Associate Director, Cell Therapy Logistics Process

AstraZeneca•Gaithersburg, MD

3d•$115,919 - $173,879•Hybrid

About The Position

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person. Recognizing the importance of individualized flexibility, our ways of working allow employees to balance personal and work commitments while ensuring we continue to create a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork by engaging face-to-face in our Gaithersburg office 3 days a week. Our head office is purposely designed with collaboration in mind, providing space where teams can come together to strategize, brainstorm and connect on key projects. Our dedication to sustainability is also central to our culture and part of what makes AstraZeneca a great place to work. We know the health of people, the planet and our business are interconnected which is why we’re taking ambitious action to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to access to healthcare and disease prevention. In AstraZeneca's Cell Therapy division, we follow the science to explore and innovate. We are working towards treating, preventing, modifying, and even curing some of the world's most complex diseases. We have the potential to grow our pipeline and positively impact the lives 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. This role is part of the Cell Therapy Supply Chain team tasked with supporting critical development of supply chain logistics capability and process. We ask that you plan, escalate issues to ensure successful project delivery. The Associate Director, Cell Therapy Logistics Process, will drive the development of end-to-end logistics process design, optimization, and continuous improvement that enable scalability from clinical‑to‑commercial, cost reduction, and right-first-time execution. This role will translate AZ’s logistics strategy into standards, governance, and analytics that improve reliability, cycle time, cost, and the patient experience.

Requirements

Minimum bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, industrial engineering, Logistics, Business Administration, or a related field; advanced degree (MBA/MS) preferred with emphasis on operations design or process improvement.
Minimum 8 plus years in pharma/biotech logistics or clinical supply chain with demonstrated process design and capability build; cell therapy/ATMP experience strongly preferred
Experience implementing GMP compliant processes and procedures that are operable by logistics teams, including clear hand‑offs and training artifacts.

Nice To Haves

Lean training/certification (e.g., Lean Champion, Green/Black Belt) with a track record of implementing standard work, A3s, and visual management.
Strong knowledge of vein‑to‑vein logistics fundamentals, COI/COC and GMP compliance expectations, import/export considerations; adept at designing for scalability and clinical‑to‑commercial transition.
Excellent SOP authoring, RACI creation, KPI design/analytics, and eQMS familiarity; crisp communication and stakeholder influence without line management authority

Responsibilities

Process Design and Optimization: Map current state and design future state vein to vein logistics processes. Lead value stream analysis and bottleneck removal.
Standardization: Author SOPs, playbooks, RACI, and training materials for COI/COC, temperature control, compliance, and deviation management.
New Logistics Capability Build and Readiness: Establish new logistics process for new modalities and products; develop mock/test execution approaches, and documentation packages that enable smooth hand‑over to operations.
Clinical‑to‑Commercial Transition: Scale clinical logistics methods into commercial‑grade standards; ensure inspection‑ready documentation and consistent execution templates across regions.
Continuous Improvement: Lead Lean/Six Sigma initiatives to reduce cycle time, variability, excursions, and cost to serve; establish measurable targets and KPIs.
Digital and Data Enablement: Specify business requirements and partner with IT to deploy orchestration and scheduling platforms, integration of temperature and location monitoring, other data integration, advanced analytics dashboards, and other tools to automate workflows and process execution.
Performance management: Define KPIs- OTIF, excursion rate, cost to serve; lead root cause and CAPA.
Stakeholder Influence and Governance: Collaborate with Clinical Supply, Manufacturing, QA, Regulatory, and external partners to align designs and secure decisions; maintain initiative‑level risk registers and mitigations