Director, Cell Therapy Logistics Operation

AstraZeneca•Los Angeles, CA

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

Are you ready to build and scale a vein-to-vein logistics engine that turns cutting-edge cell therapies into real outcomes for patients? In this director role, you will lead end-to-end scheduling and logistics across autologous, allogeneic, and in vivo therapies and critical raw materials, ensuring chain of identity and chain of custody through robust digital systems and quality management. Your work will enable compliant, reliable patient scheduling, collection, and delivery to clinical sites, aligned to manufacturing realities and release windows. You will sit at the center of a connected network spanning manufacturing, clinical, quality, digital, and external partners, aligning operations so the entire enterprise can move faster and smarter. How will you design a logistics operating model that is compliant on day one and scalable for the next wave of indications? Do you thrive in high-stakes, real-time environments where your decisions protect patients and unlock speed at scale?

Requirements

At least BS/BA with 10+ years (or MS/MA/MBA with 8+ years) in logistics operations at pharma/biotech or leading clinical supply or logistics providers
Minimum 5 years of people leadership experience, preferably managing across multiple sites or countries.

Nice To Haves

Cell therapy experience preferred.
Proven logistics control tower leadership for critical, temperature-controlled shipments, including, scheduling, COI/COC, and incident response.
Direct courier vendor management experience (SLAs, KPIs, RCA/CAPA)
Strong GDP/GMP and international trade compliance knowledge.
Experience defining requirements for a cell orchestration platform and applying analytics to capacity and network performance.
Strong people management and stakeholder partnership across internal and external interfaces.

Responsibilities

Define and evolve the operating model across patient and material flows to enable scalable, compliant vein-to-vein execution, covering slot scheduling, shipment booking, real-time monitoring, exception management, escalation SLAs, and COI/COC controls. Align design with manufacturing cycle times, validated hold times, and site capacity plans.
Execute and enforce slot management rules to maximize utilization and patient access; lead cross-functional escalations with Planning, Manufacturing, Clinical and Commercial to protect priority cases and timelines.
Ensure logistics processes comply with GxP and internal quality system requirements; lead and support audits, inspections, CAPAs, and training; publish and maintain SOPs, work instructions, and playbooks.
Partner with depot teams on EU receiving, storage, pick/pack, QP handoffs and GDP controls; coordinate EU shipment monitoring to safeguard product integrity.
Ensure compliant import and export movements, permits and licenses, documentation, and adherence to regional requirements in partnership with Legal, Compliance and customs brokers.
Define business requirements and UAT for the cell orchestration platform; partner with IT to deliver a roadmap that improves real-time visibility, exception monitoring, and customer experience.
Oversee day-to-day logistics performance for apheresis, drug product, and critical materials, including order booking, COI/COC traceability, and handoffs to depots and manufacturing; oversee patient scheduling interfaces with clinical sites and collection centers; coordinate pickups, customs clearance, and deliveries to meet release windows; manage exceptions and remediation in real time.
Set service levels and monitor KPIs; drive vendor performance through business reviews and continuous improvement to elevate speed, reliability, and patient experience.
Detect, triage, and resolve shipment exceptions and quality events; lead incident reviews, lessons learned and CAPA effectiveness to reduce recurrence and systemic risk.
Own courier COPs and qualified lanes (LN2, 2–8 C, OBC), KPIs and QBRs, and vendor RCA/CAPA; ensure consistent performance, governance and business continuity across global lanes.
Define and maintain lane mapping and lane risk assessments; document route and risk profiles; build contingency playbooks to keep product moving despite disruptions.
Lead logistics readiness for new indications, capabilities, facilities, and digital or process changes; ensure smooth transitions without compromising compliance or patient timelines.
Build and lead a high-performing team; define clear roles and objectives, develop talent, and foster a culture of patient-centricity, compliance, and operational excellence.