Finance Director - Cell Therapy R&D

AstraZeneca•Gaithersburg, MD

1d•$154,968 - $232,453•Hybrid

About The Position

As Finance Director – Cell Therapy R&D, you will be central to delivering our Cell Therapy ambition by turning data into direction, resources into results, and plans into outcomes. Reporting to the Sr. Finance Director – Cell Therapy R&D, you will partner with multiple R&D functional leadership teams, lead core forecasting cycles, and provide rigorous, insight-rich financial stewardship across a rapidly expanding portfolio. Your work will ensure a clear line of sight from functional investment decisions to portfolio impact, enabling senior leaders to move decisively on the opportunities that matter most.

Requirements

Bachelor degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field is required
8+ year of relevant experience
Problem solving & collaborative working
Ability to build strong relationships with excellent communication and interpersonal skills across levels
Persistence, determination and resilience
Deep analytical thinking. Experience developing business cases and use of decision support tools and mentoring others in their development and use
Qualified finance professional with experience working as Finance Business Partner with exposure to senior management
Future focus & interest in the evolving healthcare environment, in particular Cell Therapy and Oncology
Ability to adapt to constantly changing needs with an open and constructive mindset

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred
R&D finance experience within cell or gene therapy, oncology, or other complex development portfolios
Proven track record building portfolio analytics and scenario models that guide investment decisions
Expertise with enterprise planning and reporting technologies (e.g., SAP, BPC, Anaplan, Power BI) and advanced Excel modeling
Experience establishing forecasting and governance rhythms in high-growth or transformation environments
Demonstrated impact leveraging automation or AI-enabled tools to improve finance processes and insights
Ability to influence and coach senior scientific leaders and cross-functional teams through ambiguity and change

Responsibilities

Lead annual financial forecasting processes (RBU1, RBU2, MTP, Budget) and hold functions accountable for delivering enterprise financial commitments; drive clarity on trade-offs and outcomes.
Serve as the primary finance business partner to several Cell Therapy R&D functions, acting as a thought partner to shape strategy, optimize investments, and unlock capacity for high-value science.
Build and improve decision frameworks and business cases, including optimal resourcing models and opportunities for AI-driven efficiencies; translate complex options into clear recommendations for senior stakeholders.
Further develop portfolio-level reporting for Cell Therapy projects, creating readily accessible financial metrics and insights that inform portfolio choices and accelerate value creation.
Work across functions and projects to create and improve financial processes, ensuring underlying assumptions and ways of working are consistent and scalable across Cell Therapy R&D.
Introduce novel approaches to financial management, mentor partners in the use of decision support tools, and embed data-driven, forward-looking practices that raise the bar for the organization.