{"id":1127992,"url":"https://alion.io/job/astrazeneca-senior-director-external-science-engagement-strategy-cell-therapy","title":"Senior Director, External Science Engagement & Strategy - Cell Therapy","company":{"id":13195,"name":"AstraZeneca","domain":"astrazeneca.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/astra-zeneca","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":90,"open_postings":95,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.6,"repost_share":0.011,"time_to_fill_p50_days":14,"computed_at":"2026-09-24T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Sales","role_family":"Sales","seniority":"head","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Cambridge, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":233586,"max":350379,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":350379},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":15,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-22T22:57:17Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-22","last_verified_at":"2026-09-24T15:37:29Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"Introduction to Role\nThe Cell Therapy Partnerships & Strategy team brings together experts working at the forefront of clinical development to help shape AstraZeneca’s next generation of cell therapy innovation. By engaging critical external stakeholders, integrating leading scientific perspectives, and connecting external expertise with our research and development priorities, we accelerate meaningful progress across the portfolio.\nAs the Senior Director, External Science Engagement & Strategy - Cell Therapy you will lead the development and execution of external scientific engagement, strategic partnership, Externally Sponsored Collaborative Research, and medical congress strategies across AstraZeneca’s cell therapy portfolio. You will cultivate academic and scientific collaborations that accelerate clinical trial delivery, generate actionable insights, and strengthen AstraZeneca’s leadership within the evolving cell therapy ecosystem.\nOperating at the intersection of strategy and execution, you will translate R&D priorities into coordinated, insight-led engagement plans with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and robust governance. You will collaborate across Clinical Development, Translational Science, Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Clinical Operations, and other enterprise functions to connect external perspectives with decisions that advance our programs and benefit patients.\nWhy This Role\nThis is an opportunity to shape how AstraZeneca engages with leading scientists, investigators, academic institutions, professional societies, and cell therapy centers across hematology, autoimmune diseases, rare diseases, and neurology.\nYou will influence scientific and clinical development strategy through External Scientific Panels, Cell Therapy Science Committees, academic collaborations, Investigator-Initiated Trials, strategic-site partnerships, and priority medical congresses. Your work will help translate emerging science and external insight into stronger study designs, evidence-generation plans, operational improvements, and portfolio decisions.\nAccountabilities\nExternal Scientific Expert Panels and Academic Partnerships\nContribute to an integrated external scientific engagement and partnership strategy aligned with Cell Therapy Enterprise R&D priorities across hematology, autoimmune diseases, rare diseases, and neurology.\nDesign and lead External Scientific Panels (ESPs), Cell Therapy Science Committees, advisory engagements, and other scientific forums that address clearly defined program- and portfolio-level questions.\nIdentify, cultivate, and manage strategic relationships with Key External Experts, academic institutions, professional societies, investigators, and leading cell therapy centers.\nPartner with Clinical Development and cross-functional teams to define engagement objectives, identify appropriate experts, and develop scientific agendas, briefing materials, and follow-up plans.\nLeverage external expertise to inform development strategy, study design, patient populations, clinical endpoints, safety management, evidence generation, and the operational delivery of early- and late-stage cell therapy programs.\nEstablish a coordinated approach to expert engagement across the portfolio that reduces duplication, strengthens continuity, and maximizes the strategic value of each interaction.\nServe as the primary AstraZeneca point of contact for select external experts and strategic partners, establishing clear governance, facilitating issue resolution, and supporting effective collaboration.\nEstablish measurable objectives for external engagements and partnerships and track their influence on strategic decisions, clinical development plans, and trial delivery.\nFacilitate clear communication and information sharing across Cell Therapy Enterprise programs.\nExternal Science Engagement and Congress Strategy\nLead the strategic planning, execution, and follow-up of priority medical congresses and external scientific engagements relevant to the Cell Therapy Enterprise portfolio.\nDevelop integrated, portfolio-level strategies for Tier 1 and Tier 2 congresses, including ASH, ACR Convergence, ASCO, EHA, ESMO, AANEM, ASTCT, and other strategically important scientific forums.\nDefine priority stakeholders, scientific objectives, engagement plans, key activities, governance, and expected outcomes for each congress or external forum.\nServe as the Cell Therapy Enterprise lead for priority congresses, partnering across R&D, Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, and global functions to deliver a coordinated and impactful AstraZeneca scientific presence.\nLead cross-functional congress planning forums and oversee congress playbooks, briefing materials, leadership communications, stakeholder meeting plans, and execution resources.\nCoordinate the deployment of AstraZeneca subject-matter experts and scientific capabilities to advance scientific dialogue and capture competitive, clinical, and emerging scientific insights.\nIdentify opportunities to improve coordination, reduce duplication, and increase the scientific and strategic value of external engagements.\nEnsure insights, decisions, and follow-up actions are documented, communicated, and translated into clear strategic recommendations.\nDefine and monitor measures of success for priority congresses and use outcomes and insights to strengthen future engagement strategies.\nCell Therapy Site and Stakeholder Relationships\nBuild and maintain strategic relationships with AstraZeneca Cell Therapy Strategic Partnership sites, investigators, institutional leaders, clinical site teams, research institutions, and other stakeholders across the R&D ecosystem.\nDevelop stakeholder maps and segmentation frameworks that identify priority relationships and define the appropriate engagement objectives, timing, channels, and internal ownership.\nPartner with Clinical Development and study-delivery teams to identify site-level opportunities and barriers, strengthen investigator engagement, and support efficient clinical trial activation and execution.\nLeverage Cell Therapy Strategic Partnerships to address site-level barriers and generate actionable scientific and operational insights across early- and late-stage programs.\nConnect institutional capabilities and external scientific interests with AstraZeneca’s portfolio priorities to create high-value, mutually beneficial collaborations.\nRepresent AstraZeneca at scientific congresses, academic forums, strategic partnership meetings, and relevant industry events to strengthen the company’s visibility and credibility within the cell therapy ecosystem.\nExternally Sponsored Collaborative Research\nSupport the evaluation and advancement of Externally Sponsored Collaborative Research (ESCR) proposals, including Investigator-Initiated Trials (IITs), from concept submission and scientific review through contracting, execution, and dissemination of results.\nPartner with external investigators and internal subject-matter experts to assess proposals for scientific merit, strategic alignment, operational feasibility, readiness, potential portfolio impact, and the ability to address priority evidence gaps.\nServe as a key liaison between external investigator-sponsors and internal review and governance committees throughout the ESCR lifecycle.\nCoordinate cross-functional proposal reviews with Clinical Development, Translational Science, Regulatory, Safety, Clinical Operations, Legal, Compliance, Contracts, and other relevant functions.\nPrepare proposal summaries, strategic assessments, and recommendations for governance review, ensuring decisions and follow-up actions are clearly documented and communicated.\nMaintain oversight of the ESCR portfolio by tracking proposal status, governance decisions, contracting milestones, study progress, risks, deliverables, outcomes, and dissemination of results.\nProactively identify externally sponsored research opportunities that complement AstraZeneca-sponsored development plans and advance scientific understanding of the cell therapy portfolio.\nEnsure ESCR activities align with AstraZeneca policies, governance requirements, contractual obligations, and applicable legal, regulatory, and compliance standards.\nEvaluate and communicate how emerging data and research insights may inform clinical development, evidence-generation, and portfolio strategy.\nInsight Generation and Strategic Impact\nLead the systematic capture, synthesis, and communication of actionable insights from External Scientific Panels and contribute insights from academic partnerships, congresses, investigators, and strategic sites.\nTranslate external perspectives, competitive intelligence, and emerging scientific developments into clear implications and recommendations for cell therapy programs, portfolio priorities, clinical development, and evidence-generation strategies.\nEstablish mechanisms to track how external insights influence program decisions, study designs, operational execution, and broader portfolio priorities.\nProvide concise, decision-oriented updates to senior leaders and cross-functional governance teams, highlighting emerging risks, strategic opportunities, key insights, and recommended actions.\nDefine and monitor performance measures for external engagements and partnerships, including engagement quality, insight generation, action completion, contribution to strategic decisions, and impact on clinical trial delivery.\nBudget Management, Governance, and Compliance\nEnsure external scientific engagements, partnerships, and congress activities are planned and executed in accordance with AstraZeneca policies, applicable laws, regulations, governance requirements, and industry standards.\nPartner with project managers and R&D leadership to support budget planning, tracking, and resource allocation for Cell Therapy external engagement activities.\nMonitor expenditures, forecasts, risks, and resource requirements.\nProvide timely updates and recommendations to leadership that support informed decisions and delivery within approved budgets.\nEssential Skills/Experience\nBS, MS, PhD, or advanced degree in Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences, or a related scientific field with a minimum of 15 years experience\nExperience in strategy consulting, business intelligence, competitive intelligence, scientific strategy, or a related role.\nDemonstrated ability to synthesize external scientific, clinical, competitive, and market insights into actionable recommendations that inform R&D, portfolio, and program decisions.\nStrong understanding of scientific engagement, strategic partnerships, external stakeholder management, or evidence-generation strategy.\nExperience building relationships with external scientific experts, investigators, academic institutions, clinical sites, professional societies, or comparable stakeholders.\nStrong organizational, project management, and business-planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and complex timelines.\nAbility to solve problems, make sound decisions, and navigate organizational complexity within a highly matrixed environment.\nStrong cross-functional leadership, strategic influencing, and relationship-management skills.\nExcellent written, verbal, presentation, and executive communication skills.\nAbility to communicate complex scientific information clearly to scientific, clinical, operational, and senior leadership audiences.\nProficiency in English and strong working knowledge of Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.\nWillingness and ability to travel as needed to support medical congresses, site visits, scientific forums, and external partner engagements.\nDesirable Skills/Experience\nAdvanced degree, such as a PharmD, PhD, MD, NP, PA, or equivalent qualification.\nExperience in bioscience or life sciences strategy consulting, including strategy, competitive intelligence, or market access consulting.\nExpe...","description_format":"text","description_chars":14782,"description_truncated":true,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":15,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"Advanced (C1)","optional":false}]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Cell & Gene Therapy","Biopharma","Regenerative Medicine","Health Care"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-22T22:57:17Z"}],"liveness":{"score":63,"band":"ok","label":"Likely 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