Business Unit Head, CVRM and Patient Center of Excellence
About this opportunity
Business Unit Head: CVRM and Patient Center of Excellence
CVRM = cardiovascular, renal & metabolic
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
About AstraZeneca
At AstraZeneca, we are united by our purpose to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines. We combine scientific excellence, deep disease area expertise, and a patient-focused mindset to transform the future of healthcare. As a leader within AstraZeneca Canada, the BU Head, CVRM and Patient Center of Excellence (PCoE) will play a pivotal role in driving future growth for our Biopharmaceuticals Business Unit (BBU) portfolio and advancing our reputation as a trusted partner across the healthcare ecosystem through patient support for the local Canadian affiliate.
Role Summary
As the BU Head: CVRM and Patient CoE, you will report directly to the Country President for Canada and be an influential member of Global CVRM and Canadian leadership. In this role, you will be responsible for direct management of employees in sales and marketing along with responsibility for setting the direction for critical cross-functional teams that support the BU.
You will also prepare for substantial growth over the next decade as CVRM accelerates, be the strategic thought leader for BBU Early Assets across all cross-functional aspects of launch, build new capabilities for the future and enable competitive advantage for entries into multiple new therapeutic areas. You will be an active partner with critical functions to shape the relevant Access, Medical and Regulatory strategies for your brands.
You will also be the organizational lead for both Canadian Business Units (BBU & OBU) for our Patient Center of Excellence, directly managing that full team and shaping strategy and direction ensuring the achievements of this critical capability. Lastly, you will be responsible for overseeing P&L planning and delivery for the Early and Late Asset portfolio for the Biopharmaceuticals BU.
Key Accountabilities:
Head of the CVRM Business Unit
Provide end-to-end leadership and full P&L accountability for each CVRM asset, the collective portfolio, and early- and late-stage assets in these disease areas.
Prepare the CVRM portfolio for significant growth over the next 5 years, notably expansion into severe hypertension, lipid management, weight management and other high-growth pipeline molecules. Build the new teams, skills and capabilities needed to reach the 10-year ambition of $300M+ in revenue.
Ensure the BU's strategic direction aligns with enterprise and global strategy, and champion Canadian needs and stakeholder management with key global teams, as an influential member of Global CVRM.
Ensure AstraZeneca continues to be recognized as a leader by healthcare professionals and all relevant institutional decision-makers and influencers.
Monitor developments in the external environment, and analyze AZ's product performance, competitiveness and market share development.
Ensure all BU activities follow applicable internal and external regulations (policies, procedures, standards, guidelines and Code of Conduct) and collect and report Adverse Events in line with AstraZeneca policies and SOPs.
Champion digital and AI-enabled innovation across commercial and patient support capabilities. Identify and prioritize opportunities that improve customer engagement, execution and productivity, in partnership with enterprise and global digital teams, and apply them responsibly under AstraZeneca's data, privacy and compliance standards.
Experience leading teams through the adoption of new digital tools and AI-enabled ways of working.
BBU Early and Late Stage Portfolio
Lead Early Asset planning and Established Brands P&L management and delivery.
Evaluate and prepare for the mid- to-long term V&I portfolio, planning the resources at the right time.
Define and implement pipeline launch readiness, building on a strong foundation to drive scientific leadership, patient centricity and strong alliance partnerships where required.
Prepare the business and cross-functional organization to launch differentiated Brand Strategy Plans for future molecules and indications.
Patient Center of Excellence & General Function Roles
Serve as the organizational lead for the Patient CoE across all Business Units (BBU and OBU), directly managing the full team.
Set the strategy and direction for the Patient CoE, ensuring delivery of its full remit, a strong team, and high-quality business delivery to the BUs.
Directly oversee about 20 FTE across Sales, Specialty Marketing, Key Account Management and the Patient CoE, with clear direction, coaching, development, and strong succession plans for key roles in the BU and across the enterprise.
Build a culture of inclusion and collaboration, from HQ to field, that empowers an engaged, high-performing team in delivering AZ's purpose.
Play a key role on leadership team in shaping governance, strategy, culture and talent acceleration across the enterprise, and act as a role model and ambassador of AZ values internally and externally.
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Essential Requirements
University Degree in Pharmacy, Life Sciences, Business or a related discipline.
10+ years of progressive pharmaceutical leadership experience in Commercial functions.
Success leading complex pharmaceutical organizations and cross-functional teams.
Strong budget management and resource allocation experience across a portfolio
Strategic decision-making skills in highly matrixed organizations.
Expertise in building external relationships with institutions, associations and the healthcare ecosystem.
Strong budget management and resource allocation experience.
Deep knowledge of compliance requirements and the IMC Code.
Exceptional communication, influencing, and executive leadership skills.
Preferred Qualifications
MBA, MSc, or other advanced business or scientific qualifications are an asset.
Strong knowledge of the Canadian healthcare landscape is an asset with significant experience working on Medical and Market Access strategies
Proven accomplishments in the Canadian weight management space
Track record of leading through organizational transformation and capability building.
Why AstraZeneca
This is an opportunity to shape the future of healthcare in Canada by leading one of the country's most influential Business Units. The BU Head, CVRM and Patient CoE will have the opportunity to deliver life-changing medicines to patients across Canada.
We are using AI as part of the recruitment process.
This advertisement relates to a current vacancy.
Job details
How this role compares
Computed from every other active Commercial & General Management role in our database, not just this employer's listings.
We currently track 225 comparable Commercial & General Management roles across 37 biopharma companies.
Salary context
29 of 225 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)
Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.
Where these roles are based
Top locations among the 225 comparable roles
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Seniority mix
117 of 225 peers have a known seniority level
Therapeutic area mix
23 of 225 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden
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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.
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.