Director, Academic Alliance Lead

AstraZeneca is building a more connected, end-to-end approach to academic collaboration across BioPharma R&D. We are looking for an experienced Academic Alliance Lead to help establish this capability within our new Academic Alliances team and to make high-value collaborations work in practice.

Based at our new R&D site in Kendall Square, Cambridge, you will work at the center of one of the world’s most dynamic life-science ecosystems. You will connect leading academic science with AstraZeneca’s R&D priorities, helping alliances move from agreement to delivery, learning and impact.

This role has two equally important dimensions:

• Lead a portfolio of major strategic alliances directly, serving as the dedicated alliance manager and accountable point of contact.

• Enable a broader portfolio of academic collaborations that are led day to day by scientific or functional colleagues, giving them the structure, tools, coordination and issue-resolution support needed to deliver well.

What you will do

Lead selected strategic alliances

• Serve as the primary AstraZeneca alliance contact for a defined portfolio of high-priority academic relationships, including partnerships as they are established.

• Work with internal and external leaders to set a shared direction, establish effective governance and translate agreements into practical operating plans.

• Coordinate delivery across scientific, Legal, Business Development, Finance, Project Management and other contributors.

• Keep commitments, milestones, decisions and risks visible; address obstacles early and lead escalations when needed.

• Prepare and support Joint Steering Committee and other governance meetings, ensuring decisions are clear and followed through.

• Maintain trusted institutional relationships and identify opportunities to strengthen or extend alliances where this supports R&D priorities.

• Support amendments, renegotiations and, where appropriate, the orderly transition or conclusion of alliances.

Enable delivery across the wider alliance portfolio

• Act as an accessible point of contact for colleagues who directly manage academic collaborations within their scientific or functional areas.

• Help collaboration owners put proportionate governance, delivery plans, decision rights, milestone tracking and risk management in place.

• Provide practical guidance, templates and problem-solving support without displacing the accountable project or relationship owner.

• Connect teams to the right expertise across AstraZeneca and help resolve cross-functional or institutional issues that could slow delivery.

• Maintain a coherent view of the portfolio, surfacing themes, dependencies, risks and opportunities for Academic Alliances and senior stakeholders.

• Build a community of practice for alliance management, sharing lessons and raising consistency while keeping the approach appropriate to each collaboration.

Build the capability with us

• Help define how alliance management operates within the new Academic Alliances team, from governance standards and ways of working to reporting and measures of partnership health.

• Bring external best practice and adapt it to the needs of academic research collaborations and BioPharma R&D.

• Contribute to the shaping of new alliances so that delivery, governance and relationship considerations are built in before signature.

• Create stronger continuity across the partnership lifecycle and bring learning from active alliances back into future opportunity and portfolio discussions.

Essential skills and experience

• Bachelor's degree in life sciences, or a related discipline.

• At least 8 years of relevant professional experience, including experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder alliances, collaborations or programs in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic research or a related life-sciences environment.

• Strong understanding of drug discovery and development, with the ability to connect scientific objectives to portfolio and delivery priorities.

• Demonstrated experience working with external partners, ideally including academic institutions and major research organizations.

• Ability to lead some alliances directly while enabling other accountable owners to manage their collaborations effectively.

• Strong alliance, project and portfolio management capabilities, including governance, milestone tracking, risk management, decision support and reporting.

• Ability to translate complex contract terms into clear operating plans, decision rights and accountabilities.

• Excellent communication and relationship skills, with confidence engaging senior scientific and business leaders internally and externally.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity, influence without direct authority and resolve partnership issues with sound judgement, tact and diplomacy.

• Strategic thinking combined with attention to detail and a strong focus on execution.

Desirable experience

• Advanced scientific degree (preferably MS, PhD)
• Experience leading strategic academic alliances with major US universities or research institutions.

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