Director, External Partnerships

AstraZeneca

1d•$171,000 - $257,000•Onsite

About The Position

The External Partnership Director develops and executes the engagement strategy for high impact collaborations with external partners to support clinical trial delivery. The role oversees the full partnership lifecycle—from strategic planning to operational execution—ensuring strong performance, best-in-class relationships, and cross functional alignment. Key responsibilities include identifying opportunities to expand collaboration, managing partner interfaces for clinical trials, and coordinating across clinical, legal, medical affairs, and other internal teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline, preferably life sciences, or equivalent qualification.
Minimum of 8 years’ experience in Clinical Operations or related fields.
Proven experience in partnership focused roles.
Strong understanding of ICHGCP and applicable local regulations.
Strong strategic influence and persuasive communication skills.
Skilled in client relationship management and cross functional collaboration.
Proficiency in digital solutions, interest in emerging technologies and knowledge of industry trends and research.
Strong analytical thinking with the ability to translate strategy into actionable plans and KPIs.
Effective negotiation, problem solving, and conflict resolution capabilities.
Ability to champion process improvements that optimize speed, quality, and cost in clinical trial delivery.
Change leadership capability, including guiding teams through transformation and ambiguity.
Experience working across multiple studies, indications, and stakeholder groups.
High integrity and adherence to ethical standards.
Ability to travel domestically as required.

Nice To Haves

Understanding of medical knowledge and ability to learn relevant AZ Therapeutic Areas.
Experience across early and late-stage development programs.
Understanding of the drug development process and clinical study operations, including monitoring, data management, and study drug handling.
Ability to operate effectively in complex, high-visibility, and high-pressure environments.
Awareness of evolving regulatory expectations and technical advancements.
Experience in oncology.

Responsibilities

Define and implement an external partnership strategy aligned with portfolio priorities, including governance structures and performance metrics.
Serve as the primary Clinical Operations contact for key partners. Establish governance, lead business planning and performance reviews, manage issue escalation, and provide executive-level updates.
Collaborate with stakeholders such as Feasibility, Clinical Operations, Legal, Contracts, and Medical Affairs to align priorities, optimize study and site placement, and ensure effective communication between partners, vendors, and AstraZeneca.
Establish KPIs and dashboards (e.g., enrollment, cycle times, data quality). Lead review cadences, monitor compliance with agreements, and implement corrective or preventive actions.
Identify and execute opportunities to accelerate enrollment while improving the clinical trial and customer experience.
Apply scientific and regional knowledge to support feasibility assessments, strategic site allocation, and portfolio planning. Leverage oncology strategy maps to ensure alignment with evolving treatment landscapes and site priorities
Partner with internal teams to resolve operational barriers. Serve as the escalation point for performance issues for both internally and externally led studies.
Develop and implement partnership frameworks and operating models that promote standardization and best practices.
Monitor regulatory and operational trends to inform leadership of emerging risks, site landscape changes, and innovative engagement models
Drive the integration of digital and centralized solutions (e.g., eReg, remote SIVs, EMR based identification)
Benchmark partner performance, refine playbooks, and share insights and lessons learned