Senior Administrative Assistant, Portfolio Strategy & Pipeline Governance

AstraZeneca • Gaithersburg, MD

15d • $34 - $50 • Hybrid

About The Position

This role partners closely with the Head & Executive Director of Portfolio Strategy & Pipeline Governance to streamline priorities, sharpen leadership focus, and enable timely, well-informed decisions that shape the company's pipeline. The Senior Administrative Assistant will interface regularly with senior executives and their assistants, build trusted relationships, and ensure effective communication. The role also involves coordinating key team operations for a ~15-person strategy and governance team, managing calendars, inboxes, meeting preparation, budget tracking, and travel logistics to allow leaders and teams to concentrate on high-impact work.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience supporting Executive Director or VP-level leaders in complex, matrix organizations.
• Demonstrated ability in managing complex schedules and competing priorities in a highly visible position.
• Experience in global, matrix organizations with diverse stakeholders across time zones.
• Exceptional judgment and discretion in handling and tracking confidential portfolio, financial, strategic, and other sensitive business information.
• Proactive problem-solving—ability to stay two steps ahead and anticipate needs.
• Strong gatekeeping abilities—comfortable diplomatically saying "no" to protect executive time.
• High emotional intelligence and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent customer service orientation.
• Calm under pressure managing multiple competing priorities simultaneously.
• Resourceful and independent—gets things done without step-by-step direction.
• Flexible and agile—adapts quickly when plans change.
• Multi-tasking excellence in high-volume environments.
• Strong organizational systems and meticulous follow-through.
• Confident with a positive demeanor; has the courage and tact to proactively challenge leadership, recommend actions on team management nuances where executive bandwidth is limited.
• Advanced Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Expert-level SharePoint and Teams proficiency.
• Ability to format documents for consistent, professional appearance.
• Experience with budget tracking tools and financial systems (SAP, Coupa preferred).
• Excellent written and verbal communication—able to draft professional emails, documents, and presentations on behalf of executive; professional presence and credibility with senior stakeholders.
• High School Diploma or GED required.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree strongly preferred.
• Experience coordinating team operations for 10+ people.
• Experience supporting governance-heavy or decision-oriented leadership environments.
• Pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare industry experience.
• Experience with SAP or Coupa.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted partner to the team leader, filtering requests, pressure-testing meeting needs, and protecting time for highest-priority work.
• Prepare daily briefings and maintain a conflict-free two-week view to drive focus and momentum.
• Provide intermittent support to other GPPM Leadership Team members, as required.
• Proactively manage complex, global calendars across time zones, making independent prioritization and trade-off decisions aligned to leadership priorities.
• Ensure readiness through pre-reads and briefing materials.
• Triage a high-volume inbox, distilling messages into clear actions and decisions.
• Draft correspondence and maintain organized digital files.
• Represent the team leader with credibility, aligning stakeholders and resolving issues before escalation.
• Build strong relationships with senior executives and their assistants to speed decision-making and remove friction.
• Track team priorities and deliverables.
• Coordinate leadership and staff meetings with clear agendas and documentation.
• Maintain transparency of work and progress.
• Partner with Finance to track budget and expenditures.
• Process expenses, purchase orders, and invoices on time and in compliance.
• Manage vendor creation and qualification in appropriate systems.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement practical systems that enhance speed, quality, and consistency across day-to-day workflows.
• Coordinate domestic and international travel.
• Organize meetings and large-scale virtual sessions across time zones.
• Ensure rooms, technology, and materials are set for productive discussions.

Benefits

• Qualified retirement programs
• Paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves)
• Health coverage
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• Eligibility for various incentives—an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: High school or GED