Original listing text, shown exactly as published by the company.
What You will do
You will be a critical player in the success of our Oncology and Immunology portfolio by translating scientific leadership into real-world access for patients with life‑threatening, serious diseases. You will shape and execute strategic medical imperatives across the asset lifecycle—building the value story early, informing evidence generation, and ensuring launch and post‑launch excellence. Day to day, you will engage and co‑create with medical experts, diagnostic specialists, payers, and patient advocacy groups to identify barriers across the patient journey, promote earlier diagnosis, and design pragmatic solutions that improve quality of care and speed time‑to‑access. You will develop a deep scientific and medical understanding of the disease landscape (including diagnostics and treatment pathways), synthesize insights from clinics and systems, and convert them into compelling payer strategies, HTA narratives, and contracting options. You will partner closely with Medical, HEOR, Policy, and Commercial to generate and translate evidence—clinical, RWE, and economic—into clear, credible value communication and negotiation readiness. You will track and shape the external environment, anticipating policy shifts, budget dynamics, and stakeholder needs, while measuring impact through well‑defined KPIs and continuously optimizing our approach. Throughout, you will bring a solution‑oriented mindset and resilient execution, fostering mutually beneficial partnerships that unlock sustainable access for patients who need it most.
Job Description
- Access Strategy: Lead end‑to‑end Funder and HTA strategy from early launch prep readiness and evidence shaping to launch and in‑line optimization; define clear access objectives and KPIs per therapeutic area.
- Evidence Planning: Partner with HEOR/Medical to identify evidence gaps and inform clinical, RWE and economic model needs aligned to payer questions.
- Value Proposition: Craft and continually refine value stories, core value dossiers, and objection handlers, amongst others
- Scenario Planning: Pricing Business Cases, Budget Impact against local policy and affordability dynamics.
Key Responsibilities
- External Engagement and Internal Cross Functional Collaboration.
- Stakeholder Co‑Creation: Build trusted relationships with payers, HTA committees, policy makers, clinicians, diagnostic specialists, patient advocacy groups and co‑design pragmatic access pathways.
- Negotiations & Submissions: Lead or coordinate Dossier and/or HTA/payer submissions, price/access negotiations; ensure high‑quality, compliant, accurate materials and rapid turnaround on queries.
- Policy Shaping: Monitor and contribute to policy developments (reimbursement frameworks, formulary processes, health technology prioritization), providing credible input that advances patient access.
- Key Responsibilities – Pricing, Policy Shaping & Governance
- Pricing Strategy: Recommend list/net pricing, tender approaches, and affordability programs (PAP), aligned with global and local policies
- Compliance: Ensure adherence to AZ policies and governance; maintain robust documentation, audit readiness, and nominated signatory alignment for access materials where applicable.
- Key Responsibilities – Cross‑Functional Leadership
- Launch Excellence: Orchestrate market readiness, stakeholder mapping, negotiation playbooks, and post‑launch performance tracking; drive course corrections based on KPIs.
- Insight to Action: Systematically capture Funder and system insights and convert them into strategy updates, evidence requests, and field guidance.
- Team Enablement: Coach commercial field colleagues on Funder value messaging, economic model use, and objection handling; elevate access fluency across the organization.
- Responsibility to promptly collect and report any adverse events and product quality complaints received from any source. All such cases must be documented accurately and submitted to the designated department within one business day of becoming aware of the information, ensuring compliance with company policies and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Responsibility to complete Adverse Event training during initial onboarding and then annually thereafter.
If this sounds appealing, please read on to understand the experience and skills we’re looking for…
ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Completed Bachelor’s Degree in Life Sciences, pharmacy, health economics, public health, or a business field
- Management and Healthcare Experience: Preferably, at least 5+ years in Commercial, Market Access/HEOR/ or Pricing & Reimbursement in Pharmaceutical Sector or consulting, with a strong record in Oncology and/or Immunology.
- HTA & Payer Submissions: End‑to‑end experience leading HTA/payer submissions, including evidence alignment, dossier development, stakeholder Q&A, and panel preparation.
- Pricing: Proven capability in pricing strategy, budget impact modeling, and innovative agreements
- Health Economics & RWE: Working proficiency with cost‑effectiveness models, BIAs, sensitivity analyses, and translating RWE into payer‑relevant value.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Track record building trusted relationships with payers, policy makers, clinicians, diagnostic specialists, and patient organizations; skilled in co‑creation and negotiation.
- Policy & System Knowledge: Understanding of SA reimbursement pathways, and evolving policy landscape.
- Cross‑Functional Leadership: Ability to align Medical, HEOR, Commercial, Regulatory, Policy, and Finance; experience orchestrating launch excellence and post‑launch optimization.
- Communication & Influence: Exceptional ability to simplify complexity, craft compelling value stories, and influence senior stakeholders; strong written materials (dossiers, objection handlers, slide narratives).
- Analytical & Strategic Agility: Structured problem‑solver with data literacy and comfort with ambiguity; adept at scenario planning and translating insights into action.
- Governance & Compliance: Knowledge of promotional and access‑related compliance requirements, documentation standards, and audit readiness; alignment with AZ policies and local codes.
- People & Team Skills: Collaborative, solution‑oriented mindset with resilience; mentoring/coaching experience a plus.
- Digital / AI Fluency: openness to new digital platforms.
Why AstraZeneca?
We are proud to have achieved Top Employer certification in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, for 2026. This distinction is a confirmation of our commitment and ability to sustain people, partnerships, and employee engagement and foster an innovative workplace environment.
At AstraZeneca, we’re dedicated to being a Great Place to Work. Where you are empowered to push the boundaries of science and unleash your entrepreneurial spirit. There’s no better place to make a difference to medicine, patients and society. An inclusive culture that champions diversity and collaboration, and always committed to lifelong learning, growth and development. We’re on an exciting journey to pioneer the future of healthcare. Join the fastest-growing pharmaceutical in our markets, set up to fuel further growth. Be part of our shared ambition and pride: our strong heritage, our turnaround story, and early investment and commitment in international markets. There’s no better place to feel inspired and energized.
SO, WHAT’S NEXT?
