Senior Manager, Global Media Relations

Location: Pancras Square, London, UK

Competitive salary and benefits apply

At AstraZeneca, we're not just about creating life-changing medicines; we're about creating a culture of innovation and collaboration. As a Senior Manager in Global Media Relations, you'll be at the forefront of managing our reputation in the media, building relationships with key contacts, and supporting the delivery of therapy area media engagement. This is your chance to make a difference to medicine, patients, and society while working in an environment that champions diversity and lifelong learning.

In this role, you will lead global media strategies that elevate our corporate reputation, amplify our therapy area narratives, and reinforce confidence in our science and leadership. Your work will connect patients, policymakers, investors, and the public to what we do and why it matters, helping ensure innovation reaches those who need it most.

You will join a high-trust, fast-moving team empowered to challenge how things are done, make quick decisions, and collaborate across borders. From proactive storytelling to issues management and digital amplification, you will drive outcomes that power the business and protect long-term reputation.

Accountabilities:

• Develop and execute media relations campaigns and ongoing communication across global Therapy Areas to promote AstraZeneca, our brands, and key initiatives, driving consistent global visibility and impact.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with global top-tier regional and national, business, trade, and broadcast media outlets and reporters, ensuring our perspectives land where they matter most.

• Serve as a spokesperson on key company topics, news flow, and issues; proactively pitch stories and respond rapidly and accurately to incoming media requests to shape coverage.

• Develop statements, press releases, and executive messages that reflect the company’s position on proactive and reactive matters, including material/share-price sensitive events.

• Coach senior leaders on media interview techniques and external speaking skills; prepare and support leaders for high-stakes media and speaking engagements.

• Partner closely with internal Therapy Area colleagues to ensure brand messages are proactively shared with top-tier contacts and consistently reflected in corporate external communications.

• Help lead issues management and crisis preparedness activities for situations that could adversely impact AstraZeneca, enabling swift, coordinated responses.

• Support development and execution of a digital channels strategy across social, blog, and website to extend reach and engagement.

• In close collaboration with in-country affiliates, develop and maintain a media and social media measurement approach that tracks progress against corporate reputation objectives and informs continuous improvement.

• Evaluate in-country spokespeople and media relations capabilities; design and manage capability-building programs to raise standards and consistency globally.

Essential Skills/Experience:

• Experience developing and executing media relations campaigns and ongoing communication for use with media across global Therapy Areas to promote brands and initiatives.

• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with global top-tier regional and national, business, trade, and broadcast media outlets/reporters.

• Experience serving as a company spokesperson on key company topics, news flow, and issues, including proactively pitching media and responding to incoming media requests.

• Experience developing statements, press releases, and executive messages that reflect the company’s position on proactive and reactive matters, including material/share-price sensitive events.

• Experience coaching senior leaders on media interview techniques and external speaking skills, and supporting leaders on media and speaking engagements.

• Experience collaborating with internal Therapy Area colleagues to ensure brand messages are proactively shared with top-tier contacts and reflected in corporate external communications.

• Experience helping lead issues management and crisis preparedness activities for situations that could adversely impact the company.

• Experience supporting development and execution of a digital channels strategy for social, blog, and website.

• Experience developing and maintaining, in collaboration with in-country affiliates, a media and social media measurement approach to evaluate progress against corporate reputation objectives.

• Experience evaluating in-country spokespeople and media relations capabilities and developing and managing capability-building programs.

Desirable Skills/Experience:

• Experience in biopharma or other highly regulated, science-led industries.

• Track record managing media around high-visibility, market-sensitive announcements.

• Experience implementing global media measurement frameworks and social listening tools.

• Background leading capability-building programs across multiple regions and cultures.

• Multilingual communication skills and cross-cultural stakeholder management.

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.

Why AstraZeneca:
Join a company where bold ideas meet real-world impact—where storytellers and scientists sit together to spark fresh thinking, move fast, and deliver for patients. You will tap into a global network that shares knowledge freely, harness modern digital tools to make sharper decisions, and shape conversations that matter across the enterprise. We back ambition with support, valuing kindness alongside high performance, and we invest in your growth so you can stretch your craft, learn from diverse experts, and see your work shape perception, policy, and progress.

Are you ready to play a valued and central role in powering the global enterprise? Are you ready to play a role in powering AstraZeneca and helping all of us to fulfil our ambitions? If so, apply today!