Director, Diagnostic Partnerships, Oncology Business Unit
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Role: Director, Diagnostic Partnerships, Oncology Business Unit
Location: Cambridge UK
Salary: Competitive + Excellent Benefits
Introduction to role
Are you ready to make a significant impact in the world of Oncology Diagnostics? As the Director, Diagnostic Partnerships within the Oncology Business Unit, you will play a pivotal role in delivering the Global Diagnostics (GDx) mission of shaping the patient testing landscape and ensuring no patient is left behind. Reporting to the Senior Director, Diagnostic Partnerships, you will lead key partnership activities within GDx; your expertise will be crucial in refining business needs, engaging with prospective diagnostic partners, and collaborating on scoping, negotiation, and contracting. Are you prepared to take on this challenge and lead partnerships initiatives that deliver diagnostic solutions in-market?
Accountabilities
Shape GDx projects towards meeting business requirements, fitting into overarching strategies while considering cost, quality and timeline requirements.
Develop and manage relationships with external diagnostic partners and potential partners in a compliant and professional manner, ensuring AstraZeneca is regarded as a partner of choice by third parties.
Lead specific schedules of work according to project needs, owning the deal process and aligning with cross-functional colleagues to support execution.
Ensure post-contract activities are successfully completed with optimal handover of solutions to wider GDx colleagues for implementation.
Work with Business Development colleagues in the negotiation, contracting and deal-closing processes for enterprise-wide agreements.
Ensure that diagnostic partnering opportunities are evaluated thoroughly and objectively with ownership of certain due diligence processes.
Present partnering opportunities to the oncology business effectively and efficiently.
Build personal networks to aid early identification of relevant partnering opportunities and efficient delivery of partnership projects.
Attend key external scientific congresses to identify partnership opportunities and nurture existing relationships.
Work collaboratively and flexibly to accommodate projects which arise from varied parts of the business.
Provide broader diagnostics teams with inputs and expertise according to personal domain and partnerships knowledge.
Support or lead in building business cases for specific partnerships projects.
Report on project activities and achievements to senior management, feed into OBU updates as appropriate.
Positively develop, manage and maintain stakeholder relationships with colleagues across Oncology Business Unit, Business Development, Legal, Compliance, in-country diagnostic teams, R&D, and other cross-functional colleagues as needed.
Essential Skills/Experience
Post-graduate level education in a relevant subject (e.g. Masters/MBA/MSc or above)
Previous relevant experience in contracting, business development, strategy, consulting and/or pharma/diagnostic partnership experience
Knowledge of pharmaceutical and diagnostic company businesses, processes and activities
Knowledge of scientific, commercial and financial evaluation techniques
An understanding of governance procedures relevant to deal progression and business development work (CDAs, agreement structures, delegation of authorities, due diligence processes, etc.)
Analytical skills and ability to ascertain the relevant issues from large volumes of information
Interpersonal and teamwork skills, demonstrating flexibility and a proven ability to deal with complexity under time pressure and contribute skills to deliver projects
Experience and effectiveness in the presentation of written and oral business cases to senior management
Numerate and having financial literacy, excellent spoken and written English
Tenacity and resourcefulness, an ability to deliver under pressure, intuitive prioritization and sense of urgency
A clear self-starter approach, ability to extract practical steps for contracting and project design from ambiguous high-level vision
Desirable Skills/Experience
Experience through education or work in a relevant area of oncology diagnostics, providing credibility to scientific audiences
Experience in international, multi-functional project teams to deliver to time, cost and quality
Experience of diagnostics commercialisation and product launches working with third party companies
A working understanding of diagnostic regulatory frameworks
Understanding of commercial in-market needs for novel oncology diagnostics
Knowledge of alternative deal structures and legal principles applicable to a range of deal types
Negotiation skills and experience of working in a deal environment
Good knowledge of disease areas, and drug/diagnostic development activities and commercial processes
Existing deep diagnostic scientific knowledge and an established external network is an advantage
Why Astrazeneca?
At AstraZeneca, we are driven by a bold ambition to eliminate cancer as a cause of death. Our relentless pursuit of scientific excellence challenges the status quo to deliver more effective treatments for patients. With a game-changing pipeline backed by pioneering research, we are transforming cancer care through precision medicine. Our entrepreneurial spirit fosters collaboration across diverse teams, empowering us to redefine cancer treatment. Join us on this exciting journey where your contributions can make a real difference.
Ready to take on this exciting challenge? Apply now to join our team!
Where can I find out more?
Our Social Media,
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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.
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Date Posted
29-Sept-2026
Closing Date
12-Oct-2026
Our 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
How this role compares
Computed from every other active BD&L & Strategic Planning role in our database, not just this employer's listings.
We currently track 46 comparable Director BD&L & Strategic Planning roles across 23 biopharma companies.
Salary context
11 of 46 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.
Where these roles are based
Top locations among the 46 comparable roles
+ 6 more countries
Seniority mix
46 of 46 peers have a known seniority level
Therapeutic area mix
10 of 46 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden
Similar opportunities
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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.