Health Equity Operations & Strategy Lead

Alexion • Boston, MA

1d • Remote

About The Position

Health Equity at Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease (AX) is a business-critical priority to reduce care gaps that delay diagnosis and access to optimized guideline-directed treatments with innovative medicines for rare disease patients. Reporting to the AX Head of Health Equity (HE) and President of the Alexion Charitable Foundation (ACF), the Health Equity Operations and Strategy Lead drives program oversight, cross-functional coordination, executive readiness, and ACF governance. The role translates strategy into execution across Alexion and AstraZeneca, advancing alignment, accountability, and measurable progress in closing care gaps.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MPH, MBA, MPP, or related) preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in strategy, business operations, enterprise program/portfolio management, management consulting, or equivalent roles within healthcare/life sciences (or closely related sectors).
• Demonstrated experience building governance and operating rhythms (cadences, agendas, decision logs, action tracking) and driving cross-functional execution across senior stakeholders.
• Experience developing executive-ready materials (briefing documents, narratives, and presentations) and facilitating leadership forums.
• Working knowledge of health equity, patient access, and/or social impact concepts; experience partnering with DE&I/health equity offices, patient advocacy, public health, or CSR functions strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting philanthropic or grant-making governance (e.g., foundation operations, grant lifecycle management, portfolio oversight) and managing external vendors/consulting partners preferred.
• Strong analytical skills: ability to define metrics, track progress, synthesize insights across disparate inputs, and translate outcomes into clear impact stories for leadership.
• Comfort partnering with Finance, Procurement, Legal, and Compliance; experience supporting annual planning/budgeting processes and operating within regulated environments.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, diplomacy, and influencing skills; able to navigate ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and drive alignment without direct authority.

Nice To Haves

• advanced degree (MPH, MBA, MPP, or related) preferred.
• experience partnering with DE&I/health equity offices, patient advocacy, public health, or CSR functions strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting philanthropic or grant-making governance (e.g., foundation operations, grant lifecycle management, portfolio oversight) and managing external vendors/consulting partners preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead portfolio oversight and program delivery for strategic rare disease Health Equity initiatives, including timelines, creating cross-functional program ownership, and managing enterprise dependencies, risks, and decision points.
• Align cross-functional workstreams across Alexion functions, AstraZeneca Enterprise teams, and Alexion leadership to drive execution against Health Equity priorities.
• Own performance tracking and reporting, including metric development and tracking, deliverables, leadership updates, and executive-ready materials.
• Drive integration, governance, and accountability by connecting initiatives, resolving overlaps, clarifying decision rights, and managing escalation paths.
• Support strategic planning and prioritization through business cases, impact narratives, risk mitigation, and partnership with Finance and Procurement on budget planning.
• Lead grant lifecycle management, including process design, continuous improvement, and oversight from application through award communication.
• Lead communication and input gathering from Alexion and AstraZeneca Health Equity leaders and the Alexion Leadership Team to strategically feed a strategic portfolio at ACF that will drive closing of care gaps for rare disease patients.
• Establish governance and portfolio oversight to enable funding prioritization, clear decision-making, and compliance with legal, financial, and audit requirements.
• Oversee the grant administration partner and awarded grants, ensuring strong execution, milestone tracking, payment management, meeting of statutory requirements, and timely issue resolution.
• Define impact metrics and lead portfolio reporting, delivering dashboards, quarterly updates, and annual summaries for stakeholders.

Benefits

• qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]
• paid vacation and holidays
• paid leaves
• health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage

What This Job Offers

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