Senior Manager, Oncology Policy Strategy

At AstraZeneca, we turn ideas into life changing medicines. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and partnering with colleagues and customers to make the seemingly impossible a reality. We’re focused on the potential of science to address the unmet needs of patients around the world. 

The Senior Manager of Oncology Policy Strategy will play a pivotal role in channeling our scientific advances and helping drive policy strategies to make a positive impact on improving patients’ lives.

 In this role, you will be able to deliver AstraZeneca’s cutting-edge science and commercial capabilities through critical institutional intermediaries to enable healthcare practitioners to make informed patient care decisions. You will identify and analyze policy changes affecting drug reimbursement and access in order to develop brand and business unit strategies. Which includes support for AstraZeneca’s oncology policy and business strategy involving the latest policy changes impacting oncology care, including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Specific emphasis on assessing policies from the federal government and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The role focuses on oncology but will also provide opportunity to engage across the AstraZeneca enterprise, including with the Biopharmaceutical Business Unit, Rare Diseases Business Unit, Market Access team, Global teams, and others.

This role will be part of AstraZeneca’s US Oncology Care & Access team, providing brand and above-brand strategy and oncology policy analysis. This includes identifying and understanding policies specific to drugs but also broader policy changes that relate to oncology care, such precision medicine and provider services. This Access Strategy role is responsible for overseeing and implementing strategies that work across many functions to ensure appropriate patient access to AZ oncology products.

Typical Accountabilities

• Support and lead the development of policy strategies based on AZ above-brand and brand initiatives in conjunction with cross-functional team and leadership input
• Identify oncology-relevant policy issues, analyze proposals, and provide strategic recommendations to US Oncology business teams and leadership on federal and state policy issues, including analysis of the implications and impact of legislative and regulatory policies on oncology
• Conduct primary research on policy-related issues and analyze implications of policy proposals for oncology stakeholders and review external stakeholder positions
• Draft policy positions, materials, and presentations on key oncology policy issues across the AZ oncology portfolio and issues
• Incorporate evidence and data-driven materials in policy deliverables to support AZ strategies and engagements
• Develop AZ oncology positions on key oncology related issues, including engagement with key internal partners to build consensus and comprehensive business positions on policy issues
• Serve as a resource to internal oncology business team partners, including field-based teams, federal and state teams, brand teams, and other supporting functions
• Lead policy projects and manage multiple workstreams across an array of oncology policy priorities, including leading internal cross-functional teams
• Assist in supporting US Oncology priorities for external policy engagement in collaboration with internal cross-functional partners and other relevant stakeholders
• Works closely with US Policy and Access Strategy to develop internal analysis, education, and generate materials on relevant health policy topics
• Provide policy analysis of federal and state policies that impact oncology care across a range of topics, including reimbursement of drugs and services across various settings of care, precision medicine issues involving biomarker testing, cancer screening, and other issues affecting the healthcare system
• Manage budgets associated with oncology policy workstreams
• Engages Marketing, Access Strategy, Market Access, Oncology Field Teams, Medical Affairs, and Corporate Affairs to determine AZ strategy with oncology societies
• Acts as a liaison with National Oncology Account Team to refine AZ strategy and ensure continuity between AZ and oncology societies at meetings and other external engagements 
• Partners with National Oncology Account Team to identify and scale educational opportunities in state societies for the AZ portfolio

Essential Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• 5+ years pharma and/or other healthcare related experience specifically in working on Health Policy, Market Access, or Access Strategy for healthcare services
• Understanding of federal policy and legislative processes
• Understanding of federal healthcare programs, including Medicare and its respective benefits and Medicaid, and the policies that govern those programs
• Demonstrated understanding of drug pricing and reimbursement issues, including varying sources of insurance (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, commercial), drug supply chain and intermediaries (e.g., GPOs, PBMs), healthcare providers (e.g., varying settings of care and practice types; 340B entities), and drug pricing concepts (e.g., WAC, ASP, best price)
• Demonstrated leadership, project management ability
• Demonstrated ability to draft policy positions and presentations, including experience in drafting and reviewing policy comment letters or similar documents
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with and influence peers and management
• Demonstrated communication and platform skills, including ability to effectively communicate complex topics to a variety of audiences, including ability to create deliverables independently 
• Demonstrated results orientation
• Demonstrated strategic planning capabilities
• Budget management experience

Desirable Qualifications

• Prior Oncology experience a plus
• Prior experience in a pharma commercial function a plus
• Prior health policy experience working for a life sciences company, provider organization, or health plan a plus
• MPH, MPP, MBA, or other related graduate education

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.

AstraZeneca requires all US employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 but will consider requests for reasonable accommodations as required by applicable law.