Associate Director, CT Network Capacity Planning

 Associate Director, CT Network Capacity Planning 

At AstraZeneca's Cell Therapy division, we follow science to explore and innovate. We are working towards treating, preventing, modifying, and even curing some of the world's most complex diseases. Here we have the potential to grow our pipeline and positively impact the lives of billions of patients around the world. We are committed to making a difference and have built our business around our passion for science. Now we are fusing data and technology with the latest scientific innovations to achieve the next wave of breakthroughs. 
 

Position Summary 
 Cell therapy is redefining what's possible in medicine—delivering living, personalized treatments to patients. Behind every successful therapy is a precisely orchestrated manufacturing network where timing, capacity, and coordination must come together flawlessly.  

The Associate Director, Cell Therapy Network Capacity Planning will lead the 0–9 month execution capacity planning process, translating approved network supply plans and planning guardrails into executable site capacity plans, rolling 90-day slot schedules, and cross-functional execution priorities that ultimately determines whether a patient receives their treatment on time. 

This role sits at the nerve center of one of the most consequential processes in autologous cell therapy—optimizing slot availability, service levels, and cost across a complex global network.  Additionally, this role will lead the scalability of slot management, evolving to an AI and digitally enabled and commercially ready operating model with strong governance, real-time visibility, and rigorous performance management.  

 
Responsibilities 

Patient Slot Management 

• Operationalize approved slot allocation rules, governance, and recovery processes within the broader capacity planning model. 

• Manage slot allocation and recovery in alignment with planning rules, patient readiness, and regulatory, logistics, and manufacturing constraints. 

• Own the rolling 90-day S&OE slot schedule, keeping near-term supply plans feasible, transparent, and responsive to demand or operational changes. 

• Coordinate across Patient Operations, V2V Operations, Clinical Operations, Commercial, and manufacturing sites to maximize utilization and minimize missed slots, late changes, and disruption. 

• Lead escalation and resolution of slot conflicts related to randomization, screen failures, site readiness, geography, or demand shifts. 

• Analyze reservation conversion, booking behavior, utilization, late releases, recovery effectiveness, and missed-slot root causes to improve service levels and capacity use. 

• Introduce digital and AI solutions to automate and scale slot management. 

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Network S&OE Planning & Capacity Optimization 

• Lead Cell Therapy internal network capacity planning across the 0–9 month S&OE horizon, including RCCP and detailed 90-day scheduling. 

• Translate approved supply plans and demand inputs into executable site-level capacity plans aligned to manufacturing capability, readiness, and constraints. 

• Validate execution assumptions, readiness constraints, capacity adherence inputs, and schedule feasibility required to deliver the approved network plan. 

• Support trade-off analysis and recovery options within approved guardrails when demand, readiness, or capacity shifts affect execution. 

• Partner with stakeholders to identify constraints early and recommend mitigations, including allocation changes, resource needs, ramp plans, and future-state improvements. 

Cross-Functional Orchestration 

• Serve as a central planning leader across Manufacturing, Site Supply Chain, Clinical Operations, Logistics, and Patient Operations. 

• Drive cross-functional forums and decisions to align demand, supply, capacity, assumptions, risks, and actions. 

• Ensure planning decisions balance strategic priorities with operational realities, including patient impact, site capability, and business timing. 

• Support S&OP / S&OE and related operating reviews with consistent execution, escalation, and decision pathways. 

• Build strong site partnerships to connect global planning intent with local execution readiness. 

Process Improvement, Digital Enablement & Future-State Design 

• Advance the Cell Therapy planning operating model from manual or transitional processes to scalable, structured, digitally enabled ways of working. 

• Design data-driven planning capabilities, including dashboards, alerts, and predictive analytics to improve reservation timing and slot utilization. 

• Apply advanced analytics or AI/ML to improve slot allocation, reservation prioritization, and capacity optimization. 

• Define business requirements and support planning capability implementation across systems, tools, reporting, and analytics. 

• Standardize planning processes, data definitions, governance, and decision-support tools to improve visibility, responsiveness, and discipline. 

• Drive continuous improvement across capacity planning, slot management, scenario planning, and reporting. 

• Support future-state capabilities for greater portfolio complexity, geographic expansion, and commercial operations. 

Education and Experience 

• BS/BA with 8+ years (or MS/MA/MBA with 6+ years) relevant experience in pharma/biotech; Cell therapy experience preferred. 

• Direct experience in supply planning, network planning, manufacturing planning, capacity planning, or S&OP / S&OE leadership. 

• Experience in Cell Therapy, Gene Therapy, ATMPs, autologous or patient-specific supply chains strongly preferred. 

• Experience with CGT orchestration tools, advanced planning tools, ERP systems (e.g., SAP), and planning analytics preferred. 

• Experience supporting or leading cross-functional planning in complex, high-variability, high-compliance operational environments. 

• Experience supporting launch readiness, scale-up, network expansion, or new product introduction is strongly preferred. 

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The annual base salary for this position ranges from $124,069 to $186,104. However, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.  In addition, our positions offer a short-term incentive bonus opportunity; eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (salaried roles) or to receive a retirement contribution (hourly roles). Benefits offered included a qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]; paid vacation and holidays; paid leaves; and, health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans. Additional details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.