in Madrid and shape our growth in our BUs (Respiratory, Oncology & CVRM ), and a range of Corporate functions. Additionally, you can find sales roles throughout the country. Together, we’re contributing to a world-leading pipeline of therapeutics and delivering life-changing medicines to patients.

Who do we look for?

Calling all tech innovators, ownership takers, challenge seekers and proactive collaborators. At AstraZeneca Spain, breakthroughs born in the lab become transformative medicine for the world's most complex diseases. Alongside technical expertise, colleagues have the resilience, energy and collaborative mindset to change lanes, work with different teams and start projects from scratch.

Here, diverse minds and bold disruptors can meaningfully impact the future of healthcare using cutting-edge technology. Whether you join us in Madrid or Barcelona, you can make a tangible impact within a global biopharmaceutical company that invests in your future. Join a talented global team that's powering AstraZeneca to better serve patients every day.

Success Profile

Ready to make an impact in your career? If you're passionate, growth-orientated and a true team player, we'll help you succeed. Here are some of the skills and capabilities we look for.

Diverse collaborators

This is a speak-up culture that values collaboration. You’ll proactively bring your unique perspectives, experiences and skills to the table and seek the same from others. With our international team composition and the need for fast-paced collaboration, you’ll always be building new connections with colleagues.

Cutting-edge innovators

When you join us, you’ll be part of a team that embraces digital technology and data to transform the way we work and the work we do. Every day, you’ll help make history, empowered to ignite your creativity and build something enduring.

Resilient trailblazers

Here, the answers aren’t always available. So, you’ll need to bring a fearless, self-starter mindset to navigate uncharted territories. You’ll harness your ceaseless energy to discover and make the necessary connections with colleagues to shape the future and achieve maximum impact.

Agile movers

Seize ownership and excel with autonomy to enjoy the constant rush of ground-breaking discovery. Your ability to anticipate sudden shifts and adapt swiftly will prove critical as you make your mark in an environment that rewards initiative and resilience.

Responsibilities

Job ID R-248942 Date posted 03/27/2026

As a Medical Director, Senior Patient Safety Physician, you are a senior leader within Patient Safety and play a key role bringing deep clinical understanding and judgement in benefit risk assessments for AstraZeneca products. You also have a role in shaping the culture of the department; and will act as a coach and mentor to more junior Patient Safety staff. You will also ensure projects adhere to Good Clinical and Pharmacovigilance Practice and regulatory requirements. We encourage you to closely follow medical developments within assigned areas to incorporate emerging data and trends into the safety strategy

Main Responsibilities:

  • Providing strategic Patient Safety input to drug development and post-marketing programs

  • Collaboration with team members to undertake safety surveillance activities and prepare high quality evaluation documents to describe safety findings.

  • Ensuring expert input to all elements of design and interpretation, including efficient use of tools and methodology (e.g. modelling and simulation).

  • Providing leadership to support project discussions with governance boards, including interactions with Patient Safety Peer Review Committee.

  • Lead the safety strategy for regulatory communication and provide oversight of higher-level documents to support submission activities.

  • Lead medico-scientific contributions to RMPs for assigned products and to Periodic Reports, including PBRERs, DSURs.

  • More broadly you are expected to participate in advisory discussions to support other Patient Safety teams in the development of their safety strategy and may be asked to represent Patient Safety in cross-functional discussions with internal and external partners.

Minimum Requirements:

  • BS degree in medicine and experience as a physician or academic clinician

  • 7+ years of proven experience

  • Extensive experience in Pharmacovigilance, with clear evidence of delivering to a high standard

  • Detailed understanding of pharmaceutical safety, reporting and surveillance processes and strong experience of Patient Safety, as it relates to clinical trials and marketed products in any relevant field such as pharma, Regulatory Agency or Public Health agency

  • Experience in designing, supervising and implementing clinical trials and interpreting trial results

  • Strategic leadership of complex drug projects

  • Understanding of the medico-legal aspects of pharmacovigilance

  • Proven leader of cross-functional delivery teams.

  • Demonstrated ability to influence key business partners within and outside of company

  • Proficiency with both written and verbal communications

Preferred

  • PhD in scientific field

  • 5+ years of proven experience

  • Therapeutic area expertise and commercial understanding

  • Extensive general medical knowledge

  • Able to work across TAs and Functions

  • Research background, including peer reviewed publications

Date Posted

27-Mar-2026

Closing Date

30-May-2026

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity.  We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills.  We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.  We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics.  We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.

Reasons to Join

Thomas Mathisen

There are many things I enjoy when working at AstraZeneca, mainly the Speak up culture, the great colleagues that are in my teams, the great products that AstraZeneca provides to our patients and the challenging conversations I have around our medicines.

Sales Representative Oslo, Norway

There are many things I enjoy when working at AstraZeneca, mainly the Speak up culture, the great colleagues that are in my teams, the great products that AstraZeneca provides to our patients and the challenging conversations I have around our medicines.

Christine Recchio

Working at AstraZeneca has impacted my life in such a positive way. I now have an improved work-life balance through creating my own schedule and time management, I feel a balance that I didn’t have before.

Sales Representative California, United States

Working at AstraZeneca has impacted my life in such a positive way. I now have an improved work-life balance through creating my own schedule and time management, I feel a balance that I didn’t have before.

Stephanie Ling

There are a lot of reasons why I enjoy working in AstraZeneca, my colleagues being one of them. My team members and the managers have provided a great deal of guidance in helping me to be more confident in my daily work.

Sales Representative Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

There are a lot of reasons why I enjoy working in AstraZeneca, my colleagues being one of them. My team members and the managers have provided a great deal of guidance in helping me to be more confident in my daily work.

What we offer

We're driven by our shared values of serving people, society and the planet. Our people make this possible, which is why we prioritise diversity, inclusivity, balance and sustainability. Discover what a career at AstraZeneca could mean for you.

An award-winning company

We're passionate about being a great place to work, and 84% of our employees would recommend us as an employer. We've been recognised as a Top Employer in Spain, an EFR Family Responsible Business, and we achieved third place in Forbes Spain's Top 50 Best Places to Work list.

Inclusive environment

Diversity and inclusion are embedded in everything we do, and our different views, experiences and strengths enrich our culture. There's no salary gap at AstraZeneca, and the number of female employees has increased by four per cent over the last three years. We've also made all positions fully accessible.

Work-life balance

Your wellbeing means a lot to us, and we're here to support you through all of life's ups and downs. That's why we offer an unpaid leave policy, annual leave, reduced-hours timetables and a host of benefits, including a retirement plan, long service award, and health and travel insurance.

Sustainability initiatives

We're committed to harnessing the power of science to become a more sustainable business. We've reduced our carbon footprint by over 9,000 kg of CO2 over the last two years, and we lead the European GoGreen Project, which aims to introduce environmentally friendly options in our fleet of corporate vehicles.

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Great culture, great work assignments, supportive management. Rotation opportunity within the company. They value our people.