Executive Director, Clinical Science and Innovation Lead, Early Oncology Development

Overview

• What you'll do
• Success profile

Responsibilities

Reasons to join

Benefits

SEARCH JOBS

• Executive Director, Clinical Science and Innovation Lead, Early Oncology Development
• Posted date
• Mar. 07, 2026
• Contract type
• Full time

Job ID

R-247520

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Why choose AstraZeneca Spain?

AstraZeneca Spain is a rising force in our global business. With headquarters in Madrid and our global hub in Barcelona, we’ve become an important international centre of excellence in the fight against critical disease. Boasting vibrant universities and business schools, the Barcelona ecosystem is a place where scientists can thrive. We attract a diverse workforce from across the globe, shining a beacon for innovation in a country that’s committed to clinical development.

We invite you to bring your talents to Barcelona where our respiratory medicine R&D and Global Marketing centre offers opportunities in R&D, IT, Commercial and HR. Or join us in Madrid and shape our growth in our BUs (Respiratory, Oncology & CVRM ), and a range of Corporate functions. Additionally, you can find sales roles throughout the country. Together, we’re contributing to a world-leading pipeline of therapeutics and delivering life-changing medicines to patients.

Who do we look for?

Calling all tech innovators, ownership takers, challenge seekers and proactive collaborators. At AstraZeneca Spain, breakthroughs born in the lab become transformative medicine for the world's most complex diseases. Alongside technical expertise, colleagues have the resilience, energy and collaborative mindset to change lanes, work with different teams and start projects from scratch.

Here, diverse minds and bold disruptors can meaningfully impact the future of healthcare using cutting-edge technology. Whether you join us in Madrid or Barcelona, you can make a tangible impact within a global biopharmaceutical company that invests in your future. Join a talented global team that's powering AstraZeneca to better serve patients every day.

Success Profile

Ready to make an impact in your career? If you're passionate, growth-orientated and a true team player, we'll help you succeed. Here are some of the skills and capabilities we look for.

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Diverse collaborators

This is a speak-up culture that values collaboration. You’ll proactively bring your unique perspectives, experiences and skills to the table and seek the same from others. With our international team composition and the need for fast-paced collaboration, you’ll always be building new connections with colleagues.

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Cutting-edge innovators

When you join us, you’ll be part of a team that embraces digital technology and data to transform the way we work and the work we do. Every day, you’ll help make history, empowered to ignite your creativity and build something enduring.

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Resilient trailblazers

Here, the answers aren’t always available. So, you’ll need to bring a fearless, self-starter mindset to navigate uncharted territories. You’ll harness your ceaseless energy to discover and make the necessary connections with colleagues to shape the future and achieve maximum impact.

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Agile movers

Seize ownership and excel with autonomy to enjoy the constant rush of ground-breaking discovery. Your ability to anticipate sudden shifts and adapt swiftly will prove critical as you make your mark in an environment that rewards initiative and resilience.

Responsibilities

Job ID R-247520

Date posted 03.07.2026

Executive Director, Clinical Science and Innovation Lead, Early Oncology Development

Each day at AstraZeneca Early Oncology & Precision Medicine, we advance a rapidly growing pipeline of potential new cancer therapies and progress numerous clinical programs across phases and tumor types. If you’re passionate about putting patients first and ready to shape meaningful patient experiences in Oncology, join us to unlock the power of science and transform patients’ lives worldwide.

ABOUT ASTRAZENECA

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big, and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person.

ONCOLOGY RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Join a dedicated, fast-growing Oncology team with a strong track record of success. We make bold moves at the cutting edge, transforming molecules to change the practice of medicine.

Early Development Oncology & Precision Medicine (EO&PM) sits within our broader Oncology R&D organization. Working across one of the industry’s broadest and deepest Oncology pipelines offers the opportunity to shape novel molecules from the earliest stages. It takes all of us challenging our thinking to push the pipeline forward and define the future of Oncology.

What you’ll do

As Executive Director, Clinical Science for Early Oncology Development, you will lead a global organization of Clinical Scientists and serve as a cross‑functional catalyst for innovation. You will drive operational excellence and strategic innovation to elevate the quality, speed, and impact of early development across our broad oncology pipeline. In this role you will shaping program strategies, stewarding talent and ways of working, and deploying transformative approaches in methodology, digital/AI, data, and partnerships to improve decision‑making, trial execution, and patient outcomes

Responsibilities

People Leadership: Lead, develop, and inspire a team of Global Clinical Scientists through performance management, resource planning, coaching, and mentorship. Build succession plans, competency frameworks, and career pathways to advance clinical scientific excellence.

Departmental Leadership: Contribute to the Early Oncology Clinical Science & Clinical Development leadership teams on strategy, objectives, resourcing, and issue resolution; oversee departmental capacity management and talent deployment across programs.

Cross-functional collaboration: Co-lead collaboration with the Research Scientists and Translational Scientists to shape pre-CDID and FiH strategies; provide clinical input on data generation and interpretation to enable high-quality, decision-ready development plans.

Clinical study strategy and delivery: Co-lead study activities, including protocol and IB authoring, development of core clinical documents, data review and interpretation, preparation for safety review meetings, and publication planning and execution.

Innovation Strategy and Roadmap: Define and execute a clinical science innovation agenda that advances design, execution, and interpretation of early oncology trials. Prioritize high-value use cases, investment cases, and success metrics across digital, data, and AI capabilities.

Capability Building and Change Management: Launch training programs, communities of practice, and certification pathways for AI-enhanced clinical science. Create incentives and recognition mechanisms that reward innovative, high-quality delivery

Required Qualifications

Education: Minimum Master’s degree required; Ph.D., PharmD, or relevant clinical/biomedical degree strongly preferred.

Experience: 10+ years in clinical drug development within pharma/biotech, with substantial early oncology experience; proven track record leading complex global programs and cross-functional teams.

Leadership: Demonstrated line leadership and mentorship of clinical scientists; experience building capabilities and leading organizational change.

Scientific Expertise: Deep understanding of tumor biology, pharmacology, translational biomarkers, and mechanisms of target–tumor interaction; familiarity with model-informed development and innovative trial designs.

Innovation and AI: Hands-on experience or senior sponsorship of data science/AI initiatives in clinical development (use-case prioritization, validation, governance, deployment). Ability to translate scientific needs into digital solutions and measure impact.

Collaboration and Influence: Strong collaborative communication skills; adept at navigating conflict and aligning diverse stakeholders across R&D, Biostats, Data Science, Regulatory, Safety, and external partners.

Problem Solving: Demonstrated ability to resolve complex issues with solution-focused approaches; strong decision-making under uncertainty.

Date Posted

06-Mar-2026

Closing Date

19-Mar-2026

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.

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What we offer

We're driven by our shared values of serving people, society and the planet. Our people make this possible, which is why we prioritise diversity, inclusivity, balance and sustainability. Discover what a career at AstraZeneca could mean for you.

An award-winning company

We're passionate about being a great place to work, and 84% of our employees would recommend us as an employer. We've been recognised as a Top Employer in Spain, an EFR Family Responsible Business, and we achieved third place in Forbes Spain's Top 50 Best Places to Work list.

Inclusive environment

Diversity and inclusion are embedded in everything we do, and our different views, experiences and strengths enrich our culture. There's no salary gap at AstraZeneca, and the number of female employees has increased by four per cent over the last three years. We've also made all positions fully accessible.

Work-life balance

Your wellbeing means a lot to us, and we're here to support you through all of life's ups and downs. That's why we offer an unpaid leave policy, annual leave, reduced-hours timetables and a host of benefits, including a retirement plan, long service award, and health and travel insurance.

Sustainability initiatives

We're committed to harnessing the power of science to become a more sustainable business. We've reduced our carbon footprint by over 9,000 kg of CO2 over the last two years, and we lead the European GoGreen Project, which aims to introduce environmentally friendly options in our fleet of corporate vehicles.

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Inclusion & Diversity

• The success of AstraZeneca is founded on innovation, creativity and diversity. Discover what this means for you.
• Great culture, great work assignments, supportive management. Rotation opportunity within the company. They value our people.

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