Executive Director Clinical Operations, Program Management - Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

• Franchise Strategy: Define and steward short- and long-term clinical operations strategy across all programs, ensuring clarity of direction and a robust path to delivery.
• Therapeutic and Country Strategies: Develop a cohesive franchise-wide approach covering therapeutic clinical operations, country footprint and site strategy, and consistent, deliverable operational clinical development plans.
• Portfolio Issue Leadership: Drive resolution and consistency for franchise-level clinical operations issues impacting multiple global product teams.
• Study Oversight: Provide strategic oversight and global leadership for all in-scope cell therapy studies to deliver to agreed time and cost, with unwavering focus on quality and regulatory compliance.
• Enterprise Governance: Serve as clinical operations franchise leader at enterprise-level cell therapy governance; act as a core member of the Protocol Review Committee for CTCO leadership sign-off; ensure studies are operationally robust ahead of Development Review Committee and ESPC/LSPC.
• Vision, Prioritization, and Metrics: Establish and communicate the franchise delivery vision, strategy, prioritization, portfolio insights, and key performance metrics that drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Forecasting and Prioritization: In partnership with the CTTO global Executive Director for planning, deliver a rigorous slot forecasting strategy and make data-driven prioritization decisions for the franchise.
• Submission and Inspection Readiness: Ensure franchise-wide excellence in submission preparation and inspection readiness, embedding standards and proactive risk management.
• Team Leadership: Build strong, capable, and passionate teams of Clinical Operations Program Leaders; attract, develop, and retain Senior Director-level talent; foster excellence in cell therapy trial execution.
• Leadership Team Membership: Act as a core member of the Cell Therapy Clinical Operations Leadership Team, shaping department strategy, functional build, and forward planning.
• External Engagement and Innovation: Engage with industry leaders to bring external innovation into CTCO; benchmark, pilot, and scale practices that improve speed, quality, and patient impact.
• Transformational Sponsorship: Sponsor large-scale transformation across and beyond CTCO, simplifying processes, strengthening governance, and enabling accelerated, reliable delivery.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• Extensive experience in Drug Development with direct experience in clinical drug development setting, including direct clinical operations experience
• Line management expertise; experience of performance management of Snr Director level Staff in a large pharmaceutical or biotech setting
• Demonstrated development of others, identifying and providing opportunities to improve the capabilities of other people
• Functional Experience in contributing meaningfully to Clinical Operations functional improvement initiatives that cross clinical programs management experience, managing resourcing, budget planning and functional level activities
• Professional excellence: Background of high professional achievement and willingness to encourage this in others
• Leads change with a positive approach; sees change as an opportunity to improve performance and add value to the business - Influencing and stakeholder management
• Supplier/Partnership Management
• Excellent communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to set and manage priorities, resources, performance targets and project initiatives in a global environment
• Creative and Innovative: Seeks to improve continuously where it counts, based on good awareness of external competitive practice, and creativity and initiative
• Output/delivery focused - Maintains high standards, including a commitment to AstraZeneca values, policies and employment principles
• Cultural Awareness: Is aware of and sensitive to cultural differences and their impact on communication, expectations and performance.
• Teamwork and cross functional Collaboration: Is effective in leading and being a member of teams, both locally and internationally.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally

• Advanced Degree (MS, MBA, PhD)
• Comprehensive knowledge at a leadership role in clinical and pharmaceutical drug development processes
• Experience working internationally: working with major markets/resolution of international issues
• Business planning skills: has knowledge/experience of planning processes used in managing drug projects
• Risk and crisis management experience
• Experience of leading global teams (leading leaders of leaders)

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.

Why AstraZeneca: Here, you will be backed to pursue the science with curiosity and courage, using cutting-edge platforms and deep investment to turn complex ideas into real medicines. Our teams have delivered multiple oncology medicines in recent years, publish in leading journals, and partner closely with top academic centers and industry collaborators to tackle the toughest diseases. You will join a community that prizes evidence, open debate, and decisive action, where unexpected combinations of talent accelerate progress for patients. We value ambition and rigor, and we match it with support, kindness, and the freedom to ask bold questions that move the field forward.

Call to Action: Lead the franchise that will shape the future of cell therapy—bring your vision, pace, and precision to AstraZeneca and create impact that patients can feel.