Global Head Oncology Site Management & Monitoring

At AstraZeneca, we have created and strategically acquired one of the most promising Oncology pipelines in the industry.  We are planning to launch 20 new medicines by 2030. The breadth of our portfolio together with continued investment in innovation supports sustained growth well past the end of the decade.

Our strategy underpinning this vision is to target areas of unmet need, incorporate biomarker-driven patient selection, maximize value across tumor types and stages of disease, and focus on development of novel combinations.  

The Site Management and Monitoring (SMM) organisation, a country-based organisation with staff in over 25 countries, is responsible for leading the delivery of clinical trials at a country level ensuring high quality study data is collected in a timely and productive way to support Oncology R&D strategy. Therapeutic expertise in oncology is required to optimise where studies are placed and to enable best in class study delivery and data collection.  Project management capability, excellent stakeholder management globally and locally, alongside effective leadership within the country environment are critical capabilities to ensure strategic plans are translated into action.   

The Oncology R&D SMM Head reports to VP Oncology Clinical Operations (Late Stage) and is accountable for global site management delivery across the Oncology portfolio including 3 global regions, 1200 employees in 25+ countries.

Oncology R&D SMM Head will work with local country level leadership, Program Management and Study Management in the TAs to ensure robust country-level insights, feasibility and study recruitment timelines are incorporated into the operational plans as new studies progress through the AstraZeneca governance process.   You will oversee performance of your team and contribute to process improvement initiatives.

The Oncology SMM Head is a member of the Oncology Clinical Operations Leadership Team. Partnership between the Oncology and BioPharmaceuticals SMM Heads will be critical to ensure appropriate standardisation across all countries globally, thus ensuring a ‘One SMM’ mindset irrespective of TA alignment of staff. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead operational excellence for all clinical trial activities, including planning, site/country selection, monitoring, risk management and oversight of quality and compliance from start up through to closure 
• Lead the development of an agile, future-oriented site management strategy to meet the needs of Oncology R&D.
• Ensure appropriate levels of resource and capabilities for all SMM roles required to deliver studies  
• Drive and build collaborations internally and externally between global stakeholders and market level functions (e.g., Oncology Business Unit, Global Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Payors, government institutions) to ensure input to, and delivery of all internally delivered clinical trials 
• Develop and supervise a strong people agenda, ensuring the function and its people are trained, high performing and ready/fit to support delivery of therapeutic area strategies 
• Communicate business priorities and vision in a clear and compelling way for optimal performance; delivering as one global organisation 
• Be an active and participating member of the Oncology Clinical Operations Leadership Team 
• Ensure excellence in implementation of appropriate processes, guidelines, and tools. 
• Create and forecast an accurate clinical trial budgets.
• Oversee adherence to financial reporting procedures, internally and externally 
• Forecast resources and implementing a system/process for staffing the countries optimally.  
• Actively participate with other Oncology leaders to design metrics dashboards and ensuring delivery consistent