Associate Director - Mechanistic Biology & Profiling

Do you possess leading expertise within pharmacology and have a passion for drug discovery? Are you a dedicated and experienced enzymologist/in vitro pharmacologist? Would you like a role where your expertise, as well as your leadership skills, will be highly appreciated?

We are currently recruiting for an Associate Director in the Mechanistic Biology & Profiling department in Gothenburg, Sweden. In this role you will pursue world-class medicines in new ways, combining our people's exceptional skills with those of people from all over the global AstraZeneca R&D organisation.

You will join the multi-faceted department Discovery Sciences, that drives early drug discovery across AstraZeneca's global Research & Development portfolio. Mechanistic Biology & Profiling is a global, multidisciplinary department responsible for mechanism-of-action studies and compound profiling for efficacy and pre-clinical safety in support of the Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, Respiratory & Inflammation, and Neuroscience portfolios.

If you're inspired by the possibilities of science to make a difference and ready to discover what you can do - join us.

What you will do:
Reporting directly to the local Head of the Mechanistic Biology & Profiling Department you will set the vision together with the local leadership team and lead a team in generating pre-clinical pharmacology data in support of drug discovery projects globally with early DMPK assessment, SAR profiling (DMTA) and detailed mechanism of action data to predict and understand compound (and novel drug modalities) efficacy.

As our Associate Director, you will lead and drive a high-performing team to provide early, impactful mechanistic insight to projects across the global disease areas, through a combination of in vitro enzymology, pharmacology, and quantitative cell biology. You will represent the department across a broad range of therapeutic projects and global initiatives within Discovery Sciences and the disease areas, and also externally. You will drive scientific and technical innovation, including through external collaboration and partnership, as well as be a member of the Global Mechanistic Biology & Profiling Leadership Team. This means participating in setting and maintaining the strategic direction, scientific quality and efficiency of the global department.

Essentials in the role:

* PhD/BSc/MSc degree in a relevant life sciences discipline with at least 10 years' experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, or equivalent
* Extensive line management experience with teams of highly qualified personnel working in related scientific discipline in matrixed project environment
* Comprehensive understanding of the quantitative biology-based disciplines (enzymology, pharmacology)
* Extensive experience in pre-clinical drug discovery with expertise in screening, assay design & technology, mechanism of action studies, statistical tools and advanced data analysis (incl ML & AI).
* Proven track record of career progression, and external scientific reputation gained through professional recognition, external presentation and publication in high-impact journals
* Extensive experience of establishing and leading external collaborations and technology change projects to advance organisational capability
* Track record of delivering results across a diverse project portfolio by driving strategic, scientific, financial and people performance.

Desirable in the role:

* Strong and energetic leader - able to articulate a vision for disease- agnostic Discovery missions, set direction and inspire commitment for preclinical Discovery.
* Ability to manage internal expertise, capacity and resources to drive governance and decision-making regarding scientific portfolio support and technology development.
* Is future orientated and strategic in thinking style.
* Robust decision making informed by business and financial acumen and an understanding of competitor strategy.
* Generates exceptional results by influencing, driving performance and collaborating across project and country boundaries.

Why AstraZeneca Gothenburg?
Our beautiful campus in Gothenburg is one of AstraZeneca's three strategic science centers. The site is home to over 2,500 employees, from 50 different nationalities. We have the complete variety of functions and offer plenty of development opportunities for a wide range of professionals. Our science teams in Gothenburg collaborate with academic and industry partners both in Sweden and globally. We have designed the site with collaboration in mind - from our Coffee Lab to exercise areas, we've built a series of environments where innovation is fostered.

Does this sound like your next challenge and place to work? Apply today!

We look forward to your application, but no later than 7 August, 2020.

For more information about the position please contact: Per-Erik Strömstedt at +46 31 7762010/+46 725 043585.

Additional information about our fantastic city and site:
Our Gothenburg site: https://www.astrazeneca.com/our-science/gothenburg.html
Life in Gothenburg: https://www.movetogothenburg.com/