Associate Director, Oncology Contract Strategy

AstraZeneca; Gaithersburg (MD); On-site; USD 132,000 - 221,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca in Gaithersburg, MD is seeking an Associate Director of Contract Strategy to lead development and governance of strategic contracting for the Oncology portfolio in collaboration with US Market Access teams.

The role focuses on optimizing net price, access objectives, and ROI through rigorous analytics, contract design, and cross-functional partnership across Access Strategy, Brand Leadership, Finance, and Legal.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Science, Economics or Finance.
• 4+ years of pharmaceutical or healthcare industry experience.
• Understanding of Market Access and healthcare delivery systems and government policies.
• Analytical skills including forecasting and financial modeling.
• Negotiation and relationship-building skills.
• Solution/Innovation mindset.

Responsibilities

• Assist in developing contract strategies through governance.
• Partner with customer facing teams on prioritized initiatives.
• Co-develop and execute negotiation strategies.
• Coordinate with analysts on rebates, chargebacks, reporting, and contract writing.
• Monitor trends and advise on lifecycle contracting and pricing.
• Develop understanding of competitive pricing in the market.
• Support Licensing and Business Development in pricing assessments.

Skills

Analytical skills

Forecasting

Financial modeling

Negotiation

Relationship building

Problem solving

Innovation mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA/JD

Job description

The Oncology therapy area at AstraZeneca is unparalleled. We have built and strategically acquired one of the most promising Oncology pipelines in the industry. You will be among inspiring oncology industry leaders who will keep you engaged and empower you to be the best. We seek out opportunities to do dynamic meaningful work which means we won't just follow the same course of action time and again if we can see potential in a different way as we advance on our bold ambition to eliminate cancer as a cause of death.

Job Description / Capsule

Assist in creating and defining contract strategies that include financial analytics and platforms for Brands within the AZ Oncology product portfolio for key Market Access customers and business segments, and maintain consistency with that strategy as it is implemented. Drive business analytics to support contract strategy activities and partner with Customer Facing account roles, including the U.S. Payer Team, National Channel Account Team, and the National Oncology Account Team.

This role assists in bringing forward marketplace perspective and pragmatic solutions / analyses to optimize AstraZeneca’s net price, access objectives and continued leadership in innovative contracting. This individual will assist in the development of contract and channel strategies that align with Brand Team / Therapeutic Area business strategies for launch and in-line products. The Associate Director of Contract Strategy may partner with customer facing account teams in direct customer engagement around identified key initiatives, build/align, and execute negotiation strategies with customer facing teams. This role will also collaborate with a wide variety of internal stakeholders such as Access Strategy, Brand Leadership, Value Strategy and Evidence, Brand and Market Access Finance, Contract Operations, and Legal.

A key deliverable of this role is ensuring all contract strategies and offerings have financial justification based on ROI and sound business judgment and also assist in assessing the performance of existing contract strategies & offerings. They are responsible for ensuring the timely and regular re-evaluation of current strategy and deliver segment strategies for their Therapeutic Areas.

Location

This position is based in: Gaithersburg

Typical Accountabilities

• Assist in the development of contract strategies and brings them through the approval/governance process
• Directly partners with customer facing teams around prioritized key initiatives
• Co-development and execution of negotiation strategies
• Coordinate with team of analysts/specialists in operational activities such as rebates, chargebacks, government reporting, contract writing and process approvals.
• Monitors environment for shifts in trends or behaviors, interpret likely impact and suggest appropriate actions around life-cycle contracting and pricing considerations.
• Develops deep understanding of competitive market conditions that affect pricing for individual brands, therapeutic areas and overall industry.
• Serves as a resource for Licensing and Business Development in assessing pricing on potential opportunities

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential

• Bachelors degree; preferably in a relevant field (Marketing, Science, Economics or Finance)
• 4+ yrs of experience in pharmaceutical or healthcare industry experience
• Understanding of Market Access and Healthcare delivery systems as well as the impact of government policies and proposals
• Analytical skills including problem solving, forecasting, contract development and financial modeling
• Demonstrated negotiation & relationship building skills
• Solution/Innovation mindset

Desirable

• MBA/JD
• Understanding of healthcare marketing and sales practices
• Thorough understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing business models with specific knowledge of brand team operation, brand planning and sales
• Finance and/or analytics background
• Contract development and negotiation experience
• Clinical Acumen/Health Economics

The annual base pay for this position ranges from 147,017.60 - 220,526.40 USD Annual. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives- an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

Date Posted 15-Oct-2026

Closing Date 14-Oct-2026

Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.