Astellas Pharma Posted October 2, 2026

Study Start-up Lead (Warsaw, PL, 02-823)

Warsaw, Poland Type not listed
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Astellas Pharma 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

About Astellas

Astellas is a global life sciences company committed to turning innovative science into VALUE for patients. We provide transformative therapies in disease areas that include oncology, ophthalmology, urology, immunology and women's health. Through our research and development programs, we are pioneering new healthcare solutions for diseases with high unmet medical need.  Learn more at Astellas.com .

Are you driven to make a real difference in the lives of patients? 

We're seeking passionate individuals who thrive in dynamic environments, embrace new ideas, and aren't afraid to take intelligent risks. People who act with unwavering integrity and are deeply committed to making a tangible impact.

Working Environment and Location

This is a permanent role based in our Global Capability Centre in Warsaw, Poland and hybrid working with the expectation for some office presence. Flexibility may be required in line with business need. Candidates must be located within a commutable distance of the office.

This is a permanent, full-time position.

Astellas’ Responsible Flexibility Guidelines Statement- At Astellas we recognize the importance of work/life balance, and we are proud to offer a hybrid working solution allowing time to connect with colleagues at the office with the flexibility to also work from home. We believe this will optimize the most productive work environment for all employees to succeed and deliver. Hybrid work from certain locations may be permitted in accordance with Astellas’ Responsible Flexibility Guidelines.

Astellas’ Global Capability Centres – Overview

Astellas’ Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are strategically located sites that give Astellas the ability to access talent across various functions in the value chain and to co-locate core capabilities that are currently dispersed. Our three GCCs are located in India, Poland and Mexico.

The GCCs will enhance our operational efficiency, resilience and innovation potential, enabling a timely response to changing business demands.

Our GCCs are an integral part of Astellas, guided by our shared values and behaviours, and are critical enablers of the company’s strategic priorities, sustainable growth, and commitment to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients.

Purpose and Scope

This position is accountable for the direct management of assigned study start-up related staff across all clinical trial types, which may include pre/post-POC interventional drug trials, Clinical Pharmacology normal healthy volunteer clinical trials, pre-approval access and post-marketing regulatory commitment trials (interventional and non-interventional).

Accountable for the identification, onboarding, training and development of study start-up talent to support the planning, initiation, and execution of clinical trials with operational excellence. Individuals in this role will also provide leadership/mentorship, in a matrix setting, for activities that support clinical trial teams.

This position is accountable to the Head, Study Start-up, and will provide input into departmental budget and resourcing strategies, including development and implementation of global processes and procedures, non-drug product initiatives, and coaching of staff during execution of development trials.

This position provides functional leadership and management globally of

Role and Responsibilities

Responsible for resource planning, recruitment, mentoring, development and retention of study start-up staff.

Manages and allocates study start-up resources to trials and monitor performance on assigned trials for staff (up to 12 direct reports).

Provides direction, leadership and learning opportunities to enhance individual development of direct reports.

Provides oversight and guidance in completing study start-up related activities according to agreed timelines and quality standards, including identifying areas for additional training and development.

Oversees adherence to timelines, standards, processes for work assigned to their staff.

Serves as a point of escalation for study start-up related topics or issues from their staff.

Responsible for compliance of direct reports with training and identification and support for any training needs.

Facilitates and supports global trial study start-up operational standards and tools.

Anticipates, recognizes and facilitates problem solving to support staff and rapidly addresses and mitigates potential performance issues.

Continue:Role and Responsibilities

Collaborates effectively with Portfolio Operations Leads and Clinical Operations Leads, to ensure study start up staff are delivering as expected and to ensure common framework and standards across clinical programs and trials.

Ability to collaborate with peers in Clinical Operations across Early and Late-Stage Clinical Operations, cross functionally and regionally, including relevant counterparts globally, to align on best practices for study start-up staff.

Identifies, escalates, and facilitates process improvements relevant to study start-up activities

Contributes to development and implementation of best-in-class study start-up standards and processes.

Responsible for overseeing, developing and aligning resources to ensure effective start-up of clinical trials and a robust talent pool.

Essential Qualifications

BA/BS degree.

Seasoned experience executing global drug development programs and trials.

Proven experience in study start-up activities, combined with direct people management experience.

Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to effectively collaborate with colleagues in Clinical Operations and cross-functionally to deliver on portfolio deliverables and objectives.

Must have extensive expertise in study start-up strategies and strong knowledge of ICH/ GCP guidelines and multinational clinical trial regulations.

Must have experience working across multiple phases of development and in multiple therapeutic areas.

Demonstrated ability to successfully identify and lead global process or system improvement initiatives.

Must have a strong knowledge of clinical development processes and conducting global clinical programs.

Must have proven leadership skills and effective written and verbal communication skills.

Fluent in English and in the local language.

Moderate (~30%) travel required.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced Degree.

Experience managing teams in the APAC and/or EU regions is highly desirable.

Knowledge of EU CTR submission is an advantage.

Benefits

Careers | Astellas

Why Astellas

Global collaboration: Become part of a connected global business of like-minded life science leaders, all dedicated to improving patients' lives worldwide.

Real-world patient impact: Contribute to transformative therapies that reach patients around the world, knowing your work makes a difference every day.

Relentless Innovation: Join a company at the forefront of scientific breakthroughs, where you'll have the opportunity to shape the future of healthcare.

A Culture of Growth: Chart your own course within a supportive environment that values your contributions, champions your development, and empowers you to pursue your passions.

Our Organisational Values and Behaviours

Accountability

Courage

Impact

Innovation

Integrity

One Astellas

Outcome Focus

Sense of Urgency

Skills and Capabilities

Organizational Focus

.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Beware of recruitment scams impersonating Astellas recruiters or representatives. Authentic communication will only originate from an official Astellas LinkedIn profile or a verified company email address. If you encounter a fake profile or anything suspicious, report it promptly to LinkedIn's support team through LinkedIn Help.

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Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Clinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Warsaw, Poland
Employment type
Not listed

How this role compares

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

We currently track 102 comparable Clinical Research roles across 16 biopharma companies.

102Comparable roles tracked
100Currently active
16Companies hiring similar roles
26Countries represented

Salary context

24 of 102 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.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Clinical Research Nurse · AbbVie $27/hr – $48/hr (≈ $56,160–$99,840/yr)
Peer group range $78,000 – $367,450 (median $159,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 102 comparable roles

United States30
China25
United Kingdom11
Spain3
Taiwan3
Australia3

+ 20 more countries

Seniority mix

65 of 102 peers have a known seniority level

Associate27
Manager16
Senior12
Director4
Senior Director2
Executive/VP2
Intern/Fellow/Postdoc1
Associate Director1

Therapeutic area mix

8 of 102 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Neuroscience4
Oncology3
Immunology1

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.

40%similar
AbbVie Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship Associate
Same function Same country
40%similar
AbbVie Associate
Same function Same country

Open in 2 locations

Warszawa, PolandSeoul, South Korea
25%similar
Lilly Shanghai, Shanghai, China Manager
Same function

Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.

25%similar
Lilly Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain
Same function

Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.

25%similar
Roche Beijing, Beijing, China Senior
Same function

Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.

25%similar
Roche Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
Same function

Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

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.

40%
Clinical Research Associate 2
AbbVie · Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship · Associate
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
25%
(Sr.) Manager-Country Study Management
Lilly · Shanghai, Shanghai, China · Manager
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
25%
Study Start Up Lead
Roche · Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine · Seniority not listed
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
25%
Clinical Research Physician
AbbVie · Shanghai, Shanghai · Seniority not listed
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.