Senior Group Director Scientist

At AstraZeneca, we pride ourselves on crafting a collaborative culture that champions knowledge-sharing, ambitious thinking and innovation – ultimately providing employees with the opportunity to work across teams, functions and even the globe.

Recognizing the importance of individualized flexibility, our ways of working allow employees to balance personal and work commitments while ensuring we continue to create a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork by engaging face-to-face in our offices 3 days a week.

Our dedication to sustainability is also central to our culture and part of what makes AstraZeneca a great place to work. We know the health of people, the planet and our business are interconnected which is why we’re taking ambitious action to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to access to healthcare and disease prevention.

The Role:

The Senior Group Director Scientist will lead a group clinical scientists within Hematology Research and Development and will also serve as a member of the groups leadership team, coordinate assets tracking and lead improvement initiatives in service of non-drug scorecard objectives.

You will also play the role of a Senior Clinical Scientist assigned to Hematology and in that capacity you are an important part of the project Team, working collaboratively with the program and study level physician or clinical lead as their guide in medical scientific aspects of the compound and its development. The accountabilities are broad however, the core accountabilities are the medical & scientific support for the development and implementation of early phase AstraZeneca sponsored clinical program strategy, externally sponsored collaborative research program strategy and studies, including clinical science support for initiating clinical trial(s), protocol/amendment development, IB/DSUR submissions, clinical trial documents, supporting clinical data review, interpretation of the study results and providing/supporting final recommendations to senior management.

You will drive and provide guide input to other non-assigned programmes, process improvement initiatives, development of junior clinical scientist within Hematology and provides strategic contributions to the global clinical scientist team. As a key leadership member of the Global Project Team, this position demands strong collaborative communication skills, including the ability to engage with and influence a diverse range of business partners both within and external to AstraZeneca.​

In this role, you:

• Will be required to line lead other Clinical Scientists including project allocations/resource management, recruitment & selection, personal development and performance management

• May serve as the Skills Lead for the Clinical Science group thereby being responsible for ensuring appropriate procedures, training and personal development approaches are in place for the skill group and standard methodology is identified and implemented

• Contribute to the Departmental Leadership Team to ensure effective ways of working, identification and resolution of issues, departmental objective setting and may extend to prioritization and supervising at the departmental level

• Will lead or contribute to continuous improvement initiatives and may be required to run key alliances (provider and academic)

• Lead or supports clinical input to the clinical development plan at all stages of the programme.

• Lead or co-lead (with Translational and Bioscience Leads) the science-to-man sub team (TSST) to integrate the biology, translational and clinical science into the programme strategy

• Leads/support development of recommendation(s) on further development strategies to internal committees.

• Provide scientific/medical mentorship to the study team, including the CRO team.

• Is responsible for the collaboration with the research scientists and translational scientists to provide clinical input to the development and review of data to support development of the pre-CDID compounds

• Follow important developments and trends in the medical & scientific literature and disseminates updates to the project team and beyond ensuring all involved parties are aware of key developments and the impact on the strategy

• Leads the development and review of content and quality of publications and inputs to development of the publication strategy

• Guide aspects of the Clinical Development Plan (CDP) and Clinical Study Protocols in keeping with the approved CDP and ensuring linkage of trial data to target product profile

• Attend (in person or by TC) the Site Initiation Visits, to present the study design and key aspects of the protocol

• Lead (or supports as required), clinical data review and interpretation of the study and program level with input from the study or program Physician/Clinical Lead

• Own the compilation and interpretation of the data for and from the dose escalation committee/safety review committee, in collaboration with the program physician

• Provide input for the protocols, amendments, Investigator Brochure, DSURs and other relevant strategic documents. Acts as lead clinical reviewer for Clinical Study Reports

• Lead the development and implementation of the externally sponsored collaborative research (ESCR) strategy for a programme. The clinical scientist is the link between the project team and all external clinical research for the programme. For preclinical external research proposals, co-leads with the Bioscience Lead.

• Lead investigator/site relationships for ESCR clinical proposal reviews, protocol review and approval, scientific oversight and discussions for academic basket/umbrella and ESCR studies • Represents the project internally and supports oncology drug development externally as a medical scientific guide with key external collaborators. Supports development of alliances as appropriate.

• Support due diligence activities for potential in-licensing or collaborative opportunities and provides recommendations to senior management

• Represent AstraZeneca as a support for external meetings such as advisory boards and identifies and handles risks within the ESCR portfolio, raises quality issues through the appropriate channels, maintains communications with key AstraZeneca partners as required.

• Drives key critical initiatives within and beyond the Early Clinical Oncology group

• Develops, coaches, mentors, motivates and encourages individuals within the organisation

• Operates in compliance with GCP and relevant regulatory guidelines. 

Essential Requirements:

• Advanced degree: PhD or PharmD with 12+ years of relevant industry experience and a proven track record in clinical development.

• Therapeutic expertise: Extensive knowledge of GCP and end-to-end drug development (Phases I–III), with a strong preference for Hematology-Oncology.

• Global study leadership: Significant experience designing, organizing, and executing global clinical studies in pharma/biotech environments.

• Data and systems proficiency: Deep understanding of clinical data collection and reporting; advanced proficiency with data management systems and analytical tools, with a demonstrated ability to optimize processes and drive continuous improvement.

• Clinical trial Conduct: Robust experience managing and interpreting clinical trial results, with strong exposure to protocol development and writing.

• Scientific writing: Experience authoring scientific documents (e.g., protocols, study reports, publications).

• Analytical strength: Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to translate insights into decisions.

• Matrix influence: Proven ability to work effectively in a matrixed environment and influence stakeholders at all levels without direct authority.

• Execution under pressure: Demonstrated success prioritizing and delivering under tight deadlines while maintaining high quality standards.

• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; able to communicate complex information clearly and drive alignment and efficiency.

• Stakeholder engagement: Sufficient technical and disease area knowledge to interact confidently with internal and external partners.

• People leadership: Proven track record of line management, including coaching and performance development.

• Language: High proficiency in English (written and spoken).

Are you interested in working at AZ, apply today!

AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion and providing a workplace that is free from discrimination. AstraZeneca is committed to accommodating persons with disabilities. Such accommodation is available on request in respect of all aspects of the recruitment, assessment and selection process and may be requested by emailing AZCHumanResources@astrazeneca.com.

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $221,500 to $332,250. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives—an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

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