Senior Manager -Publications Delivery Lead - Scientific Publications(GBS BBU)

Job Title: Senior Manager - Publications Delivery Lead - Scientific Publications(GBS BBU)

Career Level: E

Introduction to role:

Are you ready to build and lead a world-class publications capability that elevates scientific communication and accelerates impact for patients and clinicians? Do you thrive on creating structure, scaling teams, and delivering measurable outcomes in a fast-moving, global environment?

As the Publications Delivery Lead, you will establish and run a multi-tier Publications Delivery team encompassing content authors, visual designers, and iEnvision specialists. You will blend people leadership with operational excellence to deliver end-to-end publications that are on time, scientifically accurate, and aligned with global standards and policy. Your work will connect directly to how our evidence is delivered to the scientific community and informs better decisions. It will also involve crafting how we operate at scale across therapy areas and publication types.

Accountabilities:

• Team Build-Out and Leadership: Establish and scale a high-performing publications delivery organization; define roles, levels, and career pathways that attract and retain top talent.
• Mentoring and Capability Development: Provide structured mentorship and feedback to publication writers, graphic artists, and iEnvision experts; improve scientific rigor, storytelling, and visual communication.
• Performance and Workforce Planning: Set clear goals, run regular check-ins, manage performance, and recognize excellence; forecast demand, plan capacity, and lead recruitment, onboarding, and succession to match portfolio needs.
• Delivery Excellence: Oversee end-to-end planning, drafting, review cycles, approvals, and finalization of publications to meet timelines and quality standards; drive first-time-right delivery and reduce cycle times.
• Ways of Working and SOPs: Design and implement SOPs, RACI matrices, workflows, and operating models across therapy areas and publication types to ensure consistency and scalability.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify bottlenecks and lead Lean/Kaizen initiatives; standardize guidelines across teams to improve efficiency and reliability.
• Metrics and Quality Management: Define and track SLAs, important metrics, and objectives and key results, including timely delivery, first-time-right quality, cycle-time, rework rates, and collaborator happiness; implement robust QA/QC processes, editorial standards, and audit readiness; ensure compliance with GPP or equivalent experience and internal policies.
• Risk and Issue Management: Proactively identify risks, maintain RAID logs, and drive timely mitigations and resolution of critical issues to protect delivery and quality.
• Collaborator Partnerships and Governance: Build positive relationships with BBU publication teams and external partners; run structured demand intake, triage, resourcing, and scheduling; lead stand-ups, iteration reviews, routine oversight meetings, and QBRs; publish dashboards and present performance to leadership.
• Serve as the trusted advisor for publication-related queries. Provide high-impact review and mentorship to Expert and Senior Publication Writers. Resolve conflicting author comments and changing collaborator needs through clear facilitation and alignment.
• Standards and Compliance: Align with GPP, ICMJE, CONSORT/PRISMA where applicable, and medical-legal-regulatory requirements; advocate appropriate use of EQUATOR Network guidelines.
• Tools, Technology, and Documentation: Champion publication management platforms, digital archives, citation tools, cooperative software, and workflow trackers; build and maintain templates, checklists, SOPs, and training materials; explore AI opportunities to improve efficiency; develop automated dashboards and run monthly business reviews that deliver actionable insights.

Essential Skills/Experience:

• Education: Advanced degree in life sciences, pharmacy, medicine, or related field.
• Experience: 08-12 years in the field of medical writing and publications, including 3+ years in people management and operations leadership.
• Proven track record: Setting up new teams/functions in GCCs or service agencies, implementing SOPs, critical metrics, and delivery governance.
• Domain expertise: Strong knowledge of GPP, ICMJE, CONSORT/PRISMA, ethical authorship, data standards, and journal/congress processes.
• Operational excellence: Demonstrated ability to run large-scale delivery with metrics, QA, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborator management: Experience collaborating with global cross-functional groups and outside agencies; strong communication and influence skills.
• Global experience: Working across time zones and cultures; experience in global capability centres or offshore/nearshore models.

Desirable Skills/Experience:

• PhD/MD/PharmD/MSc.
• ISMPP CMPP Certification.
• Hands-on experience with publication management tools, content repositories, reference managers, collaboration suites, iEnvision, and solutions for overseeing workflow progress.
• Experience creating and maintaining templates, checklists, SOPs, and training materials for scalable operations.
• Familiarity with Lean, Kaizen, and standardization methods in publication operations.
• Awareness of AI potential in medical publications and identification of efficiency/savings opportunities.
• Experience building automated dashboards and leading monthly business reviews to inform decision-making.
• Background in scientific visualization or publication graphics programs.
• Exposure to agile governance forums such as sprint reviews, monthly governance calls, and QBRs.

Why AstraZeneca:

Join a company where your leadership will tangibly shape how our science is shared with the world. You will work with diverse experts who bring bold ideas to life by getting the right people in the same room to spark progress, combining autonomy with strong support and feedback. We move quickly and thoughtfully, embracing intelligent risks and digital innovation to improve how evidence is created and communicated. You will benefit from a collaborative, globally connected network that values curiosity and kindness alongside ambition, with in-person collaboration several days a week to build momentum while respecting flexibility. Your impact will reach beyond operations—accelerating the delivery of trusted science that ultimately serves patients.

Call to Action:

Lead the build of a scalable publications engine with real-world impact—submit your application and shape how our evidence reaches clinicians and patients worldwide.

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. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Date Posted

Closing Date

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.