Director, Translational Medicine Lead

We are seeking an exceptional Director-level Translational Medicine Lead (TML) to join our Haematology R&D organization, with dedicated focus on B-cell leukemias, specifically B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) and B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (B-CLL). This is a 100% Translational Medicine role, serving as the single point of accountability for biomarker strategy and delivery across a portfolio spanning large molecules (antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies), small molecules (targeted inhibitors), and cell therapies (CAR-T and next-generation approaches). 

About AstraZeneca 

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. Within Haematology R&D, we are committed to advancing science to deliver life-changing medicines to patients most in need. Our combination-focused pipeline harnesses the power of six scientific platforms—Immuno-Oncology, Tumor Drivers and Resistance, DNA Damage Response, Antibody-Drug Conjugates, Cell Therapy, and Epigenetics—to address unmet needs in hematologic malignancies across leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. 

Translational Medicine at AstraZeneca Haematology 

Translational Medicine (TM) transforms hematological cancer biology into actionable insights that drive therapeutic development and clinical decision-making. Operating within the Haematology R&D division, the TM team is the single point of accountability for delivering robust, scientifically driven biomarker strategies to all project teams. The team collaborates closely with preclinical bioscience, clinical development, clinical operations, and Precision Medicine & Biosamples functions. TM provides end-to-end biomarker support from assay development and technical validation through clinical deployment and data interpretation across early- and late-phase studies. 

Role Summary 

The Director, TML – B-cell Leukemia will serve as the scientific and operational owner of translational medicine strategy for the B-ALL and B-CLL portfolios. This individual will be embedded across program teams as the dedicated translational lead, accountable for biomarker strategy from preclinical through Phase 3 and beyond. The role spans the full spectrum of therapeutic modalities—large molecules, small molecules, and cell therapies—requiring deep disease biology expertise alongside versatile biomarker and assay knowledge. 

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities:

Translational Strategy & Delivery 

• Develop and own comprehensive translational science strategies for B-ALL and B-CLL programs, covering patient selection, pharmacodynamics (PD), mechanism of action (MoA), and mechanism of resistance (MoR) from preclinical through Phase 3 clinical studies. 

• Define and execute biomarker plans that deliver robust, decision-quality data to support Go/No-Go (GNG) milestones, dose and schedule selection, and regulatory submissions. 

• Apply deep B-cell biology expertise to generate disease-linkage data guiding indication selection and expansion across both B-ALL and B-CL