Global Scientific Director, Oncology Medical Training
The Oncology Medical Training (OMT) function at AstraZeneca is a tumour-aligned, specialist training team – where a
passion for science, expertise in adult learning principles, and a curiosity to push boundaries meets with our commitment to
improving patient outcomes. The OMT function plays a critical role in ensuring our Medical teams excel in the scientific
knowledge and capabilities required to facilitate meaningful engagement with the clinical community and reinforce our
position as leaders in Oncology.
As a Global Scientific Director, you are responsible for delivering comprehensive and impactful training content for
AstraZeneca medical teams worldwide. You will partner with relevant tumour area stakeholders to identify global medical
training needs, identify potential innovative solutions, implement educational initiatives, and evaluate success via metrics-
based approaches. Key to the role will be development of an internal and external network, to assist in the effective
implementation of training activities across teams and throughout the business.
This role will report directly to the Senior Director of Oncology Medical Training. The position will be based in Mississauga,
Canada or Barcelona, Spain.
Join us in our bold mission to remove cancer as a cause of death and make a substantial impact in Oncology Medical Affairs
at AstraZeneca!
Curriculum Development:
· Therapeutic Area Expertise - Develop therapeutic area training curricula - to include disease state, patient journey,
therapeutic landscape, and pre-clinical/clinical/real-world evidence data from AstraZeneca - alongside relevant
capabilities training to communicate scientific information effectively.
· Learning Experience Innovation: Leverage adult learning principles to deliver effective and meaningful learning
experiences, alongside the design of novel training solutions to bolster learner engagement and interactivity.
· Content Development Leadership:
- Direct the work with external providers to produce innovative content and training solutions.
- Guide the selection and application of various authoring tools to create innovative and interactive training
content.
· Communication Excellence: Communication with Global and Local collaborators and learners to ensure awareness of
currently available and future educational content.
Strategic and Hands-On Leadership:
· Provide comprehensive strategic leadership while actively engaging in the development and delivery of scientific
training initiatives that are aligned to our medical strategy and local market needs.
· Guide the localisation of training content and provide focused support during product launches.
· Develop and maintain a knowledge/content management strategy to guarantee the effective onboarding of new staff
and the continuous update and relevance of training assets.
· Oversee and improve the learner experience within the LMS, ensuring it supports optimal training delivery and user
engagement.
Collaborative Partnerships:
Establish and nurture relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, ensuring
identification of educational gaps and integration of insights into training content. Partners include Global Medical Affairs,
Global MSL Excellence, Local Headquarters and Field Medical stakeholders, amongst others
Budget and Resource Stewardship: Manage the training budget, aligning financial resources with strategic training
initiatives.
Mentorship and Team Development: Serve as a mentor to team members, including Associate Directors, promoting
professional growth and development.
Innovation and Technology: Lead the exploration and implementation of new educational technologies to enhance training effectiveness. Program Evaluation and Metrics: Oversee the development of metrics to assess training impact, driving continuous program improvement. Compliance and Governance: Ensure adherence to global guidelines, policies and processes, setting the example for the OMT function.
Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience
Education: Advanced degree in a scientific discipline, health
sciences (Master’s or higher), or a Bachelor’s Degree with
clinical experience.
Experience:
- Minimum of 5 years in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Prior experience in Medical Affairs, with a focus on field
medical roles.
- Demonstrable experience in capability training or similar
fields.
- Proven track record in project management.
- Experience with budget management.
- Familiarity with matrix organizational structures and
cross-departmental collaboration.
Skills:
- Strategic thinking and long-term planning abilities.
- Competence in setting/managing priorities, resources,
and performance targets in a global/regional context.
- Practical knowledge of clinician-facing Medical Affairs
functions.
- Clear understanding of Medical Affairs compliance
requirements.
- Experience in designing and delivering Medical Affairs
training programs.
- Proficiency in instructional design systems.
- Strong organizational, interpersonal, and conflict
management skills.
- Ability to effectively collaborate with various roles across Medical departments.
Experience:
- Work with global teams in a multicultural and diverse environment.
- Digital innovation or development of new services/programs.
- Delivering live training events.
- Experience in high-level change management and organizational development. Skills: Advanced digital literacy and comfort with new technology adoptio
AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.