Senior Medical Director Early Clinical Respiratory

Early Respiratory within AstraZeneca is accountable for the discovery and the development of new drugs in the Respiratory arena. Clinical Development within Early Respiratory consists of experienced medical directors, clinical scientists and clinical program directors, who, in a collaborative manner, define clinical development strategy, design innovative clinical trials and translate novel scientific ideas to proof-of-concept in target populations.

The Medical Director will deliver to the project team the Medical Scientific strategies of the Clinical Development Plan (CDP). Responsible for  the design, conduct, monitoring, data interpretation and reporting of individual clinical trials. Ensures projects adhere to Good Clinical Practice and regulatory requirements. Will be responsible for acting as a renowned expert in own disease/drug field.

Typical Accountabilities- Design or manage the implementation of the Physicians strategy within Clinical Development both regionally and globally.- Use expertise and knowledge of global issues to develop strategic Physicians objectives for inclusion into AstraZeneca’s annual business objectives.- Define strategies or leads AstraZeneca’s response to complex technical issues for specific medical aspects in relation to current projects, new projects and various plans.- Provide expert advice in the area of specialism, influencing the development of statistics to the global business and Global Clinical Development.- Closely follow medical developments within assigned areas and disseminates new information within Clinical Development and outside to transform trends and emerging data into new plans.

- Liaise with the internal and external medical community to follow developments within areas of expertise.- Ensure an adequate number of qualified physicians is available for clinical testing to satisfy AstraZeneca’s objectives in the clinical testing area.- Maintain a high degree of understanding and awareness on new and emerging medical development.- Contribute to or manage the development of the senior management team in area of expertise.- Mentor, develop, and manage performance of line management and project teams, to ensure alignment with organizational goals and fostering succession planning.- Follow important developments and trends in scientific literature and develops contacts with opinion leaders.- Lead regulatory communication and preparation of higher-level documents.

Essential for the Role

• An MBBS, MD, or other equivalent medical degree from an accredited university with specialty training in Respiratory or related area.  

• 5 years’ relevant experience within the respiratory space, including early-phase drug development experience.  

• Demonstrated deep clinical and research expertise in appropriate disease area  

• Significant hands-on early phase clinical drug development experience.  

• Developed/delivered phase 1 and 2a studies (e.g., including but not limited to FtiH studies).  

• Experience designing, executing, monitoring, interpreting, and overseeing safety in early clinical and translational trials preferred.  

• Strong command of biomarkers, surrogate endpoints, and biostatistics, supported by a robust publication record. 

• Experience of benefit/risk assessment and creating patient risk management plans.  

• Scientific credibility internally and externally.  

• Proven teamwork and collaboration skills in a global setting.  

Desirable for the role

• Experience of working with clinical pharmacology and translational science colleagues to deliver studies/projects.  

• Demonstrated success in influencing functions outside of clinical and across geographies.  

• Global external awareness within the therapeutic area.  

• Global regulatory awareness.  

• Ability to travel nationally and internationally.  

Key Relationship to Reach SolutionsInternal: Senior Physician Team and Development function; Development leaders; Pharmacology; Pharmaceutical Development; Regulatory Department; Quality.External: External service providers and regulatory bodies.

Date Posted

12-Aug-2026

Closing Date

13-Sept-2026

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AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.