Statistical Consultant

JR United Kingdom; Colchester; Remote; GBP 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the pharmaceuticals sector is seeking a Statistical Science Associate Director to join their Statistical Innovation group. This remote role focuses on developing innovative statistical approaches for clinical studies in various therapeutic areas. The ideal candidate will have a PhD in Statistics, robust experience in drug development, and strong programming skills in R and SAS. Join a team dedicated to delivering solutions that can positively impact patient treatment and outcomes.

Qualifications

• PhD required with experience in academic research or clinical drug development.
• Proven ability to deliver innovative statistical solutions.
• Strong programming skills in R and/or SAS.

Responsibilities

• Provide input in drug development with statistical methodology.
• Design clinical studies including adaptive designs using Bayesian approaches.
• Consult and collaborate with other statisticians and medical scientists.

Skills

Statistical solutions

Statistical methodology

Programming in R

Programming in SAS

Drug development

Research experience

Education

PhD in Statistics or related discipline

Job description

Role: Statistical Science Associate Director – Statistical Innovation

Location: Remote

Duration: 12 months

Description

Do you have a passion for developing and aiding implementation of innovative statistical approaches and methods in clinical studies? Are you up for the challenge to impact a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life-changing medicines?

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide, while applying leading-edge approaches to science across many business areas. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big, and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to act, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person.

We are recruiting a contractor to join our growing Statistical Innovation group as a Statistical Science Associate Director. Our main focus is providing statistical methodology support for all phases of clinical development for AZ’s Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology divisions, along with targeted support for Oncology, Rare Diseases, and Vaccine divisions.

In this role, you will belong to the Respiratory Biometrics and Statistical Innovation department, where our data-driven focus helps us work efficiently and creatively to bring the right medicines to the right patients. Our teams use their expertise in statistics and programming to address drug development objectives and reduce uncertainty in product development, driving better business decisions with quantitative reasoning.

Main duties and responsibilities

Joining a team of statistical methodology experts, you will provide key input by working to find solutions at critical stages in the drug development cycle. This is exciting and technically challenging work in a dynamic landscape. Your focus will be on producing pragmatic solutions, often within tight timelines, with an emphasis on delivering first, then refining and developing solutions thereafter.

You will contribute to or lead capability building in areas such as:

• Design of early and late phase clinical studies, including group sequential and adaptive designs using frequentist and Bayesian approaches.
• Methods to analyze real-time collected data, Estimands, Missing Data, Subgroups, and Biomarkers.

Additionally, you will provide expert consultancy to fellow statisticians, medical scientists, and other key roles across the business. This involves leading strategic activities, capability build projects, and collaborating with external scientists and regulators through publications, presentations, and industry collaborations. A proactive approach to identifying new areas where Statistical Innovation can add value is also expected, fostering relationships with external scientific communities.

Requirements:

• PhD in Statistics or a related discipline, with experience in academic research or clinical drug development.
• Proven ability to deliver innovative statistical solutions in applied environments, especially in clinical trial design, real-time data analysis, missing data, estimands, subgroups, and biomarkers.
• Strong programming skills in R and/or SAS.
• Experience in collaborative, cross-disciplinary work.
• Research record in statistical methodology, supported by publications in top statistical journals.
• A desire to apply scientific expertise to practical problems for patient benefit.
• Knowledge or research experience in safety data analysis, observational studies, meta-analysis, Bayesian statistics, and non-linear/mixed effect models.
• Awareness of evolving scientific and regulatory statistical issues.