Launch and MLR Planning Director, US OBU

Are you ready to orchestrate launch excellence at scale and ensure every label approval translates into immediate, compliant impact for patients and the business? Do you thrive on leading high-performing teams to deliver complex programs with precision and speed?

In this role, you will lead onshore and nearshore teams responsible for Launch Planning and the end-to-end Medical, Legal, and Regulatory (MLR) review and approval process for the US market. You will drive Day 0 readiness so brands can release content upon label approval, accelerate time-to-impact, and leverage AI-driven productivity to raise the bar in speed, quality, and compliance.

Reporting into a global planning and medical delivery leadership team, you will partner closely with brand, medical, regulatory, and business excellence stakeholders to evolve our shared services. You will shape how we plan, prioritize, and deliver launches from strategy to execution, connecting disciplined operations with bold innovation to bring life-changing medicines to patients faster.

Accountabilities:

• Launch Project Leadership: Lead and oversee Launch Project Management activities, ensuring integrated plans and milestones are delivered with rigor and pace.
• Day 0 Readiness: Drive Launch Day 0 planning for new products, indications, and label updates to enable content release upon label approval.
• Team Leadership and Development: Provide leadership, direction, guidance, and support to direct reports, aligning work to business goals, growth and development, and AstraZeneca values.
• Resource Optimization: Manage resource allocation in a dynamic, fluctuating demand environment to ensure the right capacity is in the right place at the right time.
• Stakeholder Partnership: Build effective, collaborative relationships with stakeholders across Global and US functions, including Business Excellence, Innovation & Business Planning, and Brand Teams, using forums and communities of practice to align on needs and improvements.
• Service Excellence and Voice of Customer: Understand launch strategies and business objectives; assess service performance against expectations and identify opportunities to evolve services to better meet client needs.
• AI-Enabled Productivity: Drive process excellence, operational rigor, and productivity by leveraging AI and other digital initiatives to improve cycle time, quality, and scalability.
• Transformation and Change Leadership: Lead and deliver transformation initiatives that enable new ways of working, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen service delivery across the service line.
• External and Internal Scanning: Continuously scan for leading trends and practices in Launch Planning and MLR shared services, bringing insights back to shape strategy and operations.
• Cross-Enterprise Collaboration: Work across shared service team leads and adjacent service organizations to maximize collaboration and optimize cost, quality, and speed of delivery.
• Policy, Compliance, and Governance: Ensure comprehensive understanding and application of policies, procedures, and operational frameworks; uphold adherence to the AstraZeneca Code of Conduct across direct and indirect reports.
• Financial Stewardship: Maintain accountability for financial performance, aligning investments and capacity to outcomes and value.

Essential Skills/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience working in roles associated with Marketing, Launch Planning, Business Excellence, and MLR.
• A minimum of 6 years’ experience working in the pharmaceutical or healthcare industry within a commercial or commercial support organization.
• Knowledge of Launch Planning processes, procedures, and program delivery standards.
• Knowledge of the MLR (Medical, Legal, and Regulatory) planning process for the development and approval of promotional content.
• Experience with brand strategic operational planning processes and content platforms.
• Strong leadership abilities, with a demonstrated track record of successfully managing cross-functional teams and driving results.
• Ability to build trusted relationships across a range of partner groups, including Marketing, Medical, Regulatory, Business Excellence, IT, and agencies.
• Ability to manage multiple projects running in parallel.
• Strong project management experience, including risk mitigation and planning.
• Ability to influence, motivate, and inspire change.
• Proven track record of working across functions, with a high level of commitment and follow-through.
• Demonstrated experience in problem-solving and continuous improvement.
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, and negotiating skills.
• Accountability for financial performance.
• Energetic, self-motivated, and a positive teammate.
• Supplier management experience.

Desirable Skills/Experience:

• MBA in a relevant field, such as marketing, business, or strategy.
• 3–4 years of pharmaceutical brand marketing experience.
• Experience in a shared services environment.
• Experience leading nearshore and offshore teams.
• Experience in service design.

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. Remote working is not available. 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.

Why AstraZeneca:
Here, you will join a fast-growing business powered by a pipeline of novel therapies and a culture that pairs ambition with kindness. We bring scientists, clinicians, technologists, and commercial experts together to challenge the status quo, adopt digital innovations like AI and machine learning, and turn breakthrough science into real-world impact. You will have the platform and partnerships to influence how launches are planned and executed across the US, connect closely with R&D and commercial teams, and help redefine how medicines reach patients—faster, more consistently, and with uncompromising quality.

Step into this pivotal leadership role to shape how life-changing medicines reach patients at launch and beyond—take the next step and bring your launch mastery to AstraZeneca today!

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $193,898.40 to $290,847.60. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives, including an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles, and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off, including vacation, holidays, and leaves, as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

Date Posted

Closing Date

Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.