AstraZeneca
Job Title: Senior Director, Translational Medicine B-cell NHL & Leukemia
Waltham, MA / Boston, MA
Introduction to role:
Are you ready to transform deep B-cell malignancy biology into decisive late-stage decisions that change the trajectory of lymphoma and leukemia treatment? Do you see yourself guiding pivotal biomarker strategies for antibodies, ADCs, and bispecifics that define patient selection, clarify mechanisms of response and resistance, and underpin label-enabling claims?
In this role, you will lead a high-performing team of 4–6 Translational Medicine Leaders spanning DLBCL, Follicular Lymphoma, broader B-cell NHL, B-ALL, and B-CLL. You will set the franchise vision while directly owning select high-priority programs—especially large-molecule assets—ensuring end-to-end integration from assay development to regulatory submission. Working closely with discovery, clinical, precision diagnostics, data science, and regulatory partners across our US sites, you will turn cutting-edge science into clinical impact at speed.
Accountabilities:
Franchise Leadership and People Management: Build, mentor, and inspire a team of Translational Medicine Leaders, setting clear goals and accountability for program delivery while developing talent and fostering a resilient, science-first culture.
Portfolio Translational Strategy: Define and harmonize the translational strategy across B-cell NHL and leukemia programs, ensuring robust plans for patient selection, pharmacodynamics, mechanism of action and resistance, and late-phase biomarker readiness across modalities.
Direct Program Ownership: Personally lead translational strategy on select high-priority programs—particularly ADCs and bispecific antibodies—owning biomarker plans, vendor and assay strategies, resistance analyses, and regulatory components through pivotal milestones.
Late-Stage and Regulatory Biomarker Leadership: Provide senior oversight for late-phase studies, aligning biomarker strategies with FDA/EMA expectations, guiding companion diagnostic efforts, and ensuring data quality and validation for inclusion in global submissions.
Cross-Functional and External Leadership: Influence program and portfolio decisions in governance forums; partner across clinical development, operations, precision medicine, regulatory, medical, and commercial to connect translational insights to business value; represent the franchise at major congresses, KOL boards, and in strategic collaborations.
Knowledge Integration and Impact: Drive cross-program learning on antigen loss, lineage plasticity, clonal evolution, and tumor microenvironment; translate insights into combination strategies and next-generation designs that accelerate our pipeline and elevate scientific reputation.
Essential Skills/Experience:
PhD and/or MD with substantial experience in oncology or hematology drug development. MD with clinical training in hematology/oncology is highly valued.
Minimum 8–10 years of experience in translational medicine, biomarker science, or clinical development within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
Demonstrated late-stage drug development experience, including Phase 2b, Phase 3, and/or registration-enabling translational biomarker work in hematologic malignancies.
Proven people management experience leading teams of translational scientists, biomarker scientists, or TMLs in a pharmaceutical or biotechnology setting.
In-depth knowledge of B-cell malignancy biology, including NHL (DLBCL, Follicular Lymphoma) and B-cell leukemias (B-ALL and B-CLL), and the therapeutic landscape across approved and investigational agents.
Deep expertise in large molecule modalities—particularly bispecific antibodies and/or antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in B-cell malignancies—as the primary scientific domain. Working knowledge of small molecules and/or cell therapies is strongly preferred.
Track record of designing and executing translational biomarker strategies across multiple programs simultaneously, from early development through late-stage and registration.
Experience representing translational science at health authority interactions, advisory boards, or in regulatory submission packages (IND, BLA/NDA/MAA).
Demonstrated ability to influence strategy and decision-making at the program, portfolio, and organizational level in a complex, matrixed pharmaceutical environment.
Skills & Competencies
Exceptional scientific leadership: ability to set vision, drive rigour, and translate complex data into actionable insights across a multi-program portfolio.
Proven people leadership: demonstrated track record of developing scientific talent, managing performance, and building high-performing teams.
Outstanding communication and influencing skills: ability to present translational strategies and data to senior leadership, cross-functional partners, external KOLs, and health authorities.
Strong stakeholder management: ability to identify, engage, and align diverse internal and external stakeholders around translational objectives.
Highly developed risk management and problem-solving skills with experience navigating complex, high-stakes program decisions.
Ability to act as an external ambassador for AstraZeneca and to enhance the company’s scientific reputation in B-cell malignancies.
Desirable Skills/Experience:
Expertise spanning multiple B-cell NHL subtypes (DLBCL, FL, MCL) and B-cell leukemias, with disease-specific immunophenotyping, MRD monitoring, and resistance mechanism knowledge.
Experience with bispecific T-cell engager programs (e.g., CD19×CD3, CD20×CD3) and associated translational biomarker strategies including T-cell trafficking, cytokine profiling, and antigen escape.
Hands-on ADC translational experience including target expression assessment, PK/PD biomarker strategies, and resistance mechanisms (target loss, drug efflux, payload resistance).
CAR-T translational experience including CRS/ICANS monitoring, CAR-T persistence/expansion assays, and antigen loss mechanisms.
Experience with ctDNA/liquid biopsy platforms for monitoring clonal dynamics, MRD, and resistance in B-cell malignancies.
Familiarity with CDx development pathways and regulatory expectations for companion diagnostics (FDA/EMA).
Digital pathology, AI/ML, or multi-omic biomarker integration experience.
Strong publication record in B-cell malignancy biology, translational oncology, or late-phase clinical biomarkers.
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:
Here, curiosity has real backing—significant, sustained investment in discovery and development, a vibrant pipeline of high-quality molecules across stages, and a track record of bringing multiple new oncology medicines to patients in recent years. We thrive on bold ideas and rigorous science, pairing state-of-the-art platforms with close partnerships across clinical, diagnostics, and data to answer the questions that matter most. You will work with unexpected combinations of expertise in the same room, turning multi-omic insights and translational rigor into therapies that shift standards of care. We value kindness alongside ambition, empower leaders at every level, and connect individual contributions to a shared purpose: improving the lives of people with cancer.
Step into this franchise-defining role and lead the translational strategies that turn breakthrough B-cell science into life-changing medicines—take the next step and start the conversation today.
The annual base pay (or hourly rate of compensation) for this position ranges from $225,900.80 - $338,851.20 USD Annual. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives—an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans
Date Posted
30-Jun-2026
Closing Date
31-Jul-2026
Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.