AstraZeneca Posted May 27, 2025

Executive Medical Director, Gastroenterology, Early R&I Clinical Development

Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America Full time
Clinical Development Gastroenterology Executive/VP

AstraZeneca is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Make a more meaningful impact to patients’ lives around the globe

Here you’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to patients’ lives. With science at its heart, this is the place where breakthroughs born in the lab become transformative medicines – for the world’s most complex diseases. Answer unmet medical needs by pioneering the next wave of science, focusing on outcomes and shaping the patient ecosystem.

The Role:

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated drug developer to shape the gastroenterology and immunology pipeline and lead innovative clinical stage programs.

In this position, you will provide medical leadership opportunities for preclinical and clinical stage assets, across key indications such as UC and Crohn’s disease and spanning multiple modalities (small molecules, monoclonal antibodies, bi-specific and tri-specific antibodies, oligonucleotides). You will provide clinical development leadership for cross-functional teams to support early phase clinical development activities. These include the creation of overall clinical development plans and clinical study design, as well writing protocols, medical monitoring and ensuring timely execution of studies, all in close collaboration with relevant internal and external partners and clinical research organizations, and involvement in in-scope external innovation / business development activities.

The successful candidate will thrive in a fast-paced, proactive can-do culture, be a highly-effective internal and external team player as well as terrific communicator and collaborator.

What you will do:

Single point accountable leader for the design, delivery and interpretation of clinical studies ensuring the ethical and scientific integrity of the plans, studies and the product in compliance with GCP

Provide impactful medical strategy and clinical expertise to Research, Translational Medicine, Early and Late stage Clinical Development and Commercial Partners, including in the development of therapeutic area strategy

Closely follow medical developments within assigned areas and disseminate new information within Clinical Development and wider organization, to transform trends and emerging data into agile clinical plans

Work closely and collaborate across early and late R&I clinical development, partner functions and wider AZ organization to ensure design and delivery of clinical development plans with high quality and speed

Represent early R&I clinical development to external stakeholders, including investigators, key external experts, governmental/policy groups and community/patient advocacy groups

Medical Lead for regulatory communication and preparation of higher level documents

Ensures internal and external peer review of potential study/program design

Support qualification of pharmacodynamic/disease markers for early assessment of efficacy.

Provide clinical strategic input to in-licensing opportunities

Qualifications:

Advanced degree in a relevant scientific discipline (MD or MD/PhD)  with specific experience in gasteroenterology.

10+ years of experience in clinical development in relevant immunology indications, with background working in early clinical development (first in human through Ph2b)

Demonstrated track record in leading cross-functional teams and delivering results

Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, in addition to excellent organizational skills

Understanding of the entire drug development process, including clinical and non-clinical study design and execution

Thorough understanding of clinical research methodology and biostatistics principles, to facilitate innovative and efficient clinical trial design, and clinical development plans with clear data-driven decision rules

Thorough command of FDA, MHRA and ICH GCP guidelines to ensure the appropriate conduct of clinical studies in the United States, Europe and rest of world

Attention to detail, internal drive to generate high-quality work, and sense of passion and urgency to achieve team and program goals

Demonstrated experience managing complex projects and working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders regarding new strategies to ensure consistent communication

Excellent analytical, problem-solving and strategic planning skills

Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment

Location: Boston, MA

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.

At AstraZeneca, we 're dedicated to being a Great Place to Work. Where you are empowered to push the boundaries of science and unleash your entrepreneurial spirit. There’s no better place to make a difference to medicine, patients and society. An inclusive culture that champions diversity and collaboration. Always committed to lifelong learning, growth and development.

Date Posted

27-May-2025

Closing Date

26-May-2025Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.

Job details

Seniority
Executive/VP
Function
Clinical Development
Therapeutic area
Gastroenterology
Location
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Clinical Development role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 53 comparable Executive/VP Clinical Development roles across 16 biopharma companies.

53Comparable roles tracked
48Currently active
16Companies hiring similar roles
6Countries represented

Salary context

33 of 53 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Sr Director CDOS Process Owner - Clinical Trial Foundations · Lilly $156,000/yr – $228,800/yr
Highest disclosed · Global Clinical Head- Executive Director · AstraZeneca $331,874/yr – $497,810/yr
Peer group range $192,400 – $414,842 (median $329,250)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 53 comparable roles

United States47
China2
United Kingdom1
Switzerland1
India1
Denmark1

Seniority mix

53 of 53 peers have a known seniority level

Executive/VP32
Senior Director21

Therapeutic area mix

31 of 53 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology11
Respiratory5
Immunology5
Neuroscience4
Vaccines & Infectious Disease3
Cardiovascular / CVRM2
Ophthalmology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Alexion Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America Executive/VP
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie Executive/VP
Same function Same seniority Same country

Open in 5 locations

North Chicago, United StatesCambridge, United StatesFlorham Park, United StatesSouth San Francisco, United StatesIrvine, United States
60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Executive/VP
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AstraZeneca Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America Executive/VP
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AstraZeneca Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America Executive/VP
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Executive/VP
Same function Same seniority Same country

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
VP, Clinical Development, Amyloidosis and Rare Cardiology
Alexion · Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America · Executive/VP
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Executive Medical Director, Immunology Clinical Development - Respiratory/Pulmonary
AbbVie · Florham Park, NJ · Executive/VP
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Executive Medical Director, Immunology Clinical Development - Rheumatology
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Executive/VP
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Vice President, Clinical Development – Inflammation
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Executive/VP
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.