Executive Director Clinical Operations, Program Management (Cell Therapy)

AstraZeneca GmbH; Gaithersburg (MD); On-site; USD 270,000 - 405,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca GmbH in the United States is seeking an Executive Director to lead Clinical Operations, Program Management for Cell Therapy/Car-T across a global, multi-franchise portfolio. You will shape strategy, drive delivery across in vivo, allogeneic and autologous programs, and manage a 50+ person team across sites in Gaithersburg, Boston, SSF, and Santa Clara.

Reporting to the Head of Cell Therapy Clinical Operations, you will oversee global studies, governance, budgeting, and regulatory

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• 12+ years in drug development with direct clinical operations experience.
• Line management experience of 20+ staff in a pharmaceutical/biotech setting.
• Demonstrated development of others and capability building.
• Clinical Operations functional improvement experience across programs.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement clinical operations strategies across franchises, including operating models and site footprints.
• Provide strategic oversight of global cell therapy clinical studies to meet time, cost, and quality targets.
• Contribute to governance and decision processes for clinical operations.
• Establish delivery strategies and portfolio priorities with planning leaders.
• Lead regulatory readiness and inspection readiness across franchises.
• Build and lead a high-performing global team; develop capabilities at scale.
• Foster cross-functional partnerships with Data, Vendor, Lab, Logistics, and Manufacturing.
• Engage with industry leaders to inject innovation into practice.
• Shape the forward plan with leadership to standardize delivery across programs.

Skills

Clinical Operations

Program Management

Leadership

Global Collaboration

Stakeholder Management

Budget Planning

Regulatory Readiness

Vendor Management

Data Management

Travel Flexibility

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree

Job description

Job Title: Executive Director Clinical Operations, Program Management (Cell Therapy/ Car-T)

Locations: US based (Gaithersburg, MD, Boston, MA, SSF, CA, Santa Clara, CA)

Introduction to role:

• Are you ready to lead global cell therapy clinical operations across multiple franchises and turn bold science into real options for patients?
• This role puts you at the helm of program-level delivery for early development in vivo, allogeneic, and autologous cell therapies, spanning therapeutic areas from cancer to autoimmune disease.
• You will translate strategy into execution across a complex, high-stakes portfolio where time, cost, and quality are mission critical.
• Reporting to the Head of Cell Therapy Clinical Operations, you will partner with senior operational and clinical leaders to shape franchise strategies, drive standardization, and ensure inspection-ready excellence.
• How would you set the standard for operational delivery while scaling a 50+ person global team across five countries and aligning shared functions like data, logistics, and manufacturing to a cohesive cell therapy strategy?

Accountabilities:

Franchise Leadership: Clinical Operations Strategy: Define and implement short- and long-term clinical operations strategies across franchises, including therapeutic operating models, country footprint and site strategies, and consistent, deliverable operational clinical development plans.

Integrated Portfolio Delivery: Provide direct strategic oversight of global cell therapy clinical studies to deliver to agreed time and cost, meeting quality and regulatory standards across the portfolio.

Governance and Decision Quality: Serve as a core member of enterprise governance for cell therapy, including Protocol Review Committee sign-off for clinical operations and robust operational review ahead of key decision bodies (DRC and ESPC/LSPC).

Prioritization and Forecasting: Establish and communicate delivery strategies, portfolio priorities, and key metrics to leadership; partner with planning leaders to drive slot forecasting and prioritization decisions.

Regulatory and Inspection Readiness: Ensure franchise-wide preparation for regulatory submissions and sustained inspection readiness. Functional Leadership: High-Performing Teams: Build and inspire a strong, capable global team across program leadership roles, setting vision and strategy, elevating performance, and developing capabilities at scale.

Operational Excellence: Lead functional delivery including financial cycle planning (MTP, LTP, phased budget), training and onboarding strategies, and functional budget management.

Cross-Functional Integration: Build deep partnerships with shared functions (Data Management, Vendor Management, Lab Management groups, Logistics, Manufacturing) to co-create and execute fit-for-purpose cell therapy strategies.

External Engagement and Innovation: Engage with industry leaders to bring innovation into clinical operations practice; lead large transformational workstreams within and beyond the function.

Leadership Team Contribution: Serve as a key member of the leadership team, shaping the forward plan and ensuring standardization and consistency of delivery across programs.

Essential Skills/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• 12+ years of proven Drug Development experience, with direct experience in clinical drug development setting, including direct clinical operations experience
• Line management expertise; experience of performance management of Snr Director level Staff in a large pharmaceutical or biotech setting of teams of 20+.
• Demonstrated development of others, identifying and providing opportunities to improve the capabilities of other people
• Functional Experience in contributing meaningfully to Clinical Operations functional improvement initiatives that cross clinical programs management experience, managing resourcing, budget planning and functional level activities
• Professional excellence: Background of high professional achievement and willingness to encourage this in others - Leads change with a positive approach; sees change as an opportunity to improve performance and add value to the business
• Influencing and stakeholder management
• Supplier/Partnership Management
• Excellent communication skills - Demonstrated ability to set and manage priorities, resources, performance targets and project initiatives in a global environment
• Creative and Innovative: Seeks to improve continuously where it counts, based on good awareness of external competitive practice, and creativity and initiative
• Output/delivery focused - Maintains high standards, including a commitment to AstraZeneca values, policies and employment principles
• Cultural Awareness: Is aware of and sensitive to cultural differences and their impact on communication, expectations and performance.
• Teamwork and cross functional Collaboration: Is effective in leading and being a member of teams, both locally and internationally.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally

Desirable Skills/Experience:

• Advanced Degree (M.S, MBA, PhD)
• 15+ years of clinical and pharmaceutical drug development processes
• Experience working internationally: working with major markets/resolution of international issues
• Business planning skills: has knowledge/experience of planning processes used in managing drug projects
• Risk and crisis management experience
• Experience of leading global teams across mulitple countries

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines.

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.

Why AstraZeneca:

Here you will harness cutting-edge science and modern platforms to change outcomes for patients, backed by sustained investment and a proven record of bringing multiple new cancer medicines to market in the past decade. We bring clinicians, scientists, data experts, and manufacturing leaders together to solve the hardest problems in cell therapy, with the autonomy to ask bold questions and the support to deliver at scale. Your leadership will shape how bench breakthroughs become global studies and, ultimately, new standards of care. We value kindness alongside ambition, pairing high expectations with collaboration, transparency, and the freedom to innovate.

Competitive salary and benefits package on offer:

For the full time role, the annual base salary in for this position in the US, ranges from $270,188.80 - 405,283.20 USD. However, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition, our positions offer a short-term incentive bonus opportunity; eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (salaried roles) or to receive a retirement contribution (hourly roles). Benefits offered included a qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]; paid vacation and holidays; paid leaves; and, health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans. Additional details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Date Posted

18-Sept-2026

Closing Date

09-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.