AstraZeneca

Executive Director, Oncology Business Unit, Strategy

AstraZeneca$267K — $401K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Advanced degree (Master's or MBA) required
  • 10+ years experience in pharmaceuticals, consulting, equity research, or a similar role
  • Extensive expertise in oncology
  • Strong consultative and communication abilities
  • Solid scientific background with strategic analytical skills
  • Experience influencing without authority and maintaining senior-level credibility
  • Motivated to work in a fast-paced environment with societal impact.

Responsibilities

  • Set and implement integrated oncology strategies aligning with company-wide goals
  • Engage with senior leadership to provide insights-driven portfolio recommendations
  • Own and lead tumor portfolio strategy, ensuring transparency and best practices
  • Drive market research and forecasting to shape branding and R&D decisions
  • Deliver detailed pipeline forecasts, articulating risks and opportunities
  • Ensure excellence in business processes and governance across key reviews
  • Navigate complex market dynamics and development strategies to inform prioritization
  • Lead major investment requests to optimize value across tumor markets

Benefits

  • Eligibility for various incentives and bonuses
  • Access to qualified retirement programs
  • Paid time off including vacation and holidays
  • Health, dental, and vision coverage
Full Job Description

As Executive Director, Oncology Business Unit (OBU) Strategy, you will lead a high-impact agenda at the intersection of science, medicine, and business. Working with a team of experts across Oncology R&D and the OBU, you will be responsible for creating and implementing strategies to deliver an industry‑leading and innovative oncology pipeline that improves patient care and outcomes. These strategies will be built through rigorous analyses, actionable insights, innovative thinking, and cross‑functional teamwork. This is an opportunity for a motivated, collaborative, data‑driven leader to help AstraZeneca advance its bold ambition to one day eradicate cancer as a cause of death.

Accountabilities:

  • Set integrated oncology strategy: Lead development and implementation of therapy area, tumour, and indication strategies that align into a single, company‑wide oncology strategy with Oncology R&D and global franchise partners.

  • Engage senior leadership: Provide disciplined, insights‑driven valuations and strategic recommendations to C‑suite stakeholders to guide portfolio and investment decisions.

  • Own tumor portfolio leadership: Serve as the single point of contact and 3ingle voice7 for OBU tumor strategy, chairing bimonthly tumor forums and establishing best practices and transparent coverage across priority tumors (e.g., Breast, Lung).

  • Drive commercial analytics and forecasting: Lead market research, forecasting, and insight generation to shape global brand strategies, R&D decisions, supply planning, and TA scenario analyses across multiple GPTs and assets.

  • Deliver robust pipeline forecasts: Produce rigorous, assumption‑based forecasts for all tumor pipeline assets through the annual cycle, clearly articulating risks, opportunities, and context for senior leaders.

  • Ensure process excellence and governance: Drive clarity and consistency across key business processes (forecast reviews, investment cases, TA/portfolio reviews, business and audit reviews), including partnering with Finance VPs on annual impairment assessments.

  • Navigate complex development and market dynamics: Integrate study designs, TPPs, CDPs, combination strategies, competitive and pricing landscapes, and stage‑specific disease strategies to inform prioritization and investment.

  • Steward major investments and opportunities: Lead large investment requests and business opportunity assessments to optimize value creation across evolving tumor markets.

  • Lead and influence across the enterprise: Guide and develop Directors/Associate Directors, maintain trusted partnerships with clinical, commercial and strategy leaders, and influence senior stakeholders across OBU and Oncology R&D without formal authority.

Essential Skills/Experience:

  • Advanced degree including Master's or MBA

  • 10+ years relevant experience including pharmaceutical industry, consulting, equity research or similar in which you have contributed to global pipeline strategy (market assessment, competitor analysis, forecasting)

  • Extensive depth in oncology

  • Strong consultative and communication skills

  • A strong scientific background and strategic analytical skills; excellent analysis and fact-based decision-making; experience with data and/or a science research/ bio-pharmaceutical environment

  • Highly intellectually capable with agility and adaptability

  • Motivated by working in a fast-paced field with clear societal impact

  • Understanding of general business and core marketing principles and application to future healthcare market challenges

  • Familiar with the oncology drug development process and necessary strategic and commercial touch points

  • Able to influence without authority and establish and maintain credibility with senior audiences

  • Resourceful, motivated, decisive and proactive; must be able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-growing organization;

  • Attention to detail but also a big picture thinker & communicator

  • A critical thinker with experience of identifying and driving key projects and providing researched, verified, relevant information to leaders.

Preferred Skills/Experience:

  • PhD in life sciences

  • Experience of setting up short- and long-term strategic plans

  • Understanding of clinical data and clinical trial design

  • Experience in at least two major geographies (e.g. US, EU, Japan, China)

  • Thorough understanding of regulatory and pricing dynamics in major markets

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $267,914 to $401,870. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives1 opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

In-Office Working Requirements

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. Thats why we work, on average, a minimum ofthree days per weekfrom the office. But that doesnt mean were not flexible. This role is based in Gaithersburg MD, USA. We are unable to accommodate alternative locations, remote or travel constructs for this roles.

Date Posted

08-Jun-2026

Closing Date

29-Jun-2026

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

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