Inhaled Medical Lead - BioPharma Business Unit
ABOUT ASTRAZENECA
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. But we’re more than one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.
Join a high-performing team, empowered to cut through the noise and drive real change. Our agility and pace, coupled with scientific focus, powers us to spot opportunities in the market that keep us moving forward and into new spaces.
SITE DESCRIPTION
AstraZeneca is experiencing a significant transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, driven by a commitment to advancing healthcare, innovation, and sustainable growth. Building on our global legacy, AZ KSA is rapidly evolving its operations to better serve patients, collaborate with healthcare stakeholders, and contribute to the ambitious goals outlined in the Saudi Vision 2030. We are investing in talent, digital solutions, and new ways of working; all designed to enhance our impact on patient outcomes and reinforce our leadership in therapeutic areas. This dynamic environment calls for visionary, agile professionals who thrive in change and are motivated to help shape the future of healthcare in KSA.
ROLE SUMMARY
Our continuous mission is to transform the lives of people living with Chronic non communicable disease, through the development and delivery of innovative medicine, as well as supportive technologies and healthcare services.
In the Saudi Arabia we are building up a dedicated AZ BioPharma Business Unit (AZ BBU) to support the Millions of patients suffering from conditions in therapy areas like Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolisom.
As we continue to strenghthen our leadship position and acelerate our new pipeline launching, we seek a Inhaled Portfolio (Asthma and COPD) Lead to join our Medical Affairs team in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Inhaled Portfolio Medical Lead reports to the KSA BBU Medical Director and member of the KSA BBU Medical Affairs Leadership team.
The Medical Lead will provide medical affairs therapeutic area leadership to deploy and adapt the AZ Global \ International Asthma and COPD Medical Affairs strategy, and will lead in future a team of medical affairs professionals (MSLs and Medical Advisors) and oversees execution of medical activities.
What you’ll do
- Providing strategic guidance to building TA medical organisation, creating the TA medical vision and ambition aligned with AZ KSA Vision 2030, working closely with the Medical Director.
- Building and providing leadership to a high-performing KSA BBU medical team (including field medical) with demonstrated value and impact, nurture culture of mentoring and coaching of team members and integrate seamlessly work of medical team with BBU cross-functional brand teams’ efforts.
- Leadership to building of AZ’s External TA leadership, advocacy and establishing enduring partnerships and collaborations with key medical institutions, clinics and research centres and thought leader networks across KSA.
- Responsible for all Inhaled TA medical operational and medical compliance processes are in place and driving process development and integration with the KSA AZ applicable policies and procedures.
- The BBU Medical Lead is accountable for the medical team and their activities are conducted in full compliance with all applicable governing local laws and regulations and in compliance with all AZ applicable global and KSA policies, SOPs and guidance.
- Driving patient centric approach to all activities: developing collaborations with Patient Association Groups (PAGs), elevating the awareness/profile of the designated disease area, partnering with HCP’s and PAGs on patient identification initiatives that can be locally adapted. Providing subject matter and medical expertise in areas such as presentation review, abstracts & publications, advisory boards, continuous medical education activities.
- Oversight and development of evidence generation strategy and concepts based on medical and payer and value evidence needs( implementation of registries , cohorts, or clinical trials and other studies)
- Cross-functional support for development and execution of brand plans.
Other Accountabilities
Scientific Information Management and Dissemination and managing relationships with key stakeholders
- Leadership to identifying and partnering with national, regional/local Key External Experts (KEEs) and partner with advocacy groups and PAGs.
- Ensuring the CF team is up to date in respective therapeutic areas and products knowledge (including competitors).
- Regular meetings with Key External Experts and Influence groups to build partnership, share data, request advice (advisory boards…), and provide support including publications, slide sets and others.
- Ensure setting up systems for timely response to unsolicited requests for information about unapproved AZ BBU products or unapproved uses of approved products, presenting such information in an objective, well balanced, substantiated manner that is scientific in tone and content, free of promotional messages, truthful, and is not misleading.
- Ensure fulfilment of medical information requests and oversee relevant processes
- Appropriately share data with HCPs discussing all aspects of the data in a scientific, objective, and balanced way.
- Facilitate continuous medical education events for HCPs.
Medical Value – Access
- Representing Medical in Value teams, contributing to business planning and the Market Access strategy by providing strategic medical input, Pharmacoeconomics/health outcomes input and customer insight.
- Work with key internal and external stakeholders to identify optimal access pathways to the AZ BBU product(s)
- Responsible for providing fair-balanced, objective, scientific/clinical information to external and internal customers across all the key products within our portfolio. External customers can include KEEs, Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), Private Health Insurances (PHI), healthcare decision makers, and influencers in the country
- Responsible for supporting and partnering with the Key Account Manager, ensuring to work on prioritised accounts
- Responsible for the technical discussion of access by payers to generate value
- Responsible for discussing access plans in key accounts and for ensuring that strategies and value propositions, are being applied with assertiveness to customers
- Bring insights from the field to the country access manager and the International network
- Support the Country Access manager for proposing innovative access model for different payer models
- Builds external relationships with recognized experts in managed markets/health care systems.
- Participation in Market Access and Medical Affairs meetings, providing customer insights to shape current and future value propositions
Contribution to Brand Strategy by supporting cross-functional and regional team(s)
- Leadership to all BBU assigned medical activities in the pre-launch period and ensuring medical input to brand strategy planning. Provide AZ team staff with an understanding of the local and regional medical community landscape, clinical practice trends and real and/or perceived gaps in current scientific knowledge and medical treatment.
- Support of pre-launch activities for new therapeutic area, products, and line extensions.
- Share HCPs insight and customer needs with cross-functional and the International team.
- Share educational highlights and insight gathered while at scientific congress with colleagues.
- Monitor the competitors’ activities.
Facilitate Local Clinical Research
- Ensuring that BBU Diseases -related Evidence generation planning supports the longer and short term brand plans and product life-cycle and integrated with MEA, International and Global Medical Evidence Generation strategy.
- Participate in development and conduction of local/regional studies (incl. non-interventional studies).
- Upon request, assist with various aspects of local clinical trials, including scientific support, site selection and operational issues or feasibility assessments.
Only applications in KSA will be considered.
Essential for the role
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.
Essential Capabilities:
- MD, PharmD, or PhD in a scientific discipline
- Minimum of 3 years of medical affairs experience in the biopharma or Saudi Healthcare clinical settings including a medical leadership position.
- Ability to understand and formulate plans in complex healthcare ecosystems
- Proven ability to effectively build partnerships, relationships and collaborate internally and externally.
- Excellent presentation and written and verbal communication skills
- Excellence in leadership, strategic mindset, project management, internal and external relationship management, analytical/problem solving skills
- Demonstrated ability to communicate and comprehend scientific, economic, and humanistic concepts effectively with sophisticated and technical audiences required.
- Training or experience in health economics, Pharmacoeconomics or health care policy is highly preferred.
- Advanced English for reading scientific articles.
Why AstraZeneca?
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.
So, what’s next?
- Are you already imagining yourself joining our team? Good, because we can’t wait to hear from you.
- Are you ready to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available, and we hope it’s yours.
Where can I find out more?
Our social media, Follow AstraZeneca on LinkedIn
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Date Posted
01-Sep-2026
Closing Date
09-Sep-2026
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 authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.