AstraZeneca

Director, Global Scientific Communications, Hematology

AstraZeneca$230K — $260K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Advanced degree (PhD, PharmD, or MD) required.
  • 7-10 years of relevant pharmaceutical or medical communications experience.
  • Strong strategic publication planning skills.
  • Proven ability to develop medical education materials.
  • Familiarity with AI tools for scientific communications and their responsible use.
  • Ability to independently create and execute publication plans and strategies.
  • Exceptional writing skills and ability to interpret complex scientific data.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the global scientific communications strategy for Hematology products.
  • Chair and manage Global Publication Team activities and ensure agenda alignment.
  • Exercise independent judgment to negotiate timelines and resources.
  • Develop and deliver scientific communications, including abstracts and presentations.
  • Design and implement innovative medical education initiatives.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with cross-functional teams.
  • Influence stakeholder decisions and navigate competing priorities effectively.

Benefits

  • Participates in a 401(k) retirement plan.
  • Offers paid vacation and holidays.
  • Includes paid leaves.
  • Provides comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
  • Opportunities for short-term and long-term incentive bonuses.
Full Job Description
Director, Global Scientific Communications, Hematology

Location: Boston, MA (Seaport) onsite. This role follows AstraZeneca's in-office expectation, averaging a minimum of three days per week onsite. Fully remote work is not offered.

Reports to: Senior Director, Global Medical Communications, Hematology, Nephrology & Transplant

Organization: Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease

About the Role

Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease is seeking a Director, Global Scientific Communications, Hematology to lead global scientific communications strategy, publication planning, and medical education for a high-impact Hematology portfolio across key lifecycle stages in Boston, one of the world's most competitive life sciences markets.

This role combines the scale and scientific credibility of a global biopharmaceutical organization with the urgency, focus, and patient proximity of rare disease. The successful candidate will help shape how Alexion/AstraZeneca communicates complex science, clinical value, and patient impact to healthcare professionals, external experts, and the broader medical community.

The Director will chair the Hematology Global Publication Team and serve as a senior scientific communications partner accountable for driving decisions, aligning cross-functional stakeholders, and moving publication and medical education priorities forward. This role requires a self-starter who can operate independently, manage ambiguity, challenge assumptions, push back constructively, and negotiate trade-offs with internal and external partners when needed.

Key Accountabilities

In this role, you will:
  • Lead global scientific communications strategy: Develop communications strategies and publication plans for assigned Hematology products and indications, aligned with global medical, brand, and corporate priorities.
  • Chair Global Publication Teams: Lead Global Publication Team meetings and activities, drive agenda priorities, facilitate decisions, resolve stakeholder misalignment, and ensure clear ownership of next steps.
  • Exercise independent judgment: Make informed recommendations, escalate only when appropriate, and independently negotiate timelines, resources, authorship considerations, agency deliverables, and competing stakeholder priorities while maintaining scientific integrity and compliance.
  • Deliver scientific communications: Lead timely development of abstracts, posters, oral presentations, manuscripts, slide decks, and related scientific deliverables.
  • Develop medical education initiatives: Plan and implement congress symposia and other scientific programs that communicate important information to medical and scientific audiences.
  • Manage cross-functional partnerships: Build strong relationships across Global Medical Communications, Medical Affairs, clinical, biostatistics, product, agency, and other internal teams. Influence without direct authority and constructively challenge partners when scientific, operational, or compliance risks arise.


Why This Role Matters

This is an opportunity to influence the global scientific narrative for a Hematology portfolio addressing significant unmet patient needs. You will connect publication and medical education plans to medical objectives, evolving data, competitive dynamics, and clinical practice across global markets. Success requires proactive ownership, sound judgment, and the ability to make decisions in a complex matrix environment rather than waiting for direction.

For candidates evaluating opportunities across Boston's biotech landscape, this role offers a distinctive combination of strategic influence, scientific depth, global exposure, and patient-centered purpose. Through high-quality scientific communications and meaningful exchange, you will help advance understanding of rare diseases and support responsible communication of evidence that may contribute to improved patient care.

Essential/Minnimum Qualifications

You have:
  • An advanced degree, such as a PhD, PharmD, or MD.
  • Seven (7) to ten (10) years of relevant experience in a pharmaceutical company or medical communications agency, or significant independent scientific communications or publications consultancy experience supporting the pharmaceutical industry.
  • Strong experience in strategic publication planning, including scientific platform development, tactical publication planning, and implementation.
  • Experience planning and developing medical education materials and scientific program
  • Working knowledge of AI-enabled tools for scientific communications responsibly, including literature review, content development, and summarization, with the judgment to evaluate outputs for scientific accuracy, compliance, confidentiality, and company policy alignment.
  • The ability to independently develop strategic and tactical publication plans, make sound recommendations, and drive execution without requiring close day-to-day direction.
  • Strong writing skills and the ability to critically interpret and contextualize complex scientific and clinical data for physicians, patients, payers, and other audiences.
  • Demonstrated leadership skills, including the ability to influence without direct authority, manage senior stakeholders, push back constructively, and negotiate independently to resolve competing priorities.
  • Willingness and ability to travel within the US and internationally, as needed.


Preferred Qualifications
  • PhD in a life science discipline.
  • CMPP certification.
  • A background in Hematology and rare diseases.
  • Experience planning peer-to-peer engagements, advisory boards, or workshops supporting scientific publications or medical education materials.


Pay Transparency/ On-Site Office policy

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $230,870 - $260,678 USD Annual. Hourly and salaried non-exempt employees will also be paid overtime pay when working qualifying overtime hours. Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition, our positions offer a short-term incentive bonus opportunity; eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (salaried roles), to receive a retirement contribution (hourly roles), and commission payment eligibility (sales roles). Benefits offered included a qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]; paid vacation and holidays; paid leaves; and, health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans. Additional details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an "at-will position" and the Company reserves the right to modify base pay (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace, and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

Date Posted
19-Aug-2026

Closing Date

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company that specializes in the research, development, and manufacturing of prescription drugs. The company was formed in 1999 through the merger of Astra AB and Zeneca Group plc. AstraZeneca's products are used to treat a wide range of medical conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes. The company has operations in over 100 countries and employs more than 76,000 people worldwide. AstraZeneca is committed to developing innovative medicines that improve the health and well-being of people around the world.
Learn more about AstraZeneca
Size
83,100 employees
Market Cap
$211.5 billion
Industry
Net Income
$3.1 billion
Founded
1999
5 Year Trend
+10.2%
Revenue
$26.6 billion
NASDAQ

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at AstraZeneca

More Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Jobs

Find similar Director, Global Scientific Communications, Hematology jobs: