Head of US Finance – US Rare Disease Unit (RDU)

Position: Head of US Finance – US Rare Disease Unit (RDU)

Location: Boston

At Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality.  If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you are our kind of person.  As the Head of US Finance – US RDU, you will be a key leader within the US business and RDU finance team and play a pivotal role in every aspect of the business and channelling our scientific capabilities to make a positive impact on changing patients’ lives.

Accountabilities

As the Head of US Finance RDU, you will take on a pivotal leadership role within the US Leadership Team, driving the financial function of the US organization. You will report directly to and serve as a key business partner to the SVP US Country President, managing the largest market in the RDU with annual sales exceeding $5 billion. You will be at the forefront of delivering precise and timely financial reporting and management, ensuring financial targets and performance objectives are met. Your role will necessitate active collaboration across functions and portfolios, engaging with therapeutic area heads in Neurology, Hematology & Nephrology, and Metabolics to ensure performance insight and timely mitigation actions are enacted as appropriate.

Your responsibilities will extend to partnering with and providing decision support to US enabling functions such as Market Access, Strategic Accounts, Patient Services, and Business Operations & Commercial Effectiveness. Your influence will be crucial in steering payer strategy and pricing, assessing contracting decisions, formulating distribution strategies, governing data quality, and analyzing patient dynamics and key performance indicators. You will streamline business planning processes and forecasts across the US RDU, ensuring effective financial submissions.

Moreover, you will offer invaluable insights on business performance to guide crucial organizational decisions regarding target solutions and resource allocation. Your role is essential in recognizing opportunities and ensuring resources are strategically positioned for imminent product launches and the ongoing success of existing products and indications. Most importantly, you will also be instrumental in leading and developing the morale and culture of a high-performing team of finance professionals, supporting the US business with enthusiasm and dedication.

What you’ll do:

• Responsible for management and oversight of the US functional budgets within the RDU, ensuring financial agility with a strong sense of current risks and opportunities
• Deliver high quality financial planning process and forecasts including the annual Mid Term Plan (MTP) and quarterly Rolling Business Updates (RBU’s), providing prescriptive guidance and timelines to the Therapeutic Areas and functions to ensure well organized, effective and efficient submissions.
• Provide decision making support to pricing decisions, payor contracting, and distribution strategy
• Oversee data quality and governance, challenging and correcting where necessary
• Leverage technology to streamline, simplify and scale processes and capabilities
• Work with business strategy to identify, operationalize, and track efficiencies related to new ways of working
• Facilitate Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with focus on US RDU quarterly results to develop key external messages on financial performance.
• Provide analysis and key insights on US performance including financial, business analysis, and benchmarks to facilitate the local target setting process (sales / investment / profit).
• Ensure delivery of DSO targets and ensure AR are paid on time
• Pre-launch and launch support including business cases, business / financial modelling, what if scenarios, projections, trend analysis and resource allocations.
• Participate in specific ad hoc projects bringing business/finance insight.
• Manage and develop a diverse team of high performing individuals (6 direct reports; 3 GFS) looking after revenue and investments for a >$5Bn P&L

Essential Skills/Experience:

• Strong business partnering skills and experience
• Bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in finance, accounting or related business area
• Experience in a leadership role interacting with senior management
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, demonstrated strategic influencing skills
• Strong business knowledge and acuity
• Demonstrated people leadership, coaching and/or mentoring skills
• Proven ability to perform in an environment that emphasizes teamwork

Desirable Skills/Experience:

• Demonstrated ability as an agent of change in a dynamic work environment 
• CPA
• MBA

Key Stakeholders include:

• SVP US Company President
• US RDU Leadership Team
• RDU CFO and Head of RDU Enterprise & TA Finance
• Group Treasury and Cash Teams
• Group Finance
• Group Financial Services - Middle Office (Costa Rica)
• Close collaboration with US RDU Accounting Team

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need 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. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

AstraZeneca is driven by solutions that make an impact at every step of the patient journey. We thrive on energy and pace, always pushing forward with a winning mentality. Our inclusive team draws on a diverse group of backgrounds to come up with innovative solutions. Here you will find countless opportunities to develop and grow while contributing to life-saving medicines.

Ready to make a difference? Apply now!

The annual base pay offered for this position ranges from $209,512 to $314,269. Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualised factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition, our positions offer a short-term incentive bonus opportunity; eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program. Benefits offered included a qualified retirement program 401(k) plan; paid vacation and holidays; paid leaves; and, health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans. Additional details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, the employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base pay (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

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.