The role is part of the Deal Accounting & Transition team within Group Controllers, part of the Enabling Units SET Area, and encompassing the Post Deal & Transition team and Technical Deal Accountancy Director. The role will work closely with GFS, Business Development Finance, R&D Finance, GPPS Finance, and marketing company finance teams.

As part of AstraZeneca’s efforts response to COVID-19, the organisation is entering into agreements across the globe for manufacturing, supply and licencing relating to its vaccines programme. This role will be a crucial part in AstraZeneca’s financial management and reporting of these contracts.

Key activities

The role will facilitate implementation of our new vaccines programme business, including new and existing contracts. This will be a mixture of direct ownership and responsibility for finance in respect of certain global contracts, and providing support to post-deal managers in the rest of the business on the remaining vaccine programme. In particular, the role will:

• Be involved in the review of new agreements, supporting Business Development Finance, Commercial Finance, tax and treasury, assessing accounting consequences and ensuring the contracts meet AstraZeneca’s financial objectives

• Coordinate the finance integration efforts across SET areas (e.g. Commercial Regions / Markets, GPPS, Group FP&R, Operations, Science units)

• Assist finance teams across the organisation in embedding contracts into business as usual, ensuring that the financial obligations are understood, best practice is followed and effective control frameworks are in place

• Monitor the statutory P&L impact of the vaccines programme and ensuring it is line with expectations based on the contracts

• Support Group Financial Reporting in understanding the overall statutory accounting impacts of the vaccine programme

• Be the primary point of contact for external auditors on vaccines

• Support the business in responding to third party audits

• Be a central point of contact and co-ordinate the end to end processes across business units and legal entities for all post deal financial obligations, including liaising directly with external partners

You will maintain the database of all deal documentation relevant for finance as well as ensuring and keep your own knowledge of key deals up-to-date, to proactively deal with implications of key milestones and other events being triggered.

The role will line manage two finance managers, largely focused on vaccines, and further support will be available from the wider Post Deal Management team. It is expected that the role holder will take on wider post deal management and integration work as the demands of the business dictate.

Candidate Knowledge, skills, experience

Essential

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with experience of IFRS

• Key Leadership Capabilities

  • Proven ability to communicate effectively across the organisation

  • Demonstrable experience of acting decisively in an ambiguous environment

• Confidence to drive things forward and influence without direct authority

• Ability to think strategically and work with others to develop solutions for Finance

• Flexible with their own time to cover different time zones & urgent deliverables around deals

• Able to pull on existing experience & knowledge from others to connect the dots in complex situations

• Track record of building strong networks across a global business

• Organised, with a natural sense of urgency & drive to take the initiative without being asked

• Experience working in a controlled (preferably SOx) environment

Desirable

• Experience of line management, coaching and developing teams

• Experience of pharmaceutical industry, manufacturing supply chains

• Experience of licencing and other deals, through transacting or implementation

• Strong cultural awareness and working effectively with cross-border stakeholders

Additional information

• No budget responsibility

• Key relationships will be across all SET areas in both finance & non-finance

• Some travel (including international) may be required

• This role and its direct reports will be supported by the wider Post Deal Management team (comprising two leads and two analysts).

Date Posted

Closing Date

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 authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.