Associate Director, Epidemiology

Job Description

This global role requires the candidate to work on-site at our Alexion office in Barcelona, Spain. Please include a cover letter in English with your application explaining why you believe you are a good fit for the role.

This is what you will do:

The Epidemiology & Real World Science (EpiRWS) team is a growing group within the Alexion-AstraZenca Rare Disease Unit which is driving the scientific use of Real World Data to accelerate the way that patients access innovative medicines.

The Associate Director, Epidemiology is a strategic and scientific leader responsible for developing, coordinating and completing impactful epidemiological deliverables with a focus on Alexion’s early R&D portfolio and business-development interests. This role involves: 1) working with stakeholders to identify opportunities where epidemiological initiatives can deepen our understanding of rare diseases; 2) delivering, interpreting and communicating scientifically robust stage-appropriate evidence (research conducted personally or through other EpiRWS colleagues or vendors/contractors) that enhances decision-making across the portfolio; and 3) working under the guidance of the EpiRWS Leadership Team to support process improvement and functional excellence initiatives. The Associate Director will ensure all deliverables are completed efficiently, on time, within budget and with high quality and accuracy.

The Associate Director, Epidemiology will participate in cross-functional teams and lead sub-team meetings as needed. This role involves working closely with colleagues across the portfolio, including: Early Commercial Strategy; Business Development; Research / Global Product Teams (and their associated functions such as Clinical Development, Patient Safety; Regulatory Affairs); plus Global Marketing and Market Access and Portfolio Analytics. The ideal candidate will have experience in analyzing and interpreting epidemiologic data within the context of rare diseases and a passion for applying epidemiology to support life-transforming therapies for patients.

You will be responsible for:

• Collaborating with key business stakeholders to identify evidence gaps and opportunities for Epidemiology initiatives with a focus on Alexion’s early R&D portfolio and business-development interests.
• Planning, developing and completing Epidemiology deliverables for assigned therapeutic areas and programs.
• Coordinating, overseeing and guiding other EpiRWS colleagues or vendors/contractors in developing deliverables (as required).
• Propose, design, initiate, complete and report Epidemiology deliverables, including for example: forecasting of incidence and prevalence to inform market sizing; critically appraising & synthesizing relevant literature; analysis of real-world databases; describing patient characteristics, natural history, treatment patterns and outcomes; quantification of event rates and phenotypic / genotypic traits or associations; and landscaping for suitable data-sources.
• Summarizing results in written reports and oral presentations.
• Providing planned and ad hoc epidemiological engagement to colleagues across the portfolio, including: Early Commercial Strategy; Business Development; Research / Global Product Teams (and their associated functions such as Clinical Development, Patient Safety; Regulatory Affairs); plus Global Marketing and Market Access and Portfolio Analytics.
• Actively participate in and/or lead (as appropriate) cross-functional teams and sub-teams.
• Provide epidemiology perspectives into study protocols and regulatory documents (as required).
• Represent EpiRWS department during interactions with key internal and external stakeholders, including Scientific Advisory Boards and regulatory authorities (as required).
• Maintain awareness of epidemiology with respect to regulatory requirements, payer trends and advances in pharmacoepidemiological methods.
• Travel may be required (up to 10%).

You will need to have:

• PhD / DSc / DrPH in Epidemiology or closely related discipline with at least 3 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, or consulting environment, or MPH/MSc in Epidemiology or closely related discipline with at least 6 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, or consulting environment.
• The duties of this role are generally conducted in an office environment. As is typical of an office-based role, employees must be able, with or without an accommodation to: use a computer; engage in communications via phone, video, and electronic messaging; engage in problem solving and non-linear thought, analysis, and dialogue; collaborate with others; maintain general availability during standard business hours.

We would prefer for you to have:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of drug and clinical development processes.
• Excellent attention to detail and scientific rigor.
• Ability to work under pressure and lead by example.
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving environment with frequent changes in scope or direction of projects.
• Hands-on experience implementing or designing studies using RWD (e.g., through use of proprietary analytics platforms and/or statistical programming in R, Python, SAS etc).
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• High degrees of self-motivation and organization.
• Thorough and up-to-date technical knowledge of epidemiology and relevant biostatistics methods.
• Record of high-quality publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Please note, this global role requires the candidate to work on-site at our Alexion office in Barcelona, Spain. Please include a cover letter in English with your application explaining why you believe you are a good fit for the role.

Date Posted

Closing Date

Alexion is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging where every single person can belong because of their uniqueness. The Company will not make decisions about employment, training, compensation, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment based on race, color, religion, creed or lack thereof, sex, sexual orientation, age, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, (including childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), parental status (including adoption or surrogacy), military status, protected veteran status, disability, medical condition, gender identity or expression, genetic information, mental illness or other characteristics protected by law. Alexion provides reasonable accommodations to meet the needs of candidates and employees. To begin an interactive dialogue with Alexion regarding an accommodation, please contact [email protected]. Alexion participates in E-Verify.