Medical Affairs Lead Oncology

Role Summary

High-level summary of the position with main purpose of the position and how it will be successfully accomplished:

AstraZeneca is pushing the boundaries of science to deliver live-saving breakthrough medicines that will improve patients’ lives. In that endeavour, Medical Affairs is a key strategic partner in shaping the optimal performance of the AstraZeneca brands. The Medical Affairs Lead has the full accountability of the delivery of the local medical affairs initiatives. These could include, but are not necessarily restricted to, scientific partnership building with key experts, medical evidence planning, scientific communications, competitor intelligence, patient engagement and ensuring alignment with commercial & market access initiatives. The Medical Affairs Lead is heading the team of Medical Affairs Managers and Medical Science Liaisons and will ensure that the team effectively implements and executes the local medical brand plan. These outputs are guaranteed through continuously building robust scientific and medical expertise on the therapeutic area, AstraZeneca products and its competitors in combination with a business acumen attitude and strong communication skills

Job Responsibilities (to include key result areas, specific accountabilities, tasks, etc.)

• Integrates, interprets and disseminates scientific evidence and content on AZ products and disease areas of focus to support the brand strategy and to support disease/product value messages to internal and external stakeholders.
• Identifies, prioritises and reviews opportunities to generate evidence to clinically differentiate AZ products and better understand overall disease state management based on external stakeholder perspectives and the needs of AZ regions and markets
• Leads development of specific scientific communications activities e.g. conference symposia or specific scientific meetings sponsored by AZ, such as external physician or patient expert meetings
• Delivers the appropriate interpretation and preserves the integrity of medical evidence
• Coach and develop team members to be best in class (scientific expertise, communication skills, business acumen) and ensure development and execution of the Action Plans

• Works in a strategic partnership with the Marketing and Market Access Department, providing key input in the local operational brand strategy by ensuring input of KEE, customer insights and competitive intelligence
• Accountability for the Development and execution of the medical affairs plan according to budget and timelines

• Acts as the patient insight expert in the assigned disease and therapeutic area team by deeply understanding the unique needs, experiences, patient journey and relevant outcomes for patients
• Facilitates patient insight knowledge sharing by raising awareness about patient insight strategies and activities
• Maintains a good working knowledge of company standards on medicines promotion and supports the Nominated Signatories in ensuring compliance standards for external audiences
• Sustains a “customer focus” in all design and interpretation activities (i.e. internal stakeholders, regulators, payers, prescribers, patients)
• Keeps own knowledge of best practices and relevant developments up to date
• Respond to unsolicited Medical Information (MI) requests about approved or unapproved AstraZeneca products, or about unapproved uses of approved AstraZeneca products
• Work together with External Service Provider for MI to meet the requirements set in the local MI procedure

Leadership and Functional Capabilities:

The following summarizes the capabilities (skills, knowledge, attitude) and competencies needed to be able to accomplish all job responsibilities for this specific job function:

• Exemplify the AstraZeneca Values and behaviours
• Excellent Communication Skills
• Good Planning and Organisational Skills
• Excellent Scientific knowledge
• Ability to develop Strategic Partnerships
• People Management
• Ability to seek and critically assess a large amount of data, distil and synthesize information, put it into context and evaluate its impact on the business
• Business acumen and strategic insight
• Cross-functional teamwork
• Work autonomously and make the right priorities in a complex work environment with a high number and variety of requests
• Be flexible, resilient and decision oriented
• Influencing skills
• Project management skills
• Cross functional collaboration

Education, Qualifications and Experience

Essential

• Master’s degree in a scientific discipline
• Experience in relationship and stakeholder management (3P’S-Payer, Provider and Patients)
• Project and relationship management experience
• Experience with Evidence generation and clinical trial methodology
• People management experience
• Business Acumen foundation knowledge
• Financial Management foundation knowledge
• Matrix team functionality specialist
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Greater than 2 years’ experience in oncology

Desirable

• Advanced scientific or medical degree
• Greater than 5 years’ experience of Medical Affairs within a pharmaceutical industry
• Understanding of the latest technical, regulatory, policy and real world evidence generation dimensions
• Budget management experience
• Experience delivering country medical affairs plans

Key Relationships to reach solutions

Internal (to AZ or team)

• Management within Global Medical Affairs
• Market Access, Heath Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR), PaCe and Compliance Teams
• Regional and Country Medical Affairs teams
• GPPS, Sales and Marketing functions

External (to AZ)

• Service Providers
• Scientific and Patient Experts
• Regulatory bodies
• Payer/Health Technology Assessment organisations
• Patient Organisations
• Local or regional stakeholders including Policymakers, Healthcare professionals