Senior Director and Strategy Lead for the Discovery Phase in BioPharma Safety

Job Description

Are you an experienced Leader for Safety Science in the early phases of Drug Discovery, and looking for your next challenge? Would you like to bring your scientific excellence and leadership skills to BioPharma Safety and become a key player in the discovery of safe innovative medicines? If yes, this might be your next career step!

AstraZeneca is looking to recruit a Senior Director for Safety Science to strengthen the Discovery Safety team and provide safety strategy guidance to our Discovery Safety Specialists/ Toxicologists supporting projects for cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, and respiratory indications. The position can be based in one of our vibrant R&D sites in Gothenburg, Cambridge, Gaithersburg or Boston.

In this role you will play an important part in the BioPharma Safety department, within the larger global Clinical Pharmacology & Safety Science (CPSS) function. As the Senior Director and Strategy Lead for the Discovery Phase, you will provide guidance on safety strategies for the discovery portfolio from target selection to candidate delivery. In this role, you will collaborate closely with the Head of BioPharma Discovery Safety and be a line manager for the Discovery Toxicologists and resources holder for the discovery phase. This role will report to the Head of BioPharma Safety and will be a member of the BioPharma Safety department leadership team.

Your main accountabilities:

As true Drug Hunting partners to BioPharma R&D, we contribute to the selection of novel drug targets, design of therapeutic concepts, identification and optimization of different modalities, and the selection of novel candidate drugs. We develop and apply cutting edge molecular, cellular and in vivo technologies to push the boundaries of predictive safety science and investigative toxicology.

• You will be responsible for leading the safety strategies from target selection to candidate delivery with the aim to deliver molecules with the Right Safety profile.
• Develop and apply innovative safety solutions and safety research to meet strategic needs of the discovery project portfolio of small molecules, peptides, antibodies, oligonucleotide based therapies, and to pursue cutting edge science and technologies to optimize and influence safety assessment of novel drugs.
• Engage with world-class experts across our organization to develop, refine and implement innovative experimental strategies and use the data to assess and/or provide mechanistic understanding of safety issues (e.g. advanced in silico, in vitro and in vivo models, data and AI, advanced imaging, systems modelling)
• Act as Discovery Safety Lead/ Toxicologist leading the nonclinical safety aspects of assigned BioPharma projects in the Discovery phase, including highly accelerated projects, and in-licensing evaluation activities.
• Partner with Strategic Toxicology Leads, Discovery Safety leaders, Safety Innovation and Regulatory Toxicology, Safety Pharmacology, Pathology, and external partners to secure peer input.
• Build networks with other teams, external partners and external stakeholders to learn about new developments, leverage opportunities and share best practices.
• As a BioPharma Safety Leadership Team member, you will identify, set, and deliver on overall department objectives.

Essential Skills/Experience:

• PhD (or equivalent) in toxicology, cell biology, pharmacology, systems biology or related field, and a strong scientific track record. (other relevant job experience will also be considered).
• Experience of project portfolio safety support in the cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, and respiratory therapy areas, as well as modalities such as small molecules, peptides, antibodies, and oligonucleotides are considered as an advantage.
• Experience with design of strategies and execution of in vitro and/or in vivo experiments to determine the safety of therapeutics.
• Preferably >5 years’ experience of safety in the drug discovery phase (from project conception to candidate drug selection). Clear understanding of safety activities and strategies post candidate delivery.
• Leadership skills and experience from handling a large and dynamic project portfolio in the pharmaceutical industry.
• The successful candidate is a highly motivated, creative and innovative scientist and leader with a flexible, collaborative and team-oriented mindset. You like to solve problems in a goal-focused fashion, and you have strong communication and presentation skills. Along with this, you have a social personality and will enjoy contributing to our open, positive, collaborative working climate.

So, what’s next!

If you want to be a part of pushing the boundaries of science with us – apply today!

For more information about the position please contact hiring manager Mikael Persson, Executive Director, Global Head of BioPharma Safety, [email protected]

Please submit your application no later than 21st May 2025.

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.