Forecasting Analyst

Job Title - Forecasting Analyst

Career Level - C

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious disease. But we’re more than one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. At AstraZeneca we’re dedicated to being a Great Place to Work.

Who we are:

The Global Business Service (GBS) team sits within Finance at AstraZeneca and is a dynamic and results-oriented environment and provides a range of enterprise-wide services. We dare to change the way we work by freeing up the business to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines. We aim to do this by freeing up time, freeing up money, protecting AZ’s value and providing new capabilities.

What we do:

A trusted partner to the business, we’re on a mission to make AstraZeneca more agile, efficient and effective. Through our hybrid model of in-house delivery centers and service towers across the globe, we’re reimagining how we work. Here we drive new ways of working and operating models, process simplification and innovative solutions, whilst ensuring that automation and data is at the heart of everything.

How we do it:

Be part of a team building a community. We interact with diverse cultures and perspectives and are united by our sense of belonging. This is the place to learn and grow together.

Why we love it:

• As a growing multi-national company, there’s so much potential to develop. Embrace opportunities at a global business that’s facing new and varied challenges. This is the place to build an exemplary, international CV.

• A fun place to be, we’re creating community hubs that build partnerships, not just working relationships.

• We’re on an exciting journey to take our team to the next stage. This is the place to leave a legacy behind.

About the role

The Senior Forecaster works closely with the GIACE Forecast Leader, Forecast Manager and Commercial teams to develop brand forecasts (revenue, volume and patients) for strategic brands and / or early assets for Global (focus on Top 8 markets) or US. As a Forecast Manager, you will play an important role in this process, understanding the assigned therapeutic area and brand, setting expectations for performance and helping guide brand strategy.

Together with the Forecast Leader and Forecast Manager, the Senior Forecaster will develop product-specific short-term and long-term forecast models and maintain up-to-date models that reflect current data, information and assumptions; own the assigned forecasting, business planning processes and associated work streams (sales bridges, ad-hocs supporting Finance, etc.); identify and clearly surface key business issues that impact the forecasts; incorporate the results of primary research into the forecast model(s) to reflect anticipated risks and opportunities on sales outlook, and help define forecasting processes and building of capabilities. In addition, you will have responsibility to develop forecasts for your assigned therapeutic area using patient-based forecast models, ensuring alignment on forecast assumptions and other critical analytical assessments with business partners including GIACE, Marketing, Sales, Market Access and Pricing, Finance and Sales Operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for the timely delivery of robust and transparent demand forecasts for strategic brands / therapy areas and key markets, including clear documentation of assumptions as well as levels of confidence / robustness

• Expertly / confidently present and defend forecast approach, methodology, assumptions and output to senior leadership

• Ensure objectivity and robustness around the forecast via identification of the right data sources and application of industry-leading modeling approaches, with sensitivity analyses around key variables to assist in opportunity and risk management

• Demonstrate a high level of understanding of the points of integration of our work and that of our colleagues.

• Develop new product introduction volume forecasts, both short-term and long-term, to champion into strategic and operational planning processes.

• Support continuous improvement and innovation to evolve the existing forecasting capabilities in terms of benefit, risk / opportunity / uncertainty, methodologies (including statistical, predictive, simulations / Monte Carlo, ranges, deep knowledge of key data sets) to inform forecasts and decision-making

• Proactively leverage appropriate information into forecast via a variety of tools and sources

• For Global Forecasting roles: support development new forecast models as business needs arise (e.g. pipeline / early assets, LCM, business development)

• For US Forecasting roles: participate in monthly S&OP process and submit volumes; support development of weekly / monthly / yearly models and conversions.

Educational requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field

Experience:

• 2+ years of direct Pharmaceutical forecasting experience with a solid knowledge of forecasting techniques, models and approaches

• Experience utilizing a range of data sources and analytics involving standard data in the Pharmaceutical industry – e.g. IQVIA (MIDAS, DDD NPA, Monthly Xponent), claims data (Truven, Marketscan), epidemiological data, etc. For US forecasting, experience with TRx / NBRx / NRx data and methodologies

• Strong analytical expertise; superior Excel, financial modelling and forecasting skills

• Project management experience including risk mitigation, planning and running multiple projects running in parallel

• Ability to build trusted relationships across a range of partner groups including Marketing, Analytics, Operations, and Technology

• Demonstrated experience in problem solving and continuous improvement

• Strong written and verbal communication

Preferred:

• Good understanding of one or more disease areas and how patients move through their respective diagnosis and treatment pathways, including treatment dynamics

• Experience integrating insights from market research and secondary data analysis into forecast assumptions

• Knowledge of advanced statistical forecast methodologies and applied AI / ML / automation

• Experience working with Power Apps, specifically PowerBI

• For US forecasting, working knowledge of US Market Access and gross-to-net

WHY JOIN US?

We’re a network of high-reaching self-starters who contribute to something far bigger. We enable AstraZeneca to perform at its peak by delivering premier technology and data solutions.

We’re not afraid to take ownership and run with it. Empowered with unrivalled freedom. Put simply, it’s because we make a significant impact. Everything we do matters.

SO, WHAT’S NEXT?

Are you already envisioning yourself joining our team? Good, because we’d love to hear from you! Click the link to apply and we’ll be in touch as soon as we can.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE?

Our Social Media, Follow AstraZeneca on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/1603/

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

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.