Senior Director, Patient Centered Science

Location: Gaithersburg, MD

Hybrid: 3 days a week on site

At Patient Centered Science (PCS), our mission is to identify, measure, understand, and communicate meaningful patient outcomes and experiences of their disease and treatment. Our vision is to positively impact lives by amplifying the patient voice in healthcare decision-making. Using qualitative and quantitative methods and research, PCS supports patient-focused drug development by identifying what matters from a patient perspective, and by selecting, modifying, or developing Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) and other Clinical Outcome Assessments (COA) to serve the needs of patients, regulators, payers, and healthcare professionals.

As Senior Director, Science driven by Patient Needs, you will oversee the people, performance, and scientific direction of the PCS function within Respiratory & Immunology (R&I). You will lead and develop a PCS team, ensuring impactful delivery of patient-centered evidence across the R&I portfolio. You will drive the integration of the patient experience into drug development, provide oversight, and support governance and senior review across the portfolio. You will also have direct project involvement and drive innovations to advance patient-centered science both internally and externally.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Team Leadership and Line Management

• Lead, manage, and develop a team of PCS Directors, fostering a high-performing, inclusive, scientifically rigorous and innovative team culture.

• Manage the performance and individual development of direct reports through clear individual objectives and development plans.

• Provide oversight of project support and scientific deliverables; and participate in governance bodies and senior cross-functional reviews, ensuring that PCS strategies and outputs across the portfolio are aligned with regulatory, payer, and patient requirements.

• Provide technical and scientific coaching to direct reports through leadership review of deliverables, helping to build expertise and confidence across the team.

• Working with R&I clinical development leadership teams, contributing to functional strategy, capability priorities, and operational decision-making.

• Serve as a senior point of contact for cross functional R&I colleagues ensuring PCS is well-integrated and influential at all stages of development, and aligning PCS strategy, knowledge and experience sharing across BioPharma.

Scientific and Strategic Leadership

• Set and drive PCS strategy at therapeutic area and portfolio level, ensuring the patient experience of disease and treatment is a central consideration throughout drug development.

• Provide direct project support by: leading all aspects of the development and delivery of PRO/COA strategies and evidence generation plans – including patient experience research, instrument selection or development, and endpoint strategies – to meet the needs of regulators, payers, and patients.
• ensuring PCS contributions are effectively embedded in clinical development through cross-functional collaboration, and that PCS expertise informs clinical study design, governance documents, and results interpretation.

• supporting regulatory and HTA interactions related to PRO/COA, ensuring robust evidence dossiers and a consistent, credible external position.

• Drive methodological innovation and standard process across the team, championing innovative approaches to collecting and communicating patient experience both within AstraZeneca and in the broader scientific community.

• Disseminate PCS-related evidence in scientific publications, internal and external presentations (eg posters and presentations at congresses), and in lay summaries to patients and other stakeholders

• Represent AstraZeneca at critical external venues and collaborations, including interactions with the FDA, EMA, industry PRO consortia, and HTA bodies.

Essential Requirements:

• Advanced degree (MSc, MD, PhD, PharmD) in a relevant field such as outcomes research, health services research, epidemiology, health policy, or a related discipline.

• Minimum of 8+years of relevant experience, including at least 5 years in the biopharmaceutical industry and at least 5 years of dedicated PRO/COA experience.

• In-depth expert knowledge of PRO/COA and its application to pharmaceutical development, regulatory approval, and reimbursement at an international level.

• Proven experience of developing and implementing patient-centered science strategies at project, therapeutic area, and portfolio level.

• Strong knowledge of regulatory environment influencing clinical development plans, labeling, and promotional claims.

• Excellent knowledge of clinical development, research study designs, and their interpretation.

• Experience of managing, coaching, and developing scientific staff in a complex, matrixed organization.

• Experience of cross-functional collaboration and influencing without authority at senior levels.

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