Director, Academic Alliance Lead

AstraZeneca is building a more connected, end-to-end approach to academic collaboration across BioPharma R&D. We are looking for an experienced Academic Alliance Lead to help establish this capability within our new Academic Alliances team and to make high-value collaborations work in practice.  Based at our new R&D site in Kendall Square, Cambridge, you will work at the center of one of the world’s most dynamic life-science ecosystems. You will connect leading academic science with AstraZeneca’s R&D priorities, helping alliances move from agreement to delivery, learning and impact.  This role has two equally important dimensions:  • Lead a portfolio of major strategic alliances directly, serving as the dedicated alliance manager and accountable point of contact.  • Enable a broader portfolio of academic collaborations that are led day to day by scientific or functional colleagues, giving them the structure, tools, coordination and issue-resolution support needed to deliver well.  What you will do   Lead selected strategic alliances  • Serve as the primary AstraZeneca alliance contact for a defined portfolio of high-priority academic relationships, including partnerships as they are established.  • Work with internal and external leaders to set a shared direction, establish effective governance and translate agreements into practical operating plans.  • Coordinate delivery across scientific, Legal, Business Development, Finance, Project Management and other contributors.  • Keep commitments, milestones, decisions and risks visible; address obstacles early and lead escalations when needed.  • Prepare and support Joint Steering Committee and other governance meetings, ensuring decisions are clear and followed through.  • Maintain trusted institutional relationships and identify opportunities to strengthen or extend alliances where this supports R&D priorities.  • Support amendments, renegotiations and, where appropriate, the orderly transition or conclusion of alliances.  Enable delivery across the wider alliance portfolio  • Act as an accessible point of contact for colleagues who directly manage academic collaborations within their scientific or functional areas.  • Help collaboration owners put proportionate governance, delivery plans, decision rights, milestone tracking and risk management in place.  • Provide practical guidance, templates and problem-solving support without displacing the accountable project or relationship owner.  • Connect teams to the right expertise across AstraZeneca and help resolve cross-functional or institutional issues that could slow delivery.  • Maintain a coherent view of the portfolio, surfacing themes, dependencies, risks and opportunities for Academic Alliances and senior stakeholders.  • Build a community of practice for alliance management, sharing lessons and raising consistency while keeping the approach appropriate to each collaboration.  Build the capability with us  • Help define how alliance management operates within the new Academic Alliances team, from governance standards and ways of working to reporting and measures of partnership health.  • Bring external best practice and adapt it to the needs of academic research collaborations and BioPharma R&D.  • Contribute to the shaping of new alliances so that delivery, governance and relationship considerations are built in before signature.  • Create stronger continuity across the partnership lifecycle and bring learning from active alliances back into future opportunity and portfolio discussions.  Essential skills and experience   • Bachelor's degree in life sciences, or a related discipline.  • At least 8 years of relevant professional experience, including experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder allianc