Statistical Science Associate Director (Principal level) – BioPharmaceuticals, CVRM

Do you have expertise in, and passion for, Biostatistics? Would you like to apply your skills to impact drug development and regulatory interactions, in a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life changing medicines? Then AstraZeneca might be the one for you.

Those who join AstraZeneca not only feel a sense of ownership about their future, but also know that their work has a huge impact on patients. With AstraZeneca, you will be applying innovative and creative approaches to science while being at the forefront of a strong and rich pipeline of cutting-edge medicines. Here, you will join passionate professionals who push the boundary of science and technology to develop and deliver life-changing medicines designed to help people live better lives.

Our Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism (CVRM) pipeline includes investigational therapies in varied stages of clinical development, from recently approved products to earlier-stage molecules in clinical trials. We aspire to transform the lives of patients, working not only to prolong patients’ lives, but to also improve their function and help patients feel better.

We are currently recruiting for Statisticians at Associate Director level depending on your previous experience to join our team supporting the CVRM portfolio.

What you will do:

A successful candidate has sufficient experience working as a statistician in the pharmaceutical industry to independently perform and lead statistical work within a study or drug project, an indication within a more complex project or be recognized as a methodology expert. This individual is able to lead and direct Biometrics work either in house or partnering with CROs to ensure delivery to quality and time.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the statistical thinking and contributions to the delivery of studies, development plans, regulatory strategy, health technology assessment and/or commercial activities
• Develop design options and provide high quality decision support to enable the business to make informed decisions about a study or project
• Quantify the benefit, risk, value and uncertainty of the emerging asset/product profile
• Investigate and apply novel statistical approaches, for relevant statistical issues and/or regulatory guidance and/or value demonstration, including modelling and simulation
• Lead the delivery and oversight on drug projects and/or studies to time, quality and standards, including partnering with CROs and with Programming
• Contribute to development of new procedures and standards to increase quality, efficiency, and effectiveness

Depending on your experience, the role may also include:

• Interactions to influence key stakeholders and governance
• Acting as a technical expert in interactions with external providers and collaborators
• Working with regulatory agencies, e.g., attending meetings, answering questions
• Mentoring and coaching junior staff and supporting them with education and training in statistics

We offer the chance to influence drug development and the opportunity to gain experience across a range of challenging and exciting projects.

Essential in the role:

• MSc/PhD in Statistics or Mathematics (containing a substantial statistical component) with experience in pharma/healthcare or other relevant area
• Experience of pharmaceutical development, data analysis and interpretation. For Associate Director role, experience of program design
• Knowledge of the technical and regulatory requirements related to the role
• Leadership capabilities to be able to lead and direct project work
• Strong knowledge of programming in R and/or SAS
• Excellent written and spoken English. Excellent communication skills (including communicating with non-statisticians) and ability to build strong relationships
• Excellent collaboration skills required – the energy to work across global & functional boundaries, both internally and externally
• Ability to apply statistical expertise to complex problems, problem solving and quality focus

Recognizing the importance of individualized flexibility, our ways of working allow employees to balance personal and work commitments while ensuring we continue to create a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork by engaging face-to-face in our offices 3 days a week.