Associate Director, Compliance & Audit at AstraZeneca in Wilmington, DE

At AstraZeneca, we turn ideas into life-changing medicines. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big, and working together to make the impossible a reality. We're focused on the potential of science to address the unmet needs of patients around the world. We commit to those areas where we think we can change the course of medicine and bring big new ideas to life.

As part of the Market Access team, you will play an integral role in activating our customer relationships to positively impact changing patients' lives.

As the market landscape continues to evolve rapidly and public pressure to reduce drug spending intensifies. The Market Access team plays a meaningful role in developing and implementing successful pricing, reimbursement, and access strategies that drive our products' commercial success throughout the entire portfolio.

The team comprises various functions, including Access Strategy & Innovation, National Payer, Regional Payer & Health Systems, Channel, Contract Strategy, Access Services, and Market Access Strategic Pricing & Operations (MASPO). These functions work together and cross-functionally across the organization to continuously optimize patient and provider access to our products in defined brands and therapeutic areas. As a business partner to the brands, the team also integrates market access insights into clinical and commercial decision-making and works to ensure our portfolio is optimally positioned to provide clinical and economic value to patients, providers, and payers.

Job Description / Capsule

The Associate Director of Compliance & Audit is responsible for ensuring Market Access adherence to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 ("SOx") regulations and internal Financial Controls, maintaining and operating the established Market Access compliance framework and partnering with key stakeholders to support and resolve Audit & Litigation inquiries. The Associate Director will be a key point of contact for both internal/external auditors as well as legal counsel. In this capacity, the Associate Director will work with relevant Market Access teams and cross functional partners to ensure that appropriate control evidence and supporting documentation is delivered to auditing entities and legal stakeholders. As findings and recommendations are identified, the Associate Director is responsible for ensuring all findings are addressed and remediations are put in place in a timely manner.

The demands of this position require a person capable of influencing without authority, negotiating and managing stakeholder relationships.

Typical Accountabilities:

• Ensuring that the department is compliant with all governing regulations by maintaining and monitoring 50 SOx Controls and associated SOx Narratives.
• Responsible for maintaining and operating the established Compliance Framework
• Ensure that all supporting documents and processes for Controls are maintained and updated as necessary
• Perform internal audits of Controls
• Validate that all Controls have been completed and filed
• Liaison between Business Users and internal/external Auditors and Legal Counsel
• Train all users on the appropriate use and filings of Controls
• Partner with AZ I.T. and AZ eDRT teams to fulfil litigation requests for historical data and/or contracts
• Quickly understand business challenges and champion the needs of a variety of Commercial stakeholders
• Facilitate timely and effective decision making
• Provide clarity to nebulous business issues and develop actionable solutions that drive positive business outcomes
• Anticipate, identify and provide options to resolve issues/risks
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with key internal/external customers and/or stakeholders
• Facilitate and lead meetings/discussions with subject matters experts and key stakeholders
• Work closely with IT to provide business view of system needs and enhancements
• Anticipate future impacts on current policies and processes and involve Market Access Audit and Legal support as needed
• Conduct needs assessment, then develop, design and ensure the implementation of all training as needed
• Participate in key projects and discussions to ensure compliance considerations are embedded into every decision

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential

• Bachelor's degree; preferably in a relevant field
• 5+ years of pharmaceutical or related healthcare business
• 2+ years of Auditing experience & SOx Controls
• Understanding of Market Access and Healthcare delivery
• Analytical skills including problem solving
• Demonstrated abilities to influence without authority, lead teams and develop/foster relationships with senior leadership
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to multitask
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, Visio and MS Project

Desirable

• MBA/JD
• Thorough understanding of AZ business model
• 2+ years' experience with any of the following:
  
  • SAP and Order Fulfilment
  • Contract Operations
  • Government Pricing and Medicaid