Clinical Scientist Director

AstraZeneca; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 204,000 - 306,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca in Boston is seeking a senior clinical development leader to design, deliver and interpret pivotal late-stage trials in immunology, guiding benefit-risk and value decisions.

You will partner with a study physician and cross-functional teams to ensure trial integrity, data quality, safety evaluation, and regulatory readiness, from first patient in to submission. This role emphasizes scientific leadership, hypothesis testing and strategic decision support.

Qualifications

• PhD or PharmD or equivalent clinical qualification with extensive clinical development experience.
• 5+ years in the pharmaceutical industry with multi-country clinical trials.
• Strong understanding of trial design, endpoints and data interpretation in immunology.
• Proven ability to work across cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead Phase IIb/III trial design to answer decisive scientific and clinical questions.
• Provide cross-functional scientific leadership across programs with strong hypotheses and endpoints.
• Define data quality metrics and data review plans; monitor trends for decision-ready insights.
• Orchestrate end-to-end safety evaluation with Patient Safety and study physicians.
• Collaborate with Clinical Operations, Biostatistics, Regulatory Affairs, and safety teams to deliver trials across geographies.
• Contribute to regulatory documents and interactions: protocols, consent forms, investigator brochures, study reports.
• Support medical monitoring to uphold patient safety and data integrity during trial conduct.
• Analyze ongoing studies and literature to inform go/no-go decisions and lifecycle planning.
• Drive strategic decision support and communicate results to governance and stakeholders.
• Develop hypotheses and shape future studies with late-stage and early development teams.

Skills

Collaborative cross-functional work

Clinical trial design understanding

Phase II/III development experience

Education

Doctoral degree (PhD/PharmD) or equivalent

Job description

Introduction To Role

Are you ready to shape pivotal late-stage trials that redefine standards of care in immunology and directly impact patients worldwide? In this role, you will lead the scientific design, delivery and interpretation of decisive clinical studies that determine benefit, risk and value. Your work will power evidence-based decisions and accelerate medicines toward those who need them most.

You will partner closely with the study physician and a cross-functional team to ensure trial integrity, exemplary data quality, and a seamless safety evaluation process. How will you use your expertise to turn complex data into clear action, guide regulatory strategy, and influence program direction from the first patient in to submission?

Accountabilities

• Clinical Trial Strategy and Design: Lead innovative design of Phase IIb and Phase III trials to answer decisive scientific and clinical questions aligned to program strategy.
• Scientific Leadership: Provide clinical and scientific guidance across one or more programs, ensuring strong hypotheses, endpoints and evidence plans that stand up to scrutiny.
• Data Integrity and Quality Metrics: Define quality metrics and data review plans for assigned studies; monitor trends to safeguard integrity and extract actionable insights.
• Safety Evaluation: Orchestrate an end-to-end safety evaluation process for pivotal trials, partnering with Patient Safety and study physicians to anticipate, detect and manage risk.
• Cross-Functional Delivery: Collaborate effectively with Clinical Operations, Biostatistics, Regulatory Affairs, Patient Safety, and early development teams to deliver trials across geographies at pace.
• Regulatory Documentation and Interactions: Provide expert input to protocols, informed consent forms, investigator’s brochures and clinical study reports; contribute to regulatory packages and engage with health authorities.
• Medical Monitoring Support: Support medical monitoring to uphold patient safety, protocol fidelity and high-quality data during trial conduct.
• Evidence Generation and Interpretation: Analyze data from ongoing studies and the literature; synthesize evidence to inform go/no-go decisions, label-enabling strategies and lifecycle planning.
• Therapeutic Area Standards: Ensure robust scientific input to therapeutic area standards and drive consistency and excellence across studies.
• Strategic Decision Support: Provide scientific evidence to guide R&D, marketing, clinical and business development decisions.
• Communication and Influence: Present protocols and scientific results to governance, investigators and key stakeholders; craft clear narratives that drive decision-making.
• Hypothesis Building: Organize and analyze clinical research to generate new hypotheses and shape future studies, collaborating with colleagues in late-stage and early development as well as medical affairs.

Essential Skills/Experience

• Scientific doctoral level degree (e.g. PhD or PharmD), relevant equivalent clinical qualification, or other relevant university degree with extensive experience from clinical development.
• Five or more years of relevant pharmaceutical industry experience (multi-country clinical trials) is required.
• Understanding of scientific and clinical issues related to the design and implementation of clinical trials and interpreting trial results particularly in immunology clinical development.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in a cross-functional setting.
• Experience particularly in Phase II and Phase III clinical development.

Desirable Skills/Experience

• Experience with regulatory submissions, life cycle management, advisory boards, annual safety updates.

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. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world. The annual base pay for this position ranges from $ 203,709.60 - 305,564.40 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.

Why AstraZeneca

Here, curiosity meets courage to push beyond the known and tackle complex disease biology with the latest science, data and technology. You will be empowered to explore ideas, test bold hypotheses and learn fast, supported by leaders who listen and teams that bring diverse expertise together to spark new insight. Our collaborative, inclusive environment spans partners across academia and industry, enabling you to turn rigorous evidence into real-world impact for patients at scale. We value kindness alongside ambition, so you can grow your craft while helping to shape the future of immunology medicine.

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.