Senior Director, Oncology Corporate Affairs, International

Do you have a passion for transforming healthcare in the emerging markets? Would you like to join an industry-leading corporate affairs team to make a difference for people, society and planet? Then AstraZeneca might be the place for you!

About AstraZeneca

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person!

What you’ll do

As Senior Director, Oncology Corporate Affairs for the International region—which spans Latin America, Middle East Africa and Asia Pacific—you design, build and channel our capabilities to catalyse change across markets for the benefit of patients, healthcare systems and AstraZeneca.

In alignment with the Global Corporate Affairs Oncology strategies, you develop and execute a bold strategy for International. You will integrate policy, advocacy, government affairs as well as corporate, external and internal communications with a clear focus on business-relevant impact in key markets and alignment to business priorities/scorecards.

You will play a central role in helping the region prioritise, co-create/adapt and resource flagship global programmes, and maximise high impact opportunities. You will lead quarterly Corporate Affairs reviews with Global and International leaders with key markets, sharing progress across key programs and securing alignment and decisions when needed.

You will take hands-on ownership of Oncology Corporate Affairs and design and deliver its strategy. You oversee the Oncology Communications Director. You have a dotted line to the VP Oncology International and join their cross-functional LT.

You will report to the Head of International Corporate Affairs and will be a member of the International Corporate Affairs LT. You will work closely with the Oncology Global Corporate Affairs team and the Global Policy, Patient Advocacy and Health Equity team to advance our ambition, with a clear focus on progress in our priority markets.

Your focus and accountability will be to:

• Strengthen AstraZeneca’s reputation as healthcare partner of choice: You position AstraZeneca and its leadership in International as trusted, science-driven, sustainable, and impactful partners of choice in both therapeutic areas. You leverage key milestones, such as disease awareness days, major congresses, and data readouts, as well as senior leader engagements with media, governments and other partners to deliver our messages with clarity and purpose. You will feed into and support the pull through of global campaigns and initiatives across International markets.

• Accelerate our efforts to transform healthcare for patients in International: you ensure health system transformation initiatives—such as our advocacy for national lung cancer screening programmes through the Lung Ambition Alliance—have robust multi-year strategies that seek to reform specific policies that improve diagnosis or care in partnership with relevant external stakeholders. You will set up internal structures and KPIs and support business case development, prioritisation, implementation plans and tracking for. In your above-market capacity, you will identify opportunities to generate high quality evidence, argumentation, stakeholder engagement and leveraging of impactful campaigns in support of shaping goals in priority markets.

• Contribute to Sustainable Healthcare Transformation: in close partnership with relevant teams, you ensure a strong integration of Oncology priorities into major initiatives like the Partnership for Healthcare System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR) and the decarbonisation of patient pathways.

• Drive employee engagement strategy: you manage the internal employee engagement strategy for the International Oncology teams to inform and inspire colleagues across all markets, in direct partnership with the Oncology VP. In addition, you will facilitate Oncology Corporate Affairs networks across International markets to share best practice, improve ways of working and achieve optimum alignment, consistency and efficiency across the region for all activities.  

• Build synergy between International and Europe-Canada, US and Japan: you build bridges between International and other major markets identify common opportunities, create efficiencies, and establish joint ways of working.

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential for the role:

• 10+ years of experience working in healthcare policy, public affairs, or related topics
• In-depth knowledge of how healthcare systems operate, how they fit within national political and economic priorities, and how healthcare policy making takes place
• Track record of building and delivering impactful healthcare advocacy, policy and communication strategies, preferably related to our priority disease areas
• Strategic thinker with excellent communication skills and ability to comprehend complex matters and chart a clear path forward
• Proven ability to drive proactive stakeholder management, establish partnerships and build strong relationships with external customers
• Demonstrable experience collaborating in a fast-moving, multi-cultural matrix organisation with cross-functional teams at global, regional and country level and ability to lead through persuasion rather than authority
• Experience of effective management of programme delivery and outcomes, ensuring strong project management and best practice sharing across the regions
• Self-starting, independent, entrepreneurial attitude – a smart risk-taker who thrives on new challenges and on seeing things through to completion

Desirable for the role:

• Experience working/with countries in AstraZeneca’s International region
• Expertise in evidence generation, medical consensus building, and/or health economics
• Experience with medical product and data communications/news flow
• Internal communications capability including understanding effective channel management and engagement strategies

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca we’re dedicated 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. An inclusive culture that champions diversity and collaboration, and always committed to lifelong learning, growth and development. We’re on an exciting journey to pioneer the future of healthcare.

Hybrid Working

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working give 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. 

So, what’s next?

Are you already imagining yourself joining our team? Good, because we can’t wait to hear from you!

Competitive salary and benefits package on offer.

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.