RWE Director, Early Assets

AstraZeneca • Wilmington, DE

13d • Hybrid

About The Position

As Director, Real-World Evidence – Early Assets, you will work upstream of launch to define the US evidence strategy that influences critical decisions well before approval. Based in Wilmington, DE and partnered closely with US Medical, US Market Access, and US Access Strategy, you will lead the generation of disease burden, natural history, treatment patterns, and unmet-need evidence that informs US Pricing and US Access Strategy. Your work will be tightly aligned with global counterparts so US needs are embedded early in Integrated Evidence Plans and reflected in global strategy. You will thrive in a high-energy, outcomes-focused environment that values scientific rigor and commercial impact. With autonomy to act and the backing of expert, cross-functional teams, you will pilot modern methods and responsibly adopt AI-enabled tools to elevate the quality, speed, and credibility of our evidence.

Requirements

• Advanced degree (PhD, PharmD, MD, or relevant Master’s) in Epidemiology, Health Services Research, Health Economics, Outcomes Research, Biostatistics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of relevant RWE experience in the pharmaceutical industry, managed care, academia, or consulting.
• Deep proficiency in observational study design, real-world data sources, and causal inference methods.
• Comprehensive, current understanding of the US healthcare system, including the evolving payer and policy landscape, quality measures, value-based care models, reimbursement dynamics, and guideline development.
• Demonstrated experience generating evidence that informs pricing, HTA, or payer value (for example, burden-of-illness, early economic modeling, or pricing-relevant comparative evidence).
• Track record of building productive external partnerships with academic collaborators, registries, learning health systems, or data providers.
• Familiarity with applying AI/ML tools to RWE workflows; able to evaluate validity, limitations, and bias.
• Strong written and verbal communication; demonstrated publication record and ability to translate evidence for non-technical US stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively across US and Global matrix teams (Global Medical Evidence, Global HEPE, and US Access Strategy) with a high degree of autonomy and comfort operating amid pre-launch ambiguity.

Nice To Haves

• Experience generating evidence for pre-launch, launch, or early-lifecycle assets is strongly preferred; ability to work across therapeutic areas as the early-asset portfolio evolves.
• Cardiovascular experience is strongly preferred, particularly within the dyslipidemia or obesity franchise.

Responsibilities

• Embed US RWE needs into Integrated Evidence Plans for assigned pre-launch assets and shape the early value story that informs US Pricing and US Access Strategy.
• Generate burden-of-illness, unmet-need, and comparative context evidence sequenced to pre-launch decision milestones, ensuring outputs are fit-for-purpose for US decision-makers.
• Lead natural history and disease-burden studies, observational and retrospective analyses, target trial emulations, prospective registries, and pragmatic effectiveness work using advanced causal methods with rigorous bias mitigation.
• Identify and secure fit-for-purpose data sources (claims, EMR, registries, linked datasets), establish data foundations for assets without an existing footprint, and champion representativeness and health equity in data selection and study design.
• Continuously scan payer, policy, quality measure, and value-based care trends; translate insights into evidence priorities and study designs that anticipate emerging needs.
• Deliver early economic and burden-of-illness analyses that inform US pricing hypotheses and US access planning, building the foundation for future AMCP Dossiers, formulary submissions, and contracting.
• Partner with Global Medical Evidence, Health Economics and Payer Evidence, and Market Access counterparts to align study design and data sources with the Integrated Evidence Plan and inform HTA submissions, economic models, and value dossiers.
• Cultivate collaborations with academia, learning health systems, real-world data providers, patient advocacy groups, and relevant registries to access novel data, co-design studies, and amplify scientific credibility.
• As assets approach approval, prepare a seamless transition of the evidence base to in-line teams, ensuring continuity for Field Medical enablement and implementation partners.
• Apply AI/ML tools responsibly in RWE workflows (e.g., NLP, automated data quality checks, signal detection), evaluate model validity and bias, and contribute to capability building through documented methods and peer learning.
• Adhere to research governance, data privacy, GCP, and SOPs; contribute to internal methods development and peer review to uphold scientific quality and integrity.

Benefits

• We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility.
• You will work with cutting-edge data, modern methods, and collaborative teams that move with pace and purpose, putting patient impact at the center of every decision.
• We bring unexpected teams together to spark bold thinking, value kindness alongside ambition, and give you the autonomy to act with the support to grow.
• Your evidence will directly influence how innovative therapies reach people who need them, while you build skills and relationships that set you up for long-term success.

What This Job Offers

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