Search & Evaluation Director, Respiratory & Immunology

Search and Evaluation Director, Respiratory & Immunology (R&I), Business Development and Licensing, Biopharmaceuticals R&D

Do you have a scientific or clinical background combined with an entrepreneurial attitude and business know-how? Would you like to apply your expertise in a company where we are following the science and turn ideas into life changing medicines? Then you might be the one we are looking for!

Job description

The Search and Evaluation Director, Respiratory & Immunology, in Business Development and Licensing is a key role in Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, where the role holder supports global Business Development initiatives and has a direct impact on the scientific strategy and portfolio. The Search and Evaluation (S&E) group is responsible for driving search efforts of external innovation throughout the Biopharma R&D R&I community and conducting technical due diligence activities that ensure an in-depth understanding of investment opportunities and provide effective decision-making tools for the organization.  The role holder will have a major impact on strategic development of Biopharmaceuticals R&D, R&I , ensuring that the portfolio is delivered and that the science, capabilities and portfolio are fit for future challenges and opportunities.

The successful candidate has a strong R&D scientific and / or clinical background, business and strategic acumen and excellent communication skills. In addition, an ability to engage and collaborate across boundaries with an entrepreneurial attitude and delivery focus.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Reporting to the Head of S&E, R&I, you will be responsible for identifying, evaluating and maintaining landscape of external in-licensing opportunities from academia, biotech’s and peer-pharma including early research projects, new modality platforms, early and late clinical stage candidates and Life Cycle Management (LCM) opportunities
• You will represent the Business Development strategy at partnering meetings to identify and triage external assets and opportunities related to R&I.
• You will be responsible for integrating input from various functional areas across the organization to create high quality, clear and concise confidential evaluation reports of external assets and will provide recommendations to  Head of S&E.
• You will be responsible for identifying and evaluation of key strategic collaborations and technical platform capabilities that can enhance the scientific credibility and portfolio of Biopharmaceuticals R&D R&I.
• You will work constructively with key collaborators and cross-functional teams including commercial to ensure effective communication, efficient decision-making, to support completion of transactions with BD teams in a timely manner
• You will track breakthrough innovation, ongoing clinical trials and market trends of existing external R&I  opportunities using competitive intelligence tools to find opportunities, threats and risks in a timely manner.

Culture

• Create a dynamic, entrepreneurial and externally facing organization which enables an internally and externally collaborative culture with calculated risk taking.

Education: 

• 10 years MD or PhD or MBA experience.

Requirements and Qualifications:

• Strong scientific reputation in drug discovery and clinical development in R&I
• Basic understanding of deal making
• Ability to interact and communicate effectively
• Validated leadership abilities in a R & D environment
• A strong understanding of clinical development experience in R&I, demonstrating cultural sensitivity and awareness.
• Extensive experience in pharmaceutical R&D, demonstrating international experience in multiple cultures and R & D environments.
• Ability to think critically, creatively and to anticipate and tackle problems
• Ability to navigate and be successful in a fast-paced, highly-matrixed work environment

Leadership and behaviours

• Excellent communicator who take responsibility for decisions made. Role model engagement and commitment.
• Able to lead culture shift and set the standard in performance at all levels in the organization
• Able and accountable for driving business performance.
• Understand the wider AstraZeneca business priorities
• Appreciate that scientific expertise needs to be balanced with business leadership
• Able to actively seek collaboration in a sophisticated matrix structure

Reporting line

Reports to Head of Search and Evaluation, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, R&I

If you are interested, apply now!

You are welcome to apply no later than March 1, 2025

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. In addition to being one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, AstraZeneca is proud to provide a unique workplace culture that inspires innovation and cross-boundary collaboration. Within this environment employees are empowered to express varied perspectives, and are made to feel valued, energized and rewarded for their ideas and creativity.

AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer. AstraZeneca will consider all qualified applicants for employment without discrimination on grounds of disability, sex or sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity leave status, race or national or ethnic origin, age, religion or belief, gender identity or re-assignment, marital or civil partnership status, protected veteran status (if applicable) or any other characteristic protected by law. AstraZeneca only employs individuals with the right to work in the countries where the role is advertised.