Associate Director, Corporate Development

Job Title: Associate Director, Corporate Development

Location: Cambridge, UK

Introduction to Role

Are you ready to shape external growth that turns bold science into treatments for people living with rare and devastating diseases? As Associate Director, Corporate Development, you will source, evaluate and help execute strategic opportunities that expand our pipeline and accelerate impact for patients.

You will partner with R&D, Commercial, Finance, Legal and other experts to build rigorous business cases and inventive deal structures that advance our goals. How would you connect scientific potential with financial discipline to guide investment decisions that matter?

From your first months, you will lead assessments across therapy areas, coordinate cross-functional diligence, and bring executive-ready recommendations to senior leadership—positioning you to influence portfolio strategy across the enterprise and deliver measurable value.

In This Role You Will

• Develop Opportunity Assessments: Create detailed evaluations of external growth opportunities across multiple therapy areas, including product portfolios, pipelines, corporate and asset valuations, deal structures, implementation plans, and execution risks

• Manage Projects and Transactions: Provide expert project and transaction management to design, evaluate and implement innovative deal structures

• Support Cross-Functional Evaluations: Collaborate on scientific and financial assessments of strategic opportunities

• Prepare Executive Business Cases: Draft presentations for Senior Executive Team (SET) and Board discussions

• Prioritize Portfolio Opportunities: Work with leadership to ensure appropriate prioritization and ranking of opportunities across the business

• Coordinate Live Transactions: Gather and synthesize actionable input from cross-functional teams including R&D, Finance, Commercial, Tax, Legal, IP and Operations during active deal execution

• Lead Due Diligence Activities: Work closely with cross-functional teams to identify key risks and develop risk mitigation proposals

• Support Deal Negotiations: Assist in deal negotiations and transaction closures

• Enable Integration Readiness: Collaborate with transaction integration and alliance management teams to ensure adequate arrangements are in place from closing

• Conduct Post-Closing Analytics: Assist in the preparation of purchase price allocations (PPA) after closing

• Drive Strategic Projects: Support ad hoc business development projects as business needs require

• Produce Financial Simulations: Create financial models in support of Group Finance planning and reporting activities

Essential Skills and Experience

• Opportunity Assessment Expertise: Proven ability to develop detailed assessments of external growth opportunities across multiple therapy areas, including evaluation of product portfolios and pipelines, corporate and asset valuations, deal structures, transaction implementation, and execution risks

• Transaction Management: Demonstrated project and transaction management expertise to design, evaluate and implement innovative deal structures

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Experience supporting cross-functional scientific and financial evaluations of strategic opportunities

• Executive Communication: Track record drafting business case presentations for Senior Executive Team and Board discussions

• Portfolio Prioritization: Ability to work with leadership to prioritize and rank opportunities across the business

• Transaction Coordination: Experience coordinating actionable input from cross-functional teams (R&D, Finance, Commercial, Tax, Legal, IP, Operations) in live transactions

• Due Diligence Leadership: Competence in due diligence assessments to identify key risks and develop risk mitigation proposals

• Negotiation Support: Experience assisting in deal negotiations and closures

• Integration Planning: Familiarity with transaction integration and alliance management to ensure arrangements are in place from closing

• Post-Closing Analytics: Ability to assist in preparation of purchase price allocations (PPA) after closing

• Project Flexibility: Capacity to support ad hoc business development projects as business needs require

• Financial Modeling: Proficiency producing financial simulations for planning and reporting activities

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Biopharma Experience: Corporate development experience spanning multiple therapy areas, including rare and underserved conditions

• Advanced Valuation Skills: Proficiency in valuation and scenario modeling (e.g., rNPV, DCF, sensitivities, Monte Carlo)

• Executive Engagement: Comfort engaging with senior executives and Boards; strong executive communication skills

• Integration Expertise: Exposure to alliance management and post-merger integration planning and tracking

• Technical Knowledge: Familiarity with IP, tax structuring, and cross-border transaction considerations

• Advanced Qualifications: Advanced degree in finance, business, or life sciences (e.g., MBA, CFA, CPA) or equivalent practical experience

Our Working Environment

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

Why AstraZeneca

At AstraZeneca, you'll be part of a dedicated team that drives our evolving enterprise to better serve patients every day. Coordinated with the whole enterprise, we bring to bear exciting technology and digital innovations to accelerate our evolution. With an entrepreneurial spirit, we apply creativity to every task, taking smart risks to turn ideas into reality. Our fast-paced environment is driven by intellectual curiosity and a passion for helping patients. Here, you'll find countless opportunities to build an unrivalled reputation while being rewarded for your successes.

Ready to make an impact? Apply now and join us on this exciting journey!

Date Posted

30-Mar-2026

Closing Date

12-Apr-2026

Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.