External Supply Co-ordinator, Clinical Manufacture & Supply

AstraZeneca • Gaithersburg, MD

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

About the role AstraZeneca’s Pharmaceutical Technology & Development (PT&D) turns scientific concepts into medicines that help millions of patients. Within PT&D, our Clinical Manufacture & Supply (CM&S) organization provides an agile, end-to-end clinical supply chain—manufacturing, outsourcing, and delivering supplies to hundreds of thousands of patients globally. We are seeking an External Supply Co-ordinator to join our External Commercial Products team within the Oncology Therapy Area. In this role you will source commercially available medicinal products and related services to support AstraZeneca-sponsored clinical trials. You will build and manage strategic supplier relationships, design robust sourcing strategies, and ensure GDP/GMP-compliant, audit-ready supply chains that meet study timelines, quality, and cost targets. You’ll partner closely with Clinical Manufacturing & Supply (CM&S), Quality, Procurement, Clinical Operations, and Business Development stakeholders to deliver right-first-time supply. When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world. At AstraZeneca, you'll find yourself at the heart of innovation where sustainability goals drive our mission. With a commitment to making a difference beyond patients, you'll contribute to pioneering our sustainability strategy. Be part of a team striving towards Zero Carbon by 2025 and carbon negative across the entire value chain by 2030. Here, everyone plays a role in creating a lasting legacy that benefits people, the environment, and society. What’s next If you’re energized by building compliant, resilient, value-driven comparator supply chains that help deliver medicines to patients faster, we’d like to hear from you. Prepare to travel for supplier engagement and industry events as needed. Competitive salary and benefits package on offer.

Requirements

• Minimum Bachelor's Degree in a relevant discipline (Life Sciences, Supply Chain, Pharmacy, Business, or related field).
• 2+ years of experience in supply chain in as well as hands-on supplier coordination and order management.
• Demonstrated organizational and project coordination skills with ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver to timelines.
• Problem-solving skills and clear communication with cross-functional, multicultural teams.
• Commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing practices; familiarity with master data governance.

Nice To Haves

• Master's Degree in a relevant discipline (Life Sciences, Supply Chain, Pharmacy, Business, or related field).
• Experience within a pharmaceutical sponsor, CDMO/CRO, or specialty distributor environment.
• Experience in clinical trial supply, pharmaceutical procurement, or comparator sourcing is preferred
• Strong understanding of quality principles and cGMP/GDP, including documentation control and audit readiness preferred.
• Working knowledge of Clinical Trial Supply considerations (availability, shelf-life, stability, labelling, documentation) and ability to identify risks and escalate to technical/quality experts.
• Digital aptitude and competence working across multiple systems; SAP experience preferred.
• Familiarity with RFI/RFQ processes and comparator market dynamics; basic cost compilation skills.
• Exposure to Lean/continuous improvement and business process documentation.

Responsibilities

• Sourcing execution and order management: Coordinate and implement sourcing activities for commercially available products per approved sourcing plans and protocols. Prepare and place purchase requisitions and orders, verify product details (strength, pack, country of origin), and track order status to meet study timelines.
• Supplier coordination: Support supplier identification and qualification activities led by Procurement/Quality by gathering documents, scheduling meetings, and maintaining records. Coordinate day-to-day interactions with approved suppliers on lead times, documentation requests, and delivery updates.
• Logistics and documentation control: Arrange shipments via approved routes (direct-from-manufacturer or qualified wholesalers) ensuring temperature control, serialization/traceability, and required documentation (COAs, batch records, TQAs where applicable) are complete and filed per SOPs.
• Compliance support: Complete activities in compliance with cGMP/GDP and internal procedures. Maintain audit-ready files, support preparation for audits/inspections, and escalate deviations or risks promptly to Quality and line management.
• Stakeholder communication: Serve as the operational point of contact for assigned products/studies, providing regular status updates, raising risks and issues, and aligning on milestones and dependencies with study teams.
• Market and availability checks: Conduct structured market availability checks across approved geographies using defined tools/processes. Compile data to support RFIs/RFQs run by Procurement or Leads and summarize options on availability, shelf-life, and delivery timelines.
• Quote preparation and handover: Compile and validate quotes and cost scenarios using standard templates and verified data. Ensure accurate handover of sourcing and shipment information to internal stakeholders and maintain document retention per SOPs.
• Data and systems: Maintain accurate master data and transactional records in AZ systems (e.g., SAP) including material masters, supplier details, purchase orders, goods receipts, and status updates. Use dashboards and trackers to monitor order progress and inventory positions.
• Financial process adherence: Support budget adherence by maintaining accurate cost records, confirming prices, and ensuring invoices match POs and receipts. Provide timely updates to enable forecast and report generation owned by team leads.
• Continuous improvement participation: Identify process issues and participate in Lean and continuous improvement activities. Adopt digital tools and standardized work to increase visibility and reduce cycle time and errors.
• External engagement support: Attend supplier meetings and audits as requested to provide documentation and operational context; escalate issues to Leads/Procurement/Quality and follow through on agreed actions.

Benefits

• Benefits offered included a qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]; paid vacation and holidays; paid leaves; and, health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.
• Additional details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

What This Job Offers

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