Director, External Scouting

Introduction to Role AstraZeneca is building a more connected, end-to-end approach to academic collaboration across BioPharma R&D. As Director, External Scouting , you will shape how we identify, assess and advance external science and collaboration opportunities that can influence our portfolio, strengthen future capabilities and accelerate scientific innovation. You will combine enterprise-level strategic leadership with hands-on accountability for delivery. Working as a trusted partner to Academic Alliances leadership and senior therapeutic area leaders, you will set and prioritize the scouting agenda, interpret emerging science and ecosystem shifts, and determine how external innovation approaches such as Target Innovation, preclinical molecule collaborations, CoSolve and public-private partnerships, including IHI, can create the greatest strategic value. You will also help evolve how external scouting is delivered, using AI, automation, structured data and scalable workflows to improve the speed, consistency and quality of decision-making while ensuring scientific and strategic judgement remains at the center. Why This Role This is an opportunity to define where AstraZeneca engages with external science and turn that strategy into tangible outcomes. You will lead high-impact opportunities, build relationships with influential academic and scientific partners, and create scalable approaches that expand the reach and effectiveness of the Academic Alliances team. Your impact will extend beyond individual searches or partnerships. You will help build a repeatable, enterprise-level scouting capability that gives senior leaders earlier access to emerging science, qualified opportunities and decision-ready insights. Based in Cambridge, US , this role includes regular in-person engagement with AstraZeneca teams and external partners across multiple locations. Accountabilities Set and prioritize external scouting strategy • Partner with senior leaders to identify high-impact scientific opportunities, portfolio uncertainties and future capability gaps. • Anticipate external developments that could challenge AstraZeneca assumptions, priorities or competitive positioning, including emerging needs that have not yet become formal scouting requests. • Set priorities across therapeutic areas and scientific domains, making clear choices about where relationship capital, team capacity and collaboration investment can create the greatest value. • Translate scientific and external ecosystem signals into strategic options and recommendations that influence portfolio direction, capability decisions and future partnering activity. Own strategic direction and delivery • Take accountability for the quality, pace and outcomes of the external scouting portfolio, from the initial scientific question through opportunity assessment, decision-making and transition to the appropriate collaboration owner. • Personally lead selected high-stakes, ambiguous or enterprise-critical searches where senior scientific judgement, external credibility or rapid problem-solving can add unique value. • Enable colleagues to lead defined searches and opportunity assessments by establishing outcomes, decision criteria, guardrails and review points while retaining accountability for final recommendations. • Mobilize expertise across scientific functions, strategy, Business Development, Legal, data and alliance management to advance opportunities through diligence and governance and support seamless transition to the Academic Partnerships team. • Ensure promising opportunities progress toward a clear decision or collaboration pathway, while enabling well-reasoned decisions not to pursue opportunities when appropriate. Build AI-enabled and scalable scouting capabilities • Identify repeatable scouting activities that can be accelerated or strengthened through AI, automation, structured data and standardized workflows. • Create, sponsor or oversee AI-enabled tools and processes supporting scientific landscape scanning, opportunity triage, expert and institution identification, evidence synthesis, pipeline visibility and decision preparation. • Establish quality standards, validation checks, decision rights and escalation pathways so AI-enabled outputs enhance, rather than replace, scientific and strategic judgement. • Embed tools into practical workflows, build capability across the team and evaluate their impact on speed, consistency, insight quality, capacity and stakeholder experience. • Apply appropriate human oversight, quality assurance and risk management to AI-enabled analysis and decision support. • Use insights from delivery to continuously improve scouting methods, data assets, prompts, templates and operating processes. Direct the strategic use of external innovation models • Determine where Target Innovation, preclinical molecule collaborations, CoSolve, IHI and other external collaboration models can create differentiated value across portfolio priorities. • Establish portfolio-level selection criteria, measures of success and governance for these mechanisms. • Shape preclinical molecule collaboration strategies, including opportunities where external access to internal assets can test hypotheses, extend scientific reach or create future options. • Sponsor Target Innovation and CoSolve challenge portfolios focused on priority scientific or capability gaps, ensuring outputs and learning inform future strategy. • Lead or sponsor selected IHI and other public-private partnership opportunities, shaping the value proposition, partner landscape, internal commitment and governance approach. Create alliances and strengthen strategic ecosystems • Identify and shape new academic alliances and multi-party collaborations that address strategic needs beyond a single project or transaction. • Serve as a senior relationship owner for priority institutions, academic leaders, ecosystem partners and influential scientific