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AstraZeneca · 1 month ago

Associate Director, Early Commercial Strategy

US - Gaithersburg - MD

Full-time

Hybrid

Lead/Staff, Director/Executive

$181K/yr - $271K/yr

5+ years exp

AstraZeneca is a biopharmaceutical company focused on turning ideas into life-changing medicines. The Associate Director, Early Commercial Strategy will partner with product teams to shape product profiles, guide clinical development, and build business cases for investment decisions, ensuring alignment between commercial needs and product strategy.

BiopharmaBiotechnologyHealth CareMedicalPharmaceuticalPrecision Medicine

Comp. & Benefits

Responsibilities

Shape asset vision, segmentation, positioning, and value proposition while the product profile is incomplete and evolving; drive alignment of TPPs and clinical/regulatory plans to commercial needs

Build data-driven revenue forecasts, scenario analyses, and business cases supporting governance milestones up to Ph3ID; present strategy and trade-offs to TA leadership and governance committees

Lead optimized insight plans to address key outstanding questions (unmet need, usage, burden of disease, payer evidence); synthesize market research and competitive intelligence into actionable recommendations

Coordinate commercial evaluations of internal and external opportunities; collaborate with Business Development to assess in-licensing & acquisition options aligned to the V&I portfolio strategy

Represent the commercial voice on global product teams; influence without authority across Research, Development, Medical Affairs, Pricing & Market Access, Regulatory, BI/Analytics, and Regional Commercial teams

Engage Key External Experts (KEEs), payers, and other stakeholders to validate TPPs, evidence strategies, and market access assumptions; support congress planning and advisory boards as needed

Produce strategic and operational commercial plans for late-stage assets (positioning, segmentation, target markets, pricing corridors, access considerations); ensure readiness for governance reviews and global alignment with G8–12 markets

Evaluate the feasibility, impact, and risks of clinical and commercial options; recommend smart risks and simplifications to accelerate decision-making

Embed patient and HCP needs into asset and portfolio decisions; challenge the status quo to deliver differentiated solutions

Qualification

Commercial strategyInvestment case developmentMarket insight generationCross-functional leadershipProduct profilingSales forecastingPricingReimbursementCompetitive intelligenceAnalytical skillsPatient centricityStrategic thinkingLeadership skillsCommunication skillsProject management

Required

Bachelor's degree required in Business, Medical, Life Sciences, or related field

5–10 years' experience in healthcare or biopharma, with strong exposure to vaccines and/or immune therapies or adjacent infectious disease areas

Demonstrated experience crafting brand or asset strategy while product understanding is incomplete and evolving

Hands-on experience with product profiling and positioning, forecasting, pricing and reimbursement, market research methodologies, and competitive intelligence

Proven ability to generate sales forecasts and business cases for global assets, including scenario planning and sensitivity analyses

Experience engaging external customers (KEEs, prescribers, payers) and translating insights into development and strategy decisions

Comfortable working in a matrix environment and influencing cross-functionally without formal authority

Strong planning and project management; ability to manage complex multi-stakeholder initiatives

Strategic thinking and decision-making under ambiguity; simplify complexity and prioritize effectively

Leadership and influencing skills with high collaboration across functional and geographic boundaries

Analytical, organizational, and communication skills (written and verbal), including governance-ready presentation capabilities

Ability to gauge feasibility, impact, and risk of programs and bring ideas to action

Preferred

Experience with chronic viral infections such as Hepatitis (e.g., HBV) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV), including market dynamics, clinical endpoints, and evidence requirements

Experience with serious bacterial infections such as C. diff and Staph, including market dynamics, clinical endpoints, and evidence requirements

Graduate business degree (MBA)

Graduate degree in science (MSc or PhD)

Strategy Consulting experience

Experience leading commercial evaluation of Business Development opportunities

Prior global exposure, including US market considerations for pricing, access, and evidence generation

Established relationships with Key External Experts in vaccines, immunology, or infectious diseases

Benefits

Short-term incentive bonus opportunity

Equity-based long-term incentive program (salaried roles)

Retirement contribution (hourly roles)

Commission payment eligibility (sales roles)

Qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]

Paid vacation and holidays

Paid leaves

Health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage

Company

AstraZeneca

Glassdoor4.1

AstraZeneca is a pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets prescription medicines. It is a sub-organization of Investor.

Founded in 1999

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, GBR

10001+ employees