Head of Early Assets, Cell Therapy

At AstraZeneca, our ambition is to realize the full curative potential of cell therapies across cancer. We aim to empower the immune system to attack cancers, eliminate barriers standing between patients and potentially curative cell therapies, and build an ecosystem that fosters access. Within Oncology, we are advancing a broad pipeline spanning autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR T), allogenic platforms, T-cell receptor therapies (TCR T), and in vivo approaches.

Reporting into the VP, Global Head, Hematology Franchise and Cell Therapy and sitting on the Leadership Team, as Head of Early Assets, Cell Therapy, you will operate at the commercial–R&D interface to shape our early pipeline from preclinical through early clinical development—resetting the standard of care across hematologic malignancies and solid tumors and ensuring clear line-of-sight to patient impact and long-term commercial value.

You will partner closely with Early Oncology R&D, Global Product Teams, Business Development, Medical, Market Access/Pricing, Finance, and key markets to build winning target product profiles, inform clinical plans, and define early go-to-market strategies that scale across modalities and indications. This role is highly visible within the OBU and requires a strong matrix leader who can influence without authority and translate scientific innovation into compelling commercial strategies. You will be accountable for understanding industry innovations and trends in the hematology and solid tumor space and translating those insights into strategy.

Key duties and responsibilities

• Commercial strategy for early assets: Lead the early commercial strategy across cell therapy modalities (auto, allo, TCRs, in vivo), integrating disease biology, competitive dynamics, and customer insights to shape target product profiles, positioning, and differentiation.
• R&D partnership and development planning: Provide strategic commercial input to discovery and early development teams on indication prioritization, study design, endpoints, inclusion/exclusion, line-of-therapy, and bridging/CMC considerations to optimize clinical and regulatory line-of-sight.
• Go-to-market, franchise strategy & capability building, and customer model design: Define early go-to-market hypotheses and customer engagement models across hematology and solid tumors, including site-of-care requirements, treatment pathway integration, provider economics, and care delivery logistics.
• Insights and analytics: Guide and collaborate with our insights/analytics teams to integrate HCP/center-of-excellence, patient/caregiver, payer, and provider insights and competitive intelligence; partner closely to inform value stories, price/reimbursement scenarios, and risk/opportunity assessments that support commercial decision-making.
• Evidence and access strategy: Partner with Market Access & Pricing on early access strategies, affordability models, and system readiness. Shape early evidence needs (clinical, RWE, PROs, HEOR) and payer value narratives.
• Collaborate with lifecycle team: Shape lifecycle options, next-wave indications, and inform investment cases for internal programs and external opportunities in collaboration with Search & Evaluation and BD.
• Cross-BU collaboration and governance: Represent the commercial view in cross-functional forum and governance (e.g., therapy area leadership, early stage portfolio committees), ensuring alignment to OBU strategy and enterprise priorities.
• Market readiness and launch pathways: Coordinate with priority markets (notably US) to pressure-test assumptions, assess site readiness and supply/logistics feasibility, and establish scalable launch pathways for future transitions to late development.
• Financials and planning: Lead Forecasting, Long-Term Planning (LTP), scenario planning, and budget needs; provide sensitivity analyses for clinical and market uncertainties.
• External engagement: Build and maintain networks with key clinical experts, industry leaders, patient advocacy, payers, and cell therapy centers to bring the external voice into strategy and development.

Skills and capabilities

• Commercial excellence: Demonstrated success shaping and executing commercial strategies for cell therapy in Oncology.
• Strategic thinking and financial acumen: Ability to synthesize science, clinical evidence, market signals, and economics into clear strategic choices and robust business cases.
• Matrix leadership: Proven ability to influence across R&D, Medical, Access, Operations, and Market Companies; skilled at alignment-building and decision-making in ambiguous, high-velocity settings.
• Science and clinical acumen: Strong grasp of cell therapy science and clinical development; able to challenge and partner with R&D on endpoints, comparators, and platform/CMC trade-offs.
• Problem solving and execution: Structured, data-driven approach with a track record of translating ideas into action and delivering results through others.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication; compelling storyteller who can distill complexity for senior stakeholders and governance bodies.

Requirements / qualifications Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Life Sciences, or related field required; advanced degree (MBA, MSc, PhD, MD/PharmD) preferred.

Experience

• Must have: Prior cell therapy commercial experience (local, global, or both).
• 10+ years in biopharma, including experience at the commercial–R&D interface and in early asset strategy or early commercial roles.
• Must have: Prior strategic management consulting experience in pharma and/or biotech.
• Experience across hematology and/or solid tumor oncology; direct exposure to cell therapy modalities (autologous, allogeneic, TCRs; in vivo cell engineering preferred).
• Demonstrated experience shaping product profiles and early clinical plans amid evolving datasets; familiarity with CMC and supply/logistics considerations for cell therapy.
• Broad commercial experience including pre-launch strategy, forecasting, market research, pricing & reimbursement, competitive intelligence, and early go-to-market design.
• Evidence of building investment cases and collaborating with BD/Search & Evaluation on external opportunities.
• Experience engaging external stakeholders: clinical experts, centers of excellence, payers, patient advocacy, and provider systems.

Other qualifications

• Successful people leadership or significant matrix leadership experience.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and establishing new-to-world commercial models for emerging modalities.

Location, travel, and work pattern

• Based in Gaithersburg, MD; full-time role within the Oncology Business Unit.
• Some domestic and international travel to R&D sites, priority markets, conferences, and centers of excellence should be expected.

Why AstraZeneca We strive to be at the forefront of pioneering the latest cell therapy technologies and to build an ecosystem that fosters access to potentially curative cell therapies. You’ll join an agile, purpose-driven organization that invests in people, fosters continuous learning, and builds leaders.

Diversity and inclusion We’re committed to building an inclusive and diverse team. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and will provide reasonable accommodations as needed throughout the recruitment process.

Compensation and benefits A competitive compensation package with short-term incentive eligibility and a comprehensive benefits program will be offered, commensurate with experience and market.

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $270,221 - $405,332. 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.

Date Posted

18-Nov-2025

Closing Date

Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.

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.