Global Executive Talent Scout- R&D

AstraZeneca•Boston, MA

2d•$120,397 - $180,595•Hybrid

About The Position

The Global Executive Talent Scout – R&D operates at the intersection of business and talent strategy, supporting senior leaders with high-stakes leadership decisions. The role serves as a trusted advisor who identifies emerging talent trends, challenges conventional thinking, and turns insights into action. It focuses primarily on Executive Director positions and is based in Boston, with flexibility to work from the Seaport or Kendall Square office. The hybrid expectation is an average of three days per week in the office. The position leads executive hiring and succession pipeline development, including direct search, internal slates, and market mapping. It develops talent strategies from business needs, uses talent intelligence and AI-assisted market and skills insights, and provides recommendations on internal mobility and transferable skills. The Scout partners with VPs and, where relevant, SVPs on role success criteria, assessment plans, and decision quality, and presents executive-ready insights to stakeholders. The role tracks and communicates talent outcomes, including pipeline depth and diversity, conversion, time in stage, offer acceptance, mobility, succession readiness, and validation of business-critical roles. It champions internal talent and fair, evidence-based selection while maintaining equity, confidentiality, compliance, and a high-quality candidate experience. It also manages preferred search suppliers, sets expectations for scope, service levels, inclusion, and data quality, and monitors performance and process effectiveness. The Scout provides current market intelligence, articulates total-reward and internal-equity considerations, and partners on approvals and competitive offers. The role requires executive search or senior talent acquisition experience, preferably in pharmaceutical, biotech, or a related industry, along with the ability to advise senior stakeholders, use talent data and digital tools, and manage external search partners. The role is hybrid and based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
5–8+ years of experience in executive search, senior talent acquisition, or related HR work in complex, matrixed environments.
Executive recruitment experience in the pharmaceutical, biotech, or a related industry.
Proven delivery of diverse, high-quality candidate slates and conversion outcomes efficiently.
Experience partnering with business leaders and HR business partners, with exposure to senior stakeholders.
Strong executive confidence, credibility, influence, and communication skills, including collaboration across global hubs.
Hands-on experience with Eightfold, Workday, or a similar applicant tracking system and CRM, with disciplined documentation and adoption of digital tools and workflow optimization.
Experience managing external search partners against defined service-level and inclusion expectations and addressing vendor performance to enterprise standards.
Ability to identify, engage, assess, and convert senior talent, with understanding of global talent markets and competitive talent landscapes.
Ability to build knowledge of AstraZeneca’s science, therapeutic areas, pipeline, and strategic priorities to hold informed conversations with leaders and candidates.
Ability to advise senior leaders and HR partners, influence decisions, manage sensitivities, and align cross-functional stakeholders using data-led storytelling.
Skill in navigating compensation, location, and role scope, and partnering with Reward on competitive, equitable offers.
Proficiency with talent data, insights, and AI-assisted tools to improve speed, quality, and future scouting.
Ability to adapt to changing priorities and navigate ambiguity in sensitive and confidential environments with resilience and self-awareness.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in a matrixed global environment.
Understanding of and familiarity with the Boston R&D ecosystem.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end executive hiring, succession pipeline development, direct search, internal slates, and market mapping, primarily for Executive Director positions.
Monitor external talent markets and maintain diverse, high-quality talent pools aligned with business priorities.
Translate business needs into talent strategies, including risk-based contingencies and build-versus-buy recommendations.
Use talent intelligence, AI-assisted market and skills insights, and commercial insights to identify mobility and transferable-skills options.
Partner with VPs and, where relevant, SVPs to align on success criteria, assessment plans, and decision quality.
Present clear, executive-ready insights and build alignment across stakeholder groups.
Track and communicate outcomes including pipeline depth and diversity, conversion, time in stage, offer acceptance, mobility, succession readiness, and business-critical role validation.
Champion internal talent and transferable skills, broaden talent pools, and support fair, evidence-based selection while maintaining equity, confidentiality, compliance, and a high-quality experience.
Manage preferred search suppliers, setting scope, service-level, inclusion, and data-quality expectations, including expectations for digital and AI-assisted research and reporting.
Monitor and remediate supplier performance and optimize work processes and digital tools in line with preferred supplier list governance.
Provide current market intelligence, articulate total-reward and internal-equity considerations, and secure approvals.
Partner with Reward on competitive, equitable offers and communicate the company’s total-reward philosophy and employee value proposition.
Own multiple concurrent searches end to end, manage pace and sequencing, and adapt to stakeholder needs.
Define success profiles and assess candidate fit and readiness objectively, providing balanced, evidence-based assessments of strengths and risks.