Associate Director - Analytical Sciences - Oral Product Development

Are you ready for an opportunity to join Oral Product Development in a people manager role? Are you passionate about managing a team with a focus on characterizing drug products, developing digital tools for characterization techniques, and developing an understanding of material properties? Then this exciting opportunity is for you!

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working as an Associate Director means being entrepreneurial, thinking big, and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you are our kind of person.

In Pharmaceutical Technology and Development (PT&D), we are the link between brilliant science and innovative medicines that help millions of people. We work across the entire value chain, crafting and delivering active ingredients, formulations, and devices required to support new medicines – from supplies for use in early toxicology studies and clinical trials to developing the technology to ensure drugs can be scaled up for commercial manufacture.

We are currently looking for a person to take on the Associate Director/Team Leader within the Oral Product Development organization. We believe that you have significant scientific project-based experience preferably with an analytical focus and want to strengthen our team and join us in the Oral Product Development function.

What you will do

We are looking for an Associate Director to lead and support a team of analytical scientists, enabling individuals to thrive and grow their capabilities. You will also provide leadership and support to pharmaceutical development projects to ensure critical achievements are met and patients have access to medicines.

We work in cross-skilled project teams during development so the role holder will typically be the responsible manager for one or several projects.

The Role:

• The job holder leads a team of 6-10 people, coaching them towards enhanced team and individual performance.
• The job holder will provide both tactical and operational leadership to the Analytical Sciences Unit in OPD to ensure that the team contributes optimally to the delivery of 1 or more late-stage development projects.
• Implements the OPD strategy and associated change plans, typically with specific responsibility for an analytical science's component of the OPD Strategy
• Builds the capability in the team and skill area that enables the team/skill area to achieve flexibility, agility, efficiency, and delivery. Role models lean leadership.
• Implements future focussed, innovative, and digitally orientated approaches to analytical method development, including automation, sustainability, process analytical technologies, Control Strategies/Enhanced Control Strategies, data science, predictive modelling, and AI.
• Creates and sustains a high-quality and innovative OPD team, which aims to continuously improve in competence, scientific excellence, and innovation with a strong focus on benefit realisation.
• Operates expertly as part of a global organisation with an integrating attitude and adopts future challenges and change.
• Ensures capability development to meet the challenges of the emerging and diverse oral product portfolio.
• Develops solutions to a diverse range of problems requiring sophisticated judgments based on highly developed levels of conceptual and analytical thinking.
• Have communication skills that influence and shape the image of the team and department, including excellent partner management.
• Be an excellent communicator to set clear direction and objectives and empower and engage team members.
• Works across regions and skill groups within and outside of own function
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of technical advances in broad areas of expertise of potential benefit to the business
• Ensures own work, and the work of the whole team is performed in accordance with appropriate Safety, Health & Environment (SHE), quality, and compliance standards, e.g., Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)
• Contribute to the preparation and review of internal team member briefing materials as well as clinical submissions and marketing applications.
• Contribute to training and development by acting as coach/mentor, giving immediate feedback, as appropriate. Develop personal performance by actively seeking feedback and support from peers.
• Drive the science of relevant areas of research and contribute as a discussion partner during the different development stages.

Essential requirements

• Advanced degree in a field relevant to analytical chemistry or undergraduate degree with significant experience in the analytical development of oral pharmaceutical products
• Leadership experience and a passion for promoting, motivating, and empowering diverse and inclusive cultures to support the accomplishment of individual, team, and organisational objectives
• Excellent interpersonal skills and strong ability to engage and collaborate across boundaries with a problem-solving demeanour and focus on delivery.
• Knowledge of the characterization/analytical area such as method development and method validation and work experience from a regulated environment (GLP/GMP) and from a pharmaceutical company.
• Good understanding of Pharmaceutical Science
• An appreciation of the overall drug development and commercialisation process from development and launch, through life cycle management
• Demonstrated strong networking skills across sophisticated, multi-national groups
• Lean leadership attitude

Desirable requirements

• Scientific leadership skills, the ability to deliver robust scientific contributions to projects, and demonstration of applying risk-based and value-driven approaches for successful delivery.
• Ability to think and operate across functional boundaries, challenge the status quo, and seek opportunities for business improvement.
• Effective influencing and prioritization skills to ensure project delivery to deadlines.
• Effective communication and partner skills, and the ability to discuss sophisticated ideas in a simple, easy-to-understand, manner.
• Proven inclusive leadership skills and implementation of digital tools and workflows.
• PhD in scientific field
• Demonstrable ability to lead cross functional working groups and teams
• Good knowledge of the latest technical and regulatory developments
• Knowledge of AstraZeneca policies, procedures, and guidelines
• Lean leadership mindset

Global Career Level: E

We welcome your application no later than September 28th, 2023.

For more information about the position please contact: Susan Smith

AstraZeneca adopts 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.

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.