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Associate Director, Global Pathology – Oncology Therapy Area

Location Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States Waltham, Massachusetts, United States Job ID R-210534 Date posted 09/10/2024

Associate Director, Global Pathology – Oncology Therapy Area

Are you a passionate Veterinary Anatomic Pathologistinterested in driving innovation in drug discovery to bring safe and effective therapies to patients? This is an exciting opportunity to join a global group of highly skilled pathologists that work closely with dedicated safety teams to push the boundaries of science.

AstraZeneca is looking for a dynamic and experienced Veterinary Anatomic Pathologist to support our work in the Oncology disease area at our Gaithersburg, MD or Waltham, MA sites. The role is broad in scope and offers significant potential for scientific collaboration and professional development.

Global Pathology works closely with Oncology disease area scientists and the Safety Sciences organization, providing integrated support for safety and efficacy pathology to drive the design, selection and successful development of novel treatments for cancer patients.  The Global Pathology department works across Sweden, UK and US covering all aspects of pathology for AstraZeneca disease areas. Pathology sits within Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences (CPSS), which contains all non-clinical safety functions supporting the entire AstraZeneca portfolio.

What you’ll do

As a Pathologist in our global CPSS team, you’ll collaborate with discovery safety specialists, toxicologists and disease area scientists, providing expert anatomic pathology support to drug projects across all development stages. You’ll contribute to the design and assessment of investigative safety and efficacy studies, ensuring timely delivery of impactful, decision-making pathology data. In addition, you’ll provide pivotal pathology support and develop expertise in cutting edge novel treatment modalities, including T cell therapies, immune cell engagers, antibody drug conjugates and PROTACs. While most of your work will be in the Oncology space supporting Cell Therapy projects, you’ll also have the opportunity to support our global portfolio in the Respiratory & Immunology, Vaccines & Immune Therapies and Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism therapy areas.

CPSS is changing the way pathology and imaging technologies are combined to offer unprecedented insight and impact. Our pathologists are empowered by access to AI digital pathology, multiplex assays, advanced molecular imaging techniques and a full suite of in vivo imaging technologies. This position offers the opportunity for a pathologist to explore new ways of supporting how we investigate both the safety and efficacy of drugs within our projects. The role will work within a dynamic scientific team with opportunity to deliver scientific strategies that change our view of disease. This is an exciting opportunity for a dedicated pathologist to shine.

Essential Requirements

  • Degree in Veterinary Medicine

  • Postgraduate pathology qualification (DACVP, DECVP, FRCPath, DJSTP or equivalent)

  • A minimum of 3-5 years of either toxicologic pathology or cross-species research - previous experience with cellular therapies would be an advantage

  • Ability to integrate pathology findings with a range of additional endpoints (e.g., clinical pathology, IHC/ISH, MSI, omics data) and provide contextualized interpretation for project teams, governance interactions and regulatory submissions

  • Genuine interest in providing broad disease area, discovery and toxicologic pathology support and acting as a pathology representative on multiple drug development projects

  • Highly effective written and oral communication skills with the ability to clearly convey complex pathology data to a wide range of stakeholders

Desirable Requirements

  • PhD in pathology or a related discipline

  • Relevant pharmaceutical experience of providing discovery and toxicologic pathology support and acting as a pathology representative on multiple drug development projects

  • Broad cross-species toxicologic pathology expertise with experience of histopathological evaluation and peer review of short- and long-term toxicology studies

  • Track record of scientific delivery demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications in high impact/high-quality journals

  • Ability to provide a holistic view of translational safety and pathophysiology from animal to patient

If you are a veterinary anatomic pathologist seeking a new challenge, please get in touch with Kim Maratea (kim.maratea@astrazeneca.com) for an informal discussion about this exciting opportunity.

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we ignite 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.

At AstraZeneca's Biopharmaceuticals R&D division, we are driven by our desire to understand and reveal new insights. We follow the science to explore and innovate, working towards treating, preventing, modifying and even curing some of the world's most complex diseases. We are fusing data and technology with the latest scientific innovations to achieve the next wave of breakthroughs. It's our combination of curiosity and courage that drives us, inspired by the possibility of doing things that have never been done before. We celebrate our successes and failures along the way. We are committed to making a difference and improving patient access to healthcare globally. Our values guide everything we do at AstraZeneca. They power our belief in What Science Can Do.

Are you ready to work with curious minds in an inclusive culture? Thrive in a place where the brightest and most curious minds seamlessly come together in our inclusive environment. Here all doors are open, and every voice is heard. From working side-by-side with academia to innovating with biotech, we are forever expanding our horizons. By sharing and increasing our knowledge we are empowered to be the best we can be and accelerate progress. 

Join us today and be part of a team that makes a bigger impact on patients' lives!

The annual base pay for the Associate Director position ranges from $176,000-$264,000. Hourly and salaried non-exempt employees will also be paid overtime pay when working qualifying overtime hours. Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized 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 (salaried roles), to receive a retirement contribution (hourly roles), and commission payment eligibility (sales roles). 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, 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.

50056668 E CDPN

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Great culture, great work assignments, supportive management. Rotation opportunity within the company. They value inclusion and diversity.