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.

AstraZeneca’s vision in Oncology is to help patients by redefining the cancer-treatment paradigm, with the aim of bringing six new cancer medicines to patients between 2013 and 2020. A broad pipeline of next-generation medicines is focused principally on four disease areas - breast, ovarian, lung and hematological cancers. As well as other tumor types, these are being targeted through five key platforms - immunotherapy, the genetic drivers of cancer and resistance, DNA damage repair, HER2 and antibody drug conjugates, underpinned by personalized healthcare and biomarker technologies.

Job Description:

The Global Publications Director (GPD), Oncology has direct accountability and responsibility for the global leadership and line management of a team of Global Publication Leads (GPLs) across multiple sites. The GPD, Oncology provides publications expertise and insight into the development and optimisation of integrated strategic global publication plans, driving scientifically rigorous and compliant publications across the product lifecycle. The role interfaces with the, Franchise VPs in the Oncology Business Unit (OBU) Medical, Clinical TA VPs, Medical Affairs Leads (MALs), GPPS roles, and the regions to ensure aligned global publications strategies and plans are developed and delivered in a globally consistent way, aligned to the integrated Medical Affairs Plan (iMAP). In addition, the role ensures through a range of outsourcing partners, optimal value to drug projects, and leads the compliance monitoring activities required to uphold the highest external reputation. 

Accountabilities/Responsibilities:

• Lead GPL group responsible for working within specific oncology disease areas or drug classes to globally align and build an integrated publication strategy and plans for global clinical studies from Phase I (in humans studies) and non clinical trial sources including HEOR, Epidemiology, RWE, Payer, and NIS so that the global and US integrated publication strategy is consistently applied across all study designs, and clear and supportable scientific data are communicated to internal partners (product teams, governance bodies) and external customers (regulatory authorities, payers, physicians and patients) 
• Directly manage GPLs in the relevant disease area or drug class
• Lead global performance management, recruitment, training, and coaching of GPL group. 

• Ensure skills development for the GPL group and work closely and collaboratively with other GPDs and the Senior Director Global Publications, OBU to ensure delivery of training programs that are up to date with AZ publication policy and compliance requirements, as well as deliver innovative scientific, publication and ethical insight to AZ
• Drive the development and maintenance of GPL best practice and expertise, implementing best practice so that AstraZeneca maintains a leading edge in ethical publication standards and in the use of publications as a competitive advantage in drug development under the direction of the Senior Director Global Publications, OBU.
• Coach staff on principles of integrated strategic publication planning
• Drive the AZ strategy for compliance with internal and external publications policy and standards
• Drive training and development of educational programs for GPLs and Marketing Companies on AZ Publications Policy and procedures
• Influence any ongoing strategic development within OBU Medical and other areas that may impact AZ’s ability to deliver industry-leading publications activities in an ethical way
• Build advocacy for publications through effective relationships with key stakeholders and customers across all relevant SET areas, and by creating the framework to maximise brand value through industry-leading publications activities
• Collaborate effectively with Senior Director Global Publications, OBU to influence any ongoing strategic development within GMD, the other Global Medical TAs, and other areas that may impact AZ’s ability to deliver industry-leading publications activities in an ethical way
• Provide visible leadership support to GPLs working in alliances and with joint venture partners and to key alliance partners, ensuring the right scientific and technical skills and capabilities from Publications and driving effective behaviours lead alliance relationships to support the success of strategic alliances Assesses and optimizes resource utilization working with Global Product Directors, Development Brand Leaders, Medical Evidence Directors, Franchise VPs and MALs
• Lead publication training and awareness across AZ to raise the profile of, strategic publications planning, and publications compliance/delivery
• Keep up to date with any internal or external developments (e.g. new regulatory and publication guidelines worldwide) that potentially impact on Publications; disseminate information and develop strategies for meeting new requirements
• Collaborate effectively with MALs to support other Medical Affairs, OBU functions
• Represent AZ in relevant professional bodies and conferences as an advocate for compliance and publication practice

Requirements

• PhD or advanced post-graduate scientific degree with relevant proven experience in pharmaceutical/medical communication/healthcare industry, development, research
• Demonstrated experience in medical communications gained through working in the pharmaceutical industry or a medical communications agency
• Demonstrated performance, budget and resource management skills in a global organization
• Broad knowledge of the drug development process, with a focus on integrated strategic publication planning (preferred)
• Broad knowledge of relevant disease areas
• Certification as a Medical Publication Professional (CMPP) desired
• A minimum of 3 years of experience within the pharmaceutical or related healthcare industry, such as academic biomedical research

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca when we see an opportunity for change, we seize it and make it happen, because any opportunity no matter how small, can be the start of something big. Delivering life-changing medicines is about being entrepreneurial - finding those moments and recognizing their potential. Join us on our journey of building a new kind of organization to reset expectations of what a bio-pharmaceutical company can be. This means we’re opening new ways to work, pioneering cutting edge methods and bringing unexpected teams together. Interested? Come and join our journey.

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

Where can I find out more?

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