Senior Global Medical Affairs Leader, CardioRenal

AstraZeneca • Gaithersburg, MD

10d • $243,586 - $365,380

About The Position

Reporting to the Global Medical Head of CardioRenal, the Senior GMAL is a highly experienced Medical Affairs leader with proven vision and impact. This individual develops and leads bold medical strategies within the CardioRenal therapy area, expertly guiding cross-functional and cross-regional teams to deliver and exceed ambitious goals. The Senior GMAL’s influence is enterprise-wide—shaping global medical agendas through Global Medical Team, Global Product Team, and Disease Area Team leadership, and deep partnership with Medical and Commercial functions in markets and regions worldwide.
This role demands a leader who champions innovative, disruptive thinking—identifies and shapes breakthrough opportunities, reimagines market dynamics, and accelerates high-impact evidence generation and medical change initiatives. The Senior GMAL navigates and transforms health systems, leverages digital and advanced analytics, drives stakeholder engagement, and ensures AstraZeneca’s science leads externally and internally through world-class medical evidence and strategic partnerships.
Expectations of a Senior GMAL include:
Strategy & Transformation: The Senior GMAL designs and leads the implementation of product and disease area strategies, as well as ambitious practice change initiatives, at a global level. This requires a deep understanding of healthcare system pathways, regulatory landscapes, market access, and competitive dynamics. The Senior GMAL consistently delivers innovative, disruptive solutions to shape markets, challenges status quo thinking, and uses digital proficiency to identify data-driven opportunities, preparing for launch and life cycle management.
Medical Evidence Leadership: Senior GMALs own the evidence generation strategy—demonstrating advanced experience in clinical research, interventional trials (Phases 2–4), and real-world evidence (RWE) programs. They shape and drive groundbreaking clinical trials, registries, and RWE studies aligned with brand, access, and practice-changing objectives. They guide the optimisation, communication, and strategic roll-out of data across scientific platforms, ensuring AstraZeneca delivers differentiated evidence that supports the needs of regulatory, payer, and healthcare providers. Clinical research, patient outcomes expertise, and deep understanding of treatment protocols underpin their ability to address evolving evidence requirements.
Advanced Scientific & Digital Engagement: The Senior GMAL blends scientific expertise with strong digital acumen. They leverage digital health tools, advanced analytics, and data platforms to transform evidence communication, personalize stakeholder engagement, and enhance patient outcomes. They are the voice of medical—crafting compelling narratives, driving digital dissemination of evidence, and ensuring accurate, impactful, and compliant scientific communications.
Guiding and Influencing Stakeholders: With significant expertise in internal and external engagement, the Senior GMAL builds and sustains powerful relationships across the healthcare ecosystem—including global and regional KOLs, professional societies, regulators, payers, patient organizations, digital innovators, and health systems. Their credibility and influence enable them to mobilize support for medical strategy, evidence generation, and healthcare change initiatives. They mentor and guide cross-functional teams, championing scientific leadership and strategic collaboration.
Regulatory Insight & Compliance: The Senior GMAL possesses keen regulatory understanding and ensures clinical trial and evidence generation initiatives are designed for both scientific and regulatory success. They anticipate evolving regulatory and payer requirements for evidence, ensuring high quality, compliant data generation and communication at every stage.

Requirements

• Doctoral-level degree (MD, PhD, PharmD) in a relevant discipline.
• At least 5 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry (Medical, Marketing, R&D, Market Access), or extensive experience within a health system (clinical, pharmacy, pathway design, etc.).
• Demonstrated leadership in complex, global healthcare environments, including leading franchise/TA business in key markets, driving brand performance, and managing large, diverse teams.
• Significant expertise and strategic insight into healthcare system pathways, regulatory landscapes, market-shaping, and external stakeholder engagement.
• Strong track record of internal and external network building, collaboration across geographies and matrix teams, and effective mentoring of junior colleagues or peers.
• Digital proficiency, leveraging digital health tools and data platforms to advance evidence generation and communication.
• Deep understanding of patient care pathways, evolving treatment protocols, scientific literature, and contemporary approaches to healthcare transformation.
• Proven ability to guide, influence, and align diverse stakeholders—including thought leaders, regulatory bodies, patient groups, and payer organizations.

Nice To Haves

• Recognized expertise in the relevant or related therapeutic area, often evidenced by a history of clinical practice, research leadership, or significant external engagement.
• Advanced experience designing, leading, and interpreting clinical research programs, including pivotal clinical trials (Ph2–Ph4), practice-changing RWE studies, and implementation of innovative evidence generation approaches.
• Broad experience beyond Medical Affairs; for example, prior roles in Marketing, R&D, or Market Access.
• Long-standing relationships with global KOLs, societies, regulators, digital health partners, and innovative healthcare organizations.
• Track record of launching new products or indications in multiple, diverse markets (e.g., US, China, EU), and successfully developing and executing global medical strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develops and leads bold medical strategies within the CardioRenal therapy area.
• Guides cross-functional and cross-regional teams to deliver and exceed ambitious goals.
• Shapes global medical agendas through leadership of Global Medical Team, Global Product Team, and Disease Area Team.
• Partners with Medical and Commercial functions in markets and regions worldwide.
• Champions innovative, disruptive thinking, identifies and shapes breakthrough opportunities, and reimagines market dynamics.
• Accelerates high-impact evidence generation and medical change initiatives.
• Navigates and transforms health systems, leverages digital and advanced analytics, and drives stakeholder engagement.
• Ensures AstraZeneca’s science leads externally and internally through world-class medical evidence and strategic partnerships.
• Designs and leads the implementation of product and disease area strategies, as well as ambitious practice change initiatives, at a global level.
• Challenges status quo thinking and uses digital proficiency to identify data-driven opportunities, preparing for launch and life cycle management.
• Owns the evidence generation strategy, demonstrating advanced experience in clinical research, interventional trials (Phases 2–4), and real-world evidence (RWE) programs.
• Shapes and drives groundbreaking clinical trials, registries, and RWE studies aligned with brand, access, and practice-changing objectives.
• Guides the optimisation, communication, and strategic roll-out of data across scientific platforms.
• Blends scientific expertise with strong digital acumen, leveraging digital health tools, advanced analytics, and data platforms.
• Crafts compelling narratives, drives digital dissemination of evidence, and ensures accurate, impactful, and compliant scientific communications.
• Builds and sustains powerful relationships across the healthcare ecosystem.
• Mobilizes support for medical strategy, evidence generation, and healthcare change initiatives.
• Mentors and guides cross-functional teams, championing scientific leadership and strategic collaboration.
• Ensures clinical trial and evidence generation initiatives are designed for both scientific and regulatory success.
• Anticipates evolving regulatory and payer requirements for evidence, ensuring high quality, compliant data generation and communication.

Benefits

• Short-term incentive bonus opportunity
• Eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program
• 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
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree