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Executive Director, Multimodal & Minimally Invasive Biomarker Strategy

AstraZeneca
United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 27 Apr 2026

About the role


As Executive Director, Multimodal & Minimally Invasive Biomarker Strategy you will…

Define Enterprise Strategy and Drive Portfolio Impact

  • Establish enterprise strategy for minimally invasive and multimodal biomarkers, with emphasis on ctDNA across tumor-naïve and tumor-informed approaches
  • Build decision frameworks that guide when these approaches should and should not be used, ensuring consistent application and demonstrable ROI across programs
  • Develop approaches that enable comparability, reuse, and learning across studies
  • Define and track metrics that demonstrate value: impact on decision-making, timelines, and development efficiency

Enable Critical Development Decisions

  • Partner with Translational Medicine to align biomarker strategies with development plans and influence key decisions: go/no-go, dose selection, and patient selection
  • Guide development of ctDNA monitoring strategies that assess target engagement, depth and durability of response, and emergence of resistance, contributing to molecular response endpoints that complement or extend traditional radiographic endpoints
  • Articulate and defend biomarker strategies in governance discussions with senior leadership

Lead Multimodal Integration and Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Drive collaboration across BST functions (Translational Pathology, Radiology and Theranostics, Translational Proteomics, and Biosamples) to integrate blood-based, tissue, and imaging biomarkers and build a unified view of patient biology
  • Advance approaches that move from exploratory multimodal datasets toward focused, scalable, deployable solutions

Build and Develop High-Performing Teams

  • Lead and develop team of scientists and strategists across career levels, from early-career scientists to senior directors
  • Set strategic priorities, ensure alignment with portfolio needs and enterprise strategy, and build capability in both scientific depth and systems-level thinking
  • Foster culture of accountability, collaboration, and scientific rigor with focus on measurable outcomes

Drive Technology Strategy and Strategic Partnerships

  • Evaluate emerging technologies based on ability to inform development decisions and scale across the portfolio
  • Lead engagement with external partners and vendors: selection, performance management, and negotiation of multi-year agreements
  • Ensure technology investments support a coherent platform approach rather than fragmented adoption

Establish Operational Excellence and Regulatory Strategy

  • Establish standardized, scalable approach to minimally invasive biomarkers while allowing appropriate program flexibility, and build systems that enable portfolio-level learning and continuous improvement
  • Collaborate with Precision Diagnostic Development to translate research biomarkers into regulated companion diagnostics, incorporating regulatory requirements and diagnostic feasibility from inception
  • Lead strategic discussions with regulatory authorities on novel biomarker approaches and qualification pathways

Required Education, Experience & Skills

Essential

  • PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in molecular biology, cancer biology, genomics, or related scientific discipline
  • 15+ years of progressive experience in oncology biomarker development with demonstrated advancement into senior leadership roles
  • Deep experience with ctDNA and other minimally invasive biomarker approaches, including understanding of different technologies, their appropriate use, and their application across tumor-naïve and tumor-informed strategies
  • Proven ability to develop decision frameworks and establish when biomarker approaches should and should not be used, with track record of demonstrable ROI
  • Demonstrated success connecting biomarker strategy to clinical development and influencing major development decisions at the portfolio level (go/no-go, dose selection, patient selection)
  • Experience working in complex, matrixed environments and influencing across functions and senior leadership levels without direct authority
  • Track record of building and leading high-performing teams across multiple career levels, with focus on developing both scientific depth and systems-level thinking
  • Experience developing approaches that enable reuse and learning across multiple programs rather than one-off implementations
  • Proven ability to articulate and defend complex scientific strategies in governance discussions with senior leadership
  • Executive-level communication skills with ability to engage audiences from bench scientists to C-suite leadership and regulatory authorities
  • Experience managing strategic vendor relationships,

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Company

AstraZeneca

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