Senior Director, Global Project Management, Early Stage Oncology

Senior Director, Global Project Management, Early Stage Oncology

UK (Cambridge) or US (Gaithersburg or Waltham)

We are currently looking for a Senior Director, GPM in our Global Portfolio and Project Management (GPPM) Early Oncology organization. In this role, you will be line manager of a team of project managers, utilising your leadership and project management skills to help drive early-stage oncology drug development as well as being a project manager of sophisticated project(s). At AstraZeneca the early oncology drug development projects range across a large number of different exciting therapeutic modalities including CAR-T cell therapies, T-cell engagers, Antibody Drug Conjugates, bispecific antibodies, PROTACs and epigenetic inhibitor molecules.

About the role

Reporting into Phil Mallinder, The Senior Director of Project Management plays a highly visible and critical role in ensuring that our cross-functional drug development teams achieve key strategic objectives and deliver development milestones from lead optimisation investment decision to proof of concept. You will manage projects of the highest complexity, scale and of high priority to the company to enable timely delivery. You will act as a key coach and mentor for your direct reports and project team members. You will be a key member of the early oncology project management leadership team helping to influence the direction of early AstraZeneca oncology project management as well as leading initiatives to implement project management practices across the enterprise.

Responsibilities

Development of Project Strategy

• Partners with Global Project Leader to provide leadership by active input into the project strategy & vision, ensuring alignment of the strategy with operational delivery.

• Ensures projects and sub-project strategies align with overall program strategy.

• Leads the drug project strategy or cross-project and portfolio strategies.

• Ensures appropriate linkages between project strategy and key internal processes (TA strategy, TA prioritization, corporate scorecard).

• Identifies key business opportunities or need for strategic shifts based on external and internal events.

Team Leadership and Delivery

• Drive the efficient operation of the project team (including overall plans, priorities and risk management)

• Creates a shared sense of purpose, inspires and energises others.

• Coaches project teams towards successful issue resolution and decision making and focuses the team on the right activities at the right time. Identifies development opportunities for team members.

• Serves as a leader and key point of contact to drive efficient operation of project teams including overall plans, priorities, budget and risk management.

• Coordinates the efforts of sub-teams to ensure delivery at multiple levels of the development team.

• Engages with critical collaborators outside of team to address barriers or challenges facing team.

Governance and Investment Decisions

• Leads team towards optimized governance decisions – e.g. evaluate multiple strategic options and can drive team to value-maximizing drug development decisions.

• Provides guidance to both the team and senior management / governance bodies that allows efficient (timely and informed) decision making.

• Applies broad influential network and ensures engagement at all levels prior to key decisions.

Planning, Monitoring and Delivery

• Ensures that overall team deliverables, budgets, schedules, and performance standards are realistically set, governance approved and attained, and that the project effectively fulfils all business reporting requirements.

• Directs project support staff in maintaining plans of the highest data quality, accountable for all integrated Project Management deliverables associated with the program.

Entrepreneurship

• Be a role model for cross-functional collaboration and effective conflict resolution.

• Leads by example in learning, innovation seeking opportunities to change paradigm and removes barriers within and outside the team.

• Uses business knowledge to drive cross-project learning, champion and embed better ways of working across the enterprise, helping to establish new company practices.

Skills and Experience

Required

• Advanced degree in a scientific or technical drug development subject or equivalent work experience.

• Extensive experience leading drug development projects including success in multiple roles/environments related to drug development.

• Successful track record of delivering complex/ high business impact drug development projects within agreed time, quality and cost.

• Experience in improving drug-development related business processes or ways of working to improve speed, cost, timing or effort associated with project delivery.

• Ability to empower, lead and inspire successful teams.

• Expert knowledge of project management tools and processes.

• Experience ensuring high quality data in enterprise systems

• Senior Stakeholder management, demonstrating strong ability to influence strategically.

Desirable

• Experience in direct people management

• Relevant therapeutic area expertise

• In-depth knowledge of drug development process for small and/or large molecules.

• Good understanding of translational medicine strongly preferred

• Ability to understand complex scientific data

• Project Management (PMP) Certification

• Advanced degree in a scientific field and / or MBA

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca we’re dedicated to being a Great Place to Work. Where you are empowered to push the boundaries of science and unleash your entrepreneurial spirit. There’s no better place to make a difference to medicine, patients and society. An inclusive culture that champions diversity and collaboration, and always committed to lifelong learning, growth and development. We’re on an exciting journey to pioneer the future of healthcare.

So, what’s next?

• Are you ready to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available, and we hope it’s yours.

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Date Posted

Closing Date

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.