Senior Group Director, Clinical Scientist - Immunology

AstraZeneca•Cambridge, MA

1d•$233,586 - $350,380

About The Position

The Senior Group Director, Clinical Scientist, Immunology is a senior scientific and functional leader accountable for people leadership, capability development, portfolio resourcing, program and study strategy, and clinical science delivery across the immunology portfolio. The role line-manages Clinical Scientists, contributes to departmental leadership, and serves as Clinical Scientist for programs and studies. In close partnership with Program and Study Physicians, Global Clinical Program Leads, Translational Medicine, Bioscience, Clinical Operations, Biostatistics, Data Management, Pharmacovigilance, Regulatory, and external partners, the role translates clinical-development strategy into high-quality, inspection-ready execution and clear governance recommendations. The position leads clinical-science team development and resource planning, contributes to functional operating-model and capability decisions, and provides portfolio-level insight to prioritize work and guide resource trade-offs. It partners with clinical teams to shape clinical development strategies and plans aligned with target product profiles, disease strategy, patient needs, and emerging evidence. The role also influences project teams and senior governance, resolves cross-functional issues, and supports external alliances. The role leads or reviews study design, study delivery, clinical data review, evidence integration, safety-related work, regulatory submissions, health-authority interactions, publications, and scientific disclosures. It ensures study objectives, endpoints, assessments, and operational choices generate decision-enabling evidence; supports traceability from endpoints to outputs; and promotes regulatory compliance and inspection readiness.

Requirements

Advanced clinical or scientific degree, such as PhD, PharmD, MD, or an equivalent qualification in a relevant life-sciences discipline.
Typically 10 or more years of relevant clinical-development experience, including substantial experience leading clinical programs or complex studies and delivering through global matrix teams.
Demonstrated line-management experience, including talent selection, objective setting, performance and development conversations, resource allocation, and coaching scientists at different career stages.
Deep knowledge of end-to-end clinical and pharmaceutical drug development, clinical-trial methodology, benefit-risk evaluation, and global regulatory expectations.
Proven authorship, leadership, or senior review of clinical development plans, protocols, amendments, Investigator’s Brochures, informed consent forms, safety documents, regulatory materials, analysis plans and outputs, and Clinical Study Reports.
Extensive experience with clinical and safety data review, interpretation of integrated evidence, and preparation of decision-quality recommendations for governance and senior leadership.
Proven ability to influence and deliver at senior leadership level, internally and externally, and to lead effectively across functions without direct authority.
Strong collaborative communication, problem-solving, issue-management, and conflict-navigation skills, with a solution-focused and accountable approach.
Working knowledge of ICH-GCP, inspection readiness, global health-authority expectations, and clinical quality systems.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, make sound judgments with incomplete information, and maintain a high standard of scientific and operational quality.
Clinical development expertise in one or more immunology disease areas and experience with innovative therapeutic modalities, including cell therapy, biologics, or other advanced therapies.
Ability to travel nationally and internationally as required.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading a discipline, skill group, community of practice, or departmental capability initiative.
Experience with portfolio planning, departmental resource management, operating-model design, or delivery of functional scorecard objectives.
Experience leading external alliances or collaborations with academic institutions, investigators, consortia, service providers, CROs, or strategic partners.
Understanding of translational medicine, biomarkers, clinical pharmacology, biostatistics, data science, safety, regulatory, CMC, and commercial considerations across the development lifecycle.
External scientific credibility demonstrated through publications, presentations, professional networks, or recognized contribution to the field.
Familiarity with clinical review and analytics tools, including AI, and with data-analysis environments.

Responsibilities

Line-manage Clinical Scientists, including recruitment, onboarding, objectives, performance, succession, career development, retention, and project and study allocation.
Build an inclusive, high-performing team through clear expectations, feedback, coaching, mentorship, development plans, delegation, and oversight.
Balance portfolio demand, capabilities, development opportunities, and business priorities; anticipate capacity and skill gaps and propose resourcing solutions.
Contribute to departmental leadership, operating-model decisions, talent and resource reviews, issue resolution, and non-drug scorecard priorities.
Potentially serve as Clinical Science Skills Lead, strengthening procedures, training, communities of practice, and continuous improvement in quality, consistency, efficiency, and inspection readiness.
Provide portfolio-level Clinical Science insight to prioritize work, connect evidence needs across programs, and guide transparent trade-offs and resource decisions.
Partner with clinical teams to shape strategy and execution and lead or support the Clinical Development Plan in alignment with the Target Product Profile, disease strategy, patient needs, and emerging evidence.
Influence Global Project Teams and senior governance with evidence-based recommendations addressing uncertainties, benefit-risk, operational implications, and decision points.
Resolve cross-functional issues and lead or support external alliances with clear expectations, governance, and risk management.
Lead clinical study design and delivery aligned with the Clinical Development Plan, ensuring objectives, endpoints, estimands, assessments, and operational choices generate decision-enabling evidence.
Lead or provide senior review of strategic study documents and translate protocol intent into practical site and data-collection workflows.
Guide study teams and external partners through clear cross-functional accountabilities and risk-based oversight.
Oversee clinical data review, eligibility, data cleaning, and analysis readiness; ensure traceability from endpoints to outputs and integrate efficacy, safety, PK/PD, biomarker, and translational evidence into recommendations with the responsible Physician or Clinical Lead.
Partner with the Study Physician and Pharmacovigilance on safety surveillance, reconciliation, aggregate trends, and safety-review materials; escalate findings requiring medical judgment and ensure issue closure, regulatory compliance, and inspection readiness.
Lead or review Clinical Science contributions to regulatory submissions, health-authority interactions, publications, and scientific disclosures; maintain consistency across outputs and translate external developments into strategy.
Represent Clinical Science with external stakeholders.