Franchise Director - Insights & Analytics

Franchise Director, Insights & Analytics

Gaithersburg, US

At AstraZeneca, we’re not afraid to do things differently. We’re resetting expectations of what a bio-pharmaceutical company can be. This means we’re opening up new ways to work, groundbreaking and cutting-edge methods and bringing unexpected teams together.

The Oncology therapy area at AstraZeneca is unparalleled. We have built and strategically acquired one of the most promising Oncology pipelines in the industry. You will be among inspiring oncology industry leaders who will keep you engaged and empower you to be the best. We seek out opportunities to do dynamic meaningful work which means we won't just follow the same course of action time and again if we can see potential in a different way of creating life changing medicine.

The Oncology therapy area at AstraZeneca is unparalleled. We have built and strategically acquired one of the most promising Oncology pipelines in the industry. You will be among inspiring oncology industry leaders who will keep you engaged and empower you to be the best. We seek out opportunities to do dynamic meaningful work which means we won't just follow the same course of action time and again if we can see potential in a different way of creating life changing medicine.

The Franchise Director, Insights & Analytics is accountable for generating actionable insights that materially impact the business. In this role, you will have oversight of primary market research, forecasting, and analytics in support of the Lung indications within AstraZeneca’s US Oncology IO Franchise. As a people manager, you will have direct managerial responsibility, while also demonstrating broader leadership across the Insights & Analytics team to deliver across these areas. In this highly consultative role, you will be a thought partner to the Marketing & Sales team. This requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, communication excellence and a results-oriented mindset. A strong foundation of primary market research skills, secondary data analysis proficiency, and business and clinical acumen are necessary. One will be successful in this role by combining these skills with the ability to effectively collaborate cross-functionally and influence strategy & decision-making.

This role reports to the Sr. Director, Insights & Analytics, IO Franchise, with whom you will closely collaborate to align on priorities. This role sits within the US Oncology commercial organization to drive strategic decisions by providing objective, data-driven insight generation and analytics.

Accountabilities/Responsibilities:

• Engage as a thought partner to commercial stakeholders, adding value through interpretation of primary market research and secondary data analyses. Partner with Franchise leaders to develop brand strategies leveraging a range of analytics and insight from the marketplace to unlock the full commercial value of the oncology portfolio.
• Oversee primary research, forecasting, and analytics delivery for IO Lung, managing projects when necessary and ensuring best practice approaches are always utilized. Activities include:
• Build holistic research / analysis plans to deliver actionable insights to shape strategy, ensuring resources (dollars and people) are prioritized and best leveraged to meet the true business needs. This includes use of primary market research and secondary data analytics to answer critical business questions
• Management and design of qualitative and quantitative market research that delivers insights to enable evidence-driven marketing decisions, development of marketing materials, and go-to-market tactical plans
• Continuously assess priorities on market research / insight plans and execute market research projects by leading external agency work; develop and maintain market research project budget
• Leading the delivery of evidence-based, analytically sound, and clearly articulated product forecastsKPI development and performance tracking for the brand, including brand equity and quantitative tracking. Monitoring brand health to clearly and partnering with the performance analytics team to quickly diagnose brand performance and impact tactical plans to drive greater business results post launch
• Present key insights, analyses, and business implications to senior management. Assemble facts and insight to tell a cohesive story that clearly communicates the health of the business
• Proactively communicate with multi-functional teams to anticipate future needs and provide teams with strategic recommendations and insights; and identify information & data needs
• Develop people from both a functional skills and leadership perspective with goal of increasing the talent level (across the span of acquired, developed and retained)
• Leverage deep understanding of Pharma/Bio industry marketing and how market research is used to guide product commercialization and lifecycle management
• Collaborate across the business including with Pricing and Market Access team to ensure that payer insights are integrated into commercial and clinical strategy and positioning

Essential Experience/Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree, with a preference for a quantitative field (e.g., Engineering, Data Science, Statistics, Math, Economics, Computer Science, Operations Research)
• 7+ years of experience at a pharmaceutical / biotechnology manufacturer or working in the biopharmaceutical industry (e.g., management consulting, market research, data/analytics, investment banking)
• 6+years of primary market research and analytical experience applying varied primary research techniques and secondary information analysis 
• Pharmaceutical or consumer insight experience highly desirable
• Proven ability to influence laterally and vertically

Desired Experience/Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a quantitative field or Advanced Marketing Degree (e.g., MBA)  
• Experience working in Oncology
• Experience leading cross-functional teams

Skills and Competencies:

• Ability to manage, prioritize and lead numerous projects simultaneously
• Demonstrated ability to pull together insights from a variety of sources and develop strategic guidance for brand teams that result in a business decision or action
• Demonstrated ability to cope well with change, risk, and uncertainty (ambiguity) and act decidedly with incomplete or imperfect information
• Demonstrated ability to influence laterally and vertically; ability to influence without authority, motivate teams, and maintain high levels of respect for and from peers
• Strong business and marketing acumen and excellent communication and interpersonal skills; consultative background preferred
• Demonstrated communication and teamwork skills; ability to gain consensus and act within a matrix team environment; ability to work in a collaborative and influencing fashion that drives to business action
• Demonstrated success in applying various primary research techniques to inform strategy in the pharmaceutical industry
• Proficiency in secondary data analysis with intimate knowledge of a variety of industry secondary data sources
• Ability to work within AstraZeneca's established policies/procedures and core values
• Ability to travel within the USA and abroad

Leadership Capabilities:

• Passion for Customers: Understands one's customers and uses that insight to provide value
• Thinks Strategically: Quickly identifies and acts on opportunities, combining forethought with action. This is based on an understanding of the external environment and its impact on AZ its oncology brands
• Develops People and Organization: Demonstrates a genuine commitment to the time and effort needed to develop oneself and others
• Drives Performance: Holds self and others accountable for the achievement of performance expectations. Creates an environment that enables others to perform at their best
• Acts Decisively: Makes and acts on decisions quickly and effectively and fosters the same in others. This is based on an underlying courage to enable risk-taking for the business
• Works Collaboratively: Actively creates and promotes cross-boundary collaboration with the aim of achieving better business results. Boundaries can exist between individuals, geographies, cultures, teams, functions, organizations, etc.

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.