US Medical Early Asset Director– Insights

AstraZeneca • Wilmington, DE

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

This role is crucial for leveraging scientific capabilities to positively impact patients' lives by developing ambitious US medical strategies for AstraZeneca's early pipeline. The position involves seizing, designing, and influencing across a complex matrix system to ensure US needs are integrated into global development plans. The US Medical Early Asset Director – Insights will own US insight generation and decision analytics for pipeline assets from late discovery through Phase 2, translating ambiguity into clear, evidence-based recommendations by integrating secondary analytics, custom market research, competitive intelligence, epidemiology, and early forecasting. This role partners closely with Global/US Commercial, Medical, Clinical Development, Market Access, HEOR, and Finance to shape target product profiles, influence trial design, pressure-test differentiation hypotheses, and inform investment decisions at stage gates.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree preferred (MBA, MPH, MS in Market Research/Statistics, PharmD, or related).
• 5+ years in pharma/biotech or consulting focused on market insights, new product planning, or early commercial strategy.
• US market experience.
• Early development experience (Phase 1–2) strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated impact shaping TPPs, influencing clinical/evidence plans, and informing investment decisions via robust insights and analytics.
• Effective at partnering with Clinical, Medical, Market Access/HEOR, and Finance; leads without authority in matrixed teams.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience with qualitative and quantitative methods (e.g., conjoint/DCE, segmentation, ATU/DTU, message testing) and vendor oversight.
• Proficiency with forecasting basics, epidemiology inputs, claims/EMR analytics, and triangulation across data sources; comfort with uncertainty and sensitivity testing.
• Ability to translate competitor clinical and access moves into implications for positioning and evidence.
• Clear, concise communicator who turns complex data into actionable recommendations for senior stakeholders and governance.
• Working knowledge of analytics and visualization tools (e.g., Excel, PowerPoint; familiarity with data platforms/BI tools is a plus).
• Practical experience using AI/ML-enabled tools for insights work (e.g., NLP for unstructured text, predictive modeling, synthetic respondent methods, automated coding of qual, prompt engineering for analysis/synthesis) with an understanding of data privacy, bias, and validation best practices.

Responsibilities

• Define the US insights learning plan across asset stages; prioritize critical unknowns and decision points, and map research/analytics to governance milestones.
• Pressure-test TPP elements (endpoints, attributes, device/format, administration setting, line of therapy, subsegments) via research and rapid experiments; recommend trade-offs to maximize US value.
• Design and lead payer/HCP/patient qualitative and quantitative studies (concept tests, message/value testing, conjoint/DTU, ethnography, discrete choice, max-diff) to refine positioning and evidence needs.
• Synthesize syndicated data, claims/EMR analyses, epidemiology, treatment paradigms, and policy trends to size opportunities, refine segmentation, and anticipate adoption barriers.
• Maintain dynamic competitor profiles, trial readouts, label trajectories, and access precedents; run competitor simulations and implications for differentiation and timing.
• Build and refine early demand/adoption forecasts, market maps, and scenario trees; partner with Finance on rNPV and sensitivity analyses that reflect uncertainty and key inflection points.
• Translate insight into guidance on endpoints, comparators, PROs, inclusion/exclusion, and RWE priorities that support future US adoption, labeling, and access.
• Identify priority segments (HCPs, treatment centers, IDNs, payers, patient pathways) and define decision drivers across the care continuum to inform early brand strategy and initial field teams' structure.
• Co-create early value narratives and differentiation hypotheses; test resonance and credibility with customers and iterate with Medical/HEOR and Market Access.
• Stand up lightweight experiments (concept sprints, ad boards, rapid quant) to answer time-sensitive questions ahead of governance gates and external catalysts.
• Craft clear, concise readouts and recommendations for asset teams and governance; ensure traceability from insight to decision and document assumptions/risks.
• Select and manage research/analytics vendors; ensure methodological rigor, compliance, and on-time, on-budget delivery.
• Conduct research and external engagements in line with US regulations and company policies for pre-approval communications and data privacy.

Benefits

• When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines.
• In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions.
• That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office.
• But that doesn't mean we're not flexible.
• We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility.
• Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

What This Job Offers

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