Director, North America R&D Site Communications

AstraZeneca • Gaithersburg, MD

13d • Hybrid

About The Position

Director, North America R&D Site Communications Gaithersburg, MD Global Corporate Affairs Hybrid Work- on average 3 days a week from office Do you have a passion for people, for science and the communications and management skills to design, develop and implement employee engagement strategies for a science-led biopharmaceutical company? Can you conceive, prioritize and run effective internal communications programs to help inspire employees around a bold ambition? We are looking for a passionate and experienced Communications Director to drive the development and delivery of communications in support of our North American R&D sites, focused primarily on our R&D hub in Gaithersburg, MD, but including R&D sites in South San Francisco and New York. With more than 4,000 scientists, executives, and supporting staff, our Gaithersburg site is one of six strategic R&D hubs globally. Gaithersburg is an outstanding and vibrant campus with the capacity to discover, develop, manufacture, and commercialize innovative medicines all within a single campus. You will lead internal multi-channel long- and short-term communications to build culture, share information, and create community. You'll need to be a strategic problem solver, with a talent to develop project plans and implement communications optimally. Expert-level organization and time management skills are key to supporting numerous projects, deliver in a fast-paced environment, coordinate with multiple functions and/or regions and successfully partner with internal clients and leaders.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• 8+ years communications experience
• Established track record of delivering impactful, content rich communications programmes across multiple channels and partners with demonstrable measures of success
• Substantial experience and skills in internal communications
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• Strong social and digital skills and knowledge of technology options
• Team worker with high level of personal accountability
• Able to develop and maintain networks across business and cultural boundaries
• Experience of driving groundbreaking change communications and working cross-functionally
• Experience managing vendors including communications/PR agencies, video production agencies, and freelancers
• Ability to mentor and influence senior leaders on their communication effectiveness
• Ability to set and handle priorities, resources, goals, and project initiatives
• First-rate coordination, teamwork, organization and multi-tasking skills
• Project management skills

Nice To Haves

• Degree in journalism, communication, marketing or related field
• Experience working in the pharmaceutical industry
• Experience working in large scale multi-national companies
• Understanding of and ability to translate science

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver effective and creative communications programs that inform and inspire our employees around our bold ambition
• Design and deliver change management communications in support of site-level organizational changes
• Deliver weekly Campus Update email communication, including coordination across functions to source and highlight content
• Serve as primary point-of-contact for high-profile delegation visits to the Gaithersburg campus
• Support senior leaders to ensure seamless execution of high-profile internal engagements
• Support the Gaithersburg Site Leadership and Extended Site Leadership teams to elevate them as a leaders and support site leadership strategy
• Lead the communication planning, development and delivery for flagship site events.
• Facilitate execution of multiple site-wide initiatives and events
• Ensure communications are continuous, consistent and distributed across multiple site channels, including plasma screens, and digital channels, including our intranet and social media channels
• Lead and champion use of relevant communication channels - such as Workvivo; ensure adoption across organization and implements measurement strategies in order to drive effectiveness and behavior change
• Collaborate with other teams across AstraZeneca, including Site Operations, Health & Safety, Security, and others to ensure the development of compelling, functional change communications

Benefits

• qualified retirement programs
• paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves)
• health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director