Skip to main content
Search roles

Global Head Oncology Site Management & Monitoring 

Location Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States Cambridge, England, United Kingdom Wilmington, Delaware, United States Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Waltham, Massachusetts, United States Job ID R-225416 Date posted 27/04/2025

At AstraZeneca, we have created and strategically acquired one of the most promising Oncology pipelines in the industry.  We are planning to launch 20 new medicines by 2030. The breadth of our portfolio together with continued investment in innovation supports sustained growth well past the end of the decade.

Our strategy underpinning this vision is to target areas of unmet need, incorporate biomarker-driven patient selection, maximize value across tumor types and stages of disease, and focus on development of novel combinations. 

The Site Management and Monitoring (SMM) organisation, a country-based organisation with staff in over 25 countries, is responsible for leading the delivery of clinical trials at a country level ensuring high quality study data is collected in a timely and productive way to support Oncology R&D strategy. Therapeutic expertise in oncology is required to optimise where studies are placed and to enable best in class study delivery and data collection.  Project management capability, excellent stakeholder management globally and locally, alongside effective leadership within the country environment are critical capabilities to ensure strategic plans are translated into action.  

The Oncology R&D SMM Head reports to VP Oncology Clinical Operations (Late Stage) and is accountable for global site management delivery across the Oncology portfolio including 3 global regions, 1200 employees in 25+ countries.

Oncology R&D SMM Head will work with local country level leadership, Program Management and Study Management in the TAs to ensure robust country-level insights, feasibility and study recruitment timelines are incorporated into the operational plans as new studies progress through the AstraZeneca governance process.   You will oversee performance of your team and contribute to process improvement initiatives.

The Oncology SMM Head is a member of the Oncology Clinical Operations Leadership Team. Partnership between the Oncology and BioPharmaceuticals SMM Heads will be critical to ensure appropriate standardisation across all countries globally, thus ensuring a ‘One SMM’ mindset irrespective of TA alignment of staff.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Lead operational excellence for all clinical trial activities, including planning, site/country selection, monitoring, risk management and oversight of quality and compliance from start up through to closure
  • Lead the development of an agile, future-oriented site management strategy to meet the needs of Oncology R&D.
  • Ensure appropriate levels of resource and capabilities for all SMM roles required to deliver studies 
  • Drive and build collaborations internally and externally between global stakeholders and market level functions (e.g., Oncology Business Unit, Global Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Payors, government institutions) to ensure input to, and delivery of all internally delivered clinical trials
  • Develop and supervise a strong people agenda, ensuring the function and its people are trained, high performing and ready/fit to support delivery of therapeutic area strategies
  • Communicate business priorities and vision in a clear and compelling way for optimal performance; delivering as one global organisation
  • Be an active and participating member of the Oncology Clinical Operations Leadership Team
  • Ensure excellence in implementation of appropriate processes, guidelines, and tools.
  • Create and forecast an accurate clinical trial budgets.
  • Oversee adherence to financial reporting procedures, internally and externally
  • Forecast resources and implementing a system/process for staffing the countries optimally. 
  • Actively participate with other Oncology leaders to design metrics dashboards and ensuring delivery consistent with defined metrics of quality, speed and cost

Required Experience:

  • Qualified to degree level in a relevant subject area
  • Mastery of Clinical Development area and multi-disciplinary experience
  • Previous experience of working in a site management organisation at a country, regional or global level 
  • Strong technical and TA extensive Oncology Clinical Operations expertise 
  • Proven line management expertise; experience of line management of staff across countries including director level staff
  • Ability to effectively influence and communicate
  • Ability to engage, influence and collaborate across boundaries with a problem solving and delivery focus
  • Ability to assimilate complex information and identify key issues and message
  • Functional management experience, managing resourcing, budget planning and functional level activities

AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer. AstraZeneca will consider all qualified applicants for employment without discrimination on grounds of disability, gender or gender orientation, pregnancy or maternity leave status, race or national or ethnic origin, age, religion or belief, gender identity or re-assignment, marital or civil partnership status, protected veteran status (if applicable) or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Why join AstraZeneca?

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. In addition to being one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca is proud to provide a unique workplace culture that inspires innovation and cross-boundary collaboration. Within this environment employees are empowered to express diverse perspectives, and are made to feel valued, energized and rewarded for their ideas and creativity.

·One of the most exiting Oncology and Immuno-Oncology pipelines in the industry

·Well poised to become a world leader in several areas of oncology

·Progressive company, diverse and inclusive

·We live by our values

·High visibility in the organisation and externally

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.

50300009 K CDGE R&D Oncology

We’ll keep you up to date

Sign up to be the first to receive job updates

Interested InPlease select a category or location option. Click “Add” to create your job alert.

By signing up, I acknowledge I have read the AstraZeneca privacy policy, and I wish to receive email communications and SMS communications. I understand I can opt-out from receiving email and SMS communications at any time.

Glassdoor logo Rated four stars on Glassdoor

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