Associate Director, Strategic Field Operations Planning (Pharma/Biotech)

AstraZeneca; Wilmington (DE); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca in Wilmington, DE is seeking an Associate Director, Strategic Field Operations Planning to drive disciplined, scalable commercial operations across the field. This role sits at the intersection of Sales Force Operations, Commercial Operations, field leadership, compliance, analytics, consultant groups, and partners.

The ideal candidate will influence senior stakeholders, build governance models, and improve execution quality while reducing risk.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, life sciences, operations, project management, healthcare administration, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in project management, commercial operations, healthcare operations, field operations, vendor management, or another relevant operational role.
• Experience shaping and leading complex operational initiatives with multiple stakeholders, dependencies, risks, decision points, execution milestones, and business outcomes.
• Experience working with credentialing and licensing vendors, healthcare operations vendors, provider/customer onboarding processes, or other third-party service providers.

Responsibilities

• Set the operating approach for strategic field operations initiatives by aligning business priorities, governance routines, stakeholder expectations, decision points, ownership, and execution milestones across the commercial organization.
• Provide strategic oversight for complex operational workstreams spanning field readiness, credentialing and licensing, consultant-led delivery, vendor coordination, business requirements, and cross-functional execution.
• Direct and influence external consultant groups and third-party partners to ensure priorities are clear, risks are visible, and outcomes meet commercial, compliance, and quality expectations.
• Influence alignment across Commercial Operations, Legal, Compliance, IT, Human Resources, Sales Leadership, Insights & Analytics, and external partners to resolve barriers, accelerate decisions, and maintain momentum on field-facing priorities.
• Design and embed governance frameworks, decision rights, escalation pathways, operating rhythms, documentation standards, and business rules that increase transparency, accountability, and execution confidence.
• Translate enterprise and department calendars into practical operating plans that enable proactive planning, coordinated execution, and clear accountability across recurring Strategic Field Operations activities.

Skills

Communication

Organization

Facilitation

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business / related field

Job description

Location

This position is based at our Wilmington, DE office location and follows AstraZeneca’s hybrid working model, with employees expected to work onsite a minimum of three days per week on average in their assigned location. Remote work is not offered. Candidates must possess the legal right to work in the relevant country.

Introduction to Role

AstraZeneca is seeking an Associate Director, Strategic Field Operations Planning to shape how complex field-facing priorities are translated into disciplined, scalable commercial operations execution. This role sits at the intersection of Sales Force Operations, Commercial Operations, field leadership, compliance, technology, analytics, consultant groups, and third-party partners—bringing the strategic oversight, operating discipline, and stakeholder influence required to enable field readiness in a highly regulated environment. This function reports directly into the Senior Director, Field Operations.

This opportunity is ideal for a seasoned commercial operations, sales operations, field enablement, or consulting professional who can bring structure to ambiguity, influence senior stakeholders, and build governance models that improve execution quality, reduce operational risk, and strengthen alignment across field-facing initiatives.

Accountabilities

• Set the operating approach for strategic field operations initiatives by aligning business priorities, governance routines, stakeholder expectations, decision points, ownership, and execution milestones across the commercial organization.
• Provide strategic oversight for complex operational workstreams spanning field readiness, credentialing and licensing, consultant-led delivery, vendor coordination, business requirements, and cross-functional execution.
• Direct and influence external consultant groups and third-party partners, including credentialing and licensing providers, CRM partners, speaker programming partners, analytics partners, and Contract Medical Organizations where applicable, to ensure priorities are clear, risks are visible, and outcomes meet commercial, compliance, and quality expectations.
• Influence alignment across Commercial Operations, Legal, Compliance, IT, Human Resources, Sales Leadership, Insights & Analytics, and external partners to resolve barriers, accelerate decisions, and maintain momentum on field-facing priorities.
• Design and embed governance frameworks, decision rights, escalation pathways, operating rhythms, documentation standards, and business rules that increase transparency, accountability, and execution confidence.
• Translate enterprise and department calendars into practical operating plans that enable proactive planning, coordinated execution, and clear accountability across recurring Strategic Field Operations activities.
• Anticipate workflow risks, interdependency gaps, process constraints, and execution barriers; drive timely escalation and resolution to protect field readiness, operating quality, compliance discipline, and stakeholder confidence.
• Develop executive-ready communications, leadership summaries, decision materials, and stakeholder updates that create visibility into business impact, risks, dependencies, recommendations, and next steps.

Essential Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, life sciences, operations, project management, healthcare administration, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in project management, commercial operations, healthcare operations, field operations, vendor management, or another relevant operational role.
• Experience shaping and leading complex operational initiatives with multiple stakeholders, dependencies, risks, decision points, execution milestones, and business outcomes.
• Experience working with credentialing and licensing vendors, healthcare operations vendors, provider/customer onboarding processes, or other third-party service providers.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence across matrixed teams, including internal stakeholders, external vendors, and consultant groups, with strong communication, organization, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in commercial operations, sales operations, field enablement, healthcare operations, vendor management, consultant-led operational delivery, or strategic operations planning.
• Previous experience working with vendor or Contract Organizations, supporting life sciences.
• Experience managing credentialing, licensing, certification, onboarding, provider network, customer eligibility, or healthcare compliance-related workstreams.
• Experience working in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, healthcare, medical affairs, commercial operations, or consulting environments.
• Experience influencing, directing, or holding consultant groups accountable for work executed on behalf of the business.
• Experience partnering with Legal, Compliance, Commercial Operations, Sales Leadership, IT, CRM, speaker programming, analytics, or field enablement partners.
• Experience creating governance frameworks, operating rhythms, escalation pathways, stakeholder communications, strategic decision materials, executive-ready updates, process documentation, or scalable commercial operating models.

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca, we are driven by science, innovation, and our commitment to deliver life-changing medicines to patients. In Commercial Operations, our work enables field teams to execute with clarity, compliance, and speed. This role offers the opportunity to influence how strategic field initiatives are planned, governed, and delivered—helping build the operating discipline required to support commercial execution at scale.

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace, and challenge perceptions. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

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.