Associate Director Pathology (m/f/d)

Join our Munich team as an Associate Director of Pathology and play a crucial role in advancing life-saving treatments for thousands of patients. This is a permanent position focused on digital pathology, providing a unique opportunity to impact drug development projects within a dynamic and collaborative environment.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. But we’re more than one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

Site description

Welcome to Computational Pathology Munich, one of over 400 sites here at AstraZeneca, providing a collaborative environment where everyone feels comfortable and able to be themselves is at the core of AstraZeneca’s priorities. It’s important to us that you bring your full self to work every day. To help you maintain your best self, here’s a sneak peek into some of the things this site provides for you: After-work events, Lunch & Learns, Bright and spacious environment, Sustainable office working environment, Networking events, family and childcare support and of course the Alps around the corner for hiking, biking, and skiing.

Business area

At AstraZeneca, Computational Pathology sits within the Clinical Biomarker Development department within our Oncology R&D organisation. The Computational Pathology team was established with the acquisition of Definiens. At our site in Munich, we are changing the way imaging technologies are combined with other omics technologies and clinical patient data to offer outstanding insight and impact. We empower translational science to transform cancer treatment with impactful information derived from biomedical image by innovating at the interface between Artificial Intelligence, pathology and data sciences.

What you’ll do

The Associate Director of Pathology plays a key role within the Computational Pathology function, responsible for providing expert pathological support across all Computational Pathology teams and AstraZeneca Oncology R&D Drug Development/Translational Medicine teams. This position involves overseeing proof of concept studies, integrating pathology data with disease information, and contributing to the leadership and direction of the department. The successful candidate will lead small projects focused on technical fields within pathology, offering scientific support for the design, execution, and review of translational projects and biomarker studies.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Provide pathology related support and subject matter expert knowledge to all Computational Pathology teams in Munich from wet lab to image analysis and data interpretation.

• Provide pathology focused Computational pathology subject matter expertise to AZ teams beyond Computational Pathology Munich (CPM) (e.g. Translational Medicine).

• Contribute to the direction of the Computational Pathology at CPM, leading small project groups focused on technical fields within pathology.

• Offer scientific and pathology support for the design, review, and execution of translational projects and biomarker studies.

• Oversee proof of concept studies by integrating pathology data with disease information, contributing significantly to the practical delivery of project goals through expert advice and complex data interpretation.

• Lead and champion the introduction of pathology and image analysis concepts to constantly improve the digital and computational pathology workflow.

• Provide pathological expert support for assays optimization and validation, including Quality Control/Quality Assurance aspects for image analysis.

• Create high-quality labels (annotations) for the training and testing/validation of machine learning algorithms, monitoring internal and external annotation tasks.

• Contribute to the development of innovative computational pathology diagnostics in close collaboration with responsible teams.

• Serve as a resource for others by sharing expertise within and beyond the pathology function and promoting collaboration within the global AZ pathology team.

• Keep abreast of research in the field of image analysis and machine learning for pathology, assessing tools and platforms to increase efficiency while maintaining data quality.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Medical (M.D.) or veterinary degree (D.V.M.) and board-certified in anatomical/surgical pathology or similar qualifications.

• At least 2 years of relevant experience in tissue biomarker discovery and analysis.

• Good knowledge of tissue diagnostics (histology, cytology, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, molecular pathology, genetics).

• Proven track record in cancer diagnostics (oncology).

• Leadership and expertise in digital pathology, particularly within computational pathology.

• Strong experience in overseeing project groups and providing expert pathological support.

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, capable of fostering collaboration and knowledge transfer within a diverse global team.

• Ability to work independently on multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment, including priority setting and time management.

• Strong analytical skills and a proactive approach to continuous improvement.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in Pathology from internationally recognized accreditation bodies; PhD preferred.

• Experience in the Pharmaceutical/Biotech industry, particularly in drug development or translational medicine.

• Familiarity with Good Laboratory Practice, Safety, Health, and Environment standards.

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca, we 're committed 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. A culture that champions diversity and collaboration, and always committed to lifelong learning, growth and development. We’re on our journey to pioneer the future of healthcare.

So, what’s next?

• Are you already considering joining the team? Good, because we can’t wait to hear from you.

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

• If you’re curious to know more please get in touch with Lucia Fischer

Competitive salary package and benefits

Where can I find out more?

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