Senior Global Medical Affairs Leader, Obesity

AstraZeneca is advancing a tailored approach to Obesity and Weight Management, uniting science, medical and commercial excellence to deliver durable outcomes, reduce cardiometabolic risk and protect organs. Our pipeline is moving with purpose and includes next generation oral and injectable therapies that prioritises tolerability, durability and quality of life. Are you ready to be at the forefront of medical innovation? As the Senior Global Medical Affairs Lead er for Obesity and Related Complications , you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of obesity care . This is your chance to use your expertise to make a real impact on patients' lives. Join us in our mission to transform the patient journey, from prevention to diagnosis, and beyond.

Accountabilities

In this dynamic role, you'll be responsible for providing medical leadership across the entire product lifecycle. You'll advise on Research & Development investment decisions, lead pre-launch scientific efforts, and accelerate evidence-based healthcare changes in the real world. Your networking and influencing skills will be key as you facilitate cross-functional collaboration and drive innovation. Are you ready to take on this challenge?

Role Summary

Reporting to the Medical Head of Weight Management, the Senior GMAL is a highly experienced Medical Affairs leader with proven vision and impact. This individual develops and leads bold medical strategies within the obesity and cardiorenal-metabolicoutcomes therapy area (specifically MASH, heart failure and CKD), expertly guiding cross-functional and cross-regional teams to deliver and exceed ambitious goals. The Senior GMAL’s influence is enterprise-wide—shaping global medical agendas through Global Medical Team, Global Product Team, and Disease Area Team leadership, and deep partnership with Medical and Commercial functions in markets and regions worldwide.

This role demands a leader who champions innovative, disruptive thinking—identifies and shapes breakthrough opportunities, reimagines market dynamics, and accelerates high-impact evidence generation and medical change initiatives. The Senior GMAL navigates and transforms health systems, leverages digital and advanced analytics, drives stakeholder engagement, and ensures AstraZeneca’s science leads externally and internally through world-class medical evidence and strategic partnerships.

• Strategy

  & Transformation: The Senior GMAL designs and leads the implementation of product and disease area strategies, as well as ambitious practice change initiatives, at a global level. This requires a deep understanding of healthcare system pathways, regulatory landscapes, market access, and competitive dynamics. The Senior GMAL consistently delivers innovative, disruptive solutions to shape markets, challenges status quo thinking, and uses digital proficiency to identify data-driven opportunities, preparing for launch and life cycle management.

• Medical

  Evidence Leadership : Senior GMALs own the evidence generation strategy—demonstrating advanced experience in clinical research, interventional trials (Phases 2–4), and real-world evidence (RWE) programs. They shape and drive groundbreaking clinical trials, registries, and RWE studies aligned with brand, access, and practice-changing objectives. They guide the optimisation, communication, and strategic roll-out of data across scientific platforms, ensuring AstraZeneca delivers differentiated evidence that supports the needs of regulatory, payer, and healthcare providers. Clinical research, patient outcomes expertise, and deep understanding of treatment protocols underpin their ability to address evolving evidence requirements.

• Advanced

  Scientific & Digital Engagement : The Senior GMAL blends scientific expertise with strong digital acumen. They leverage digital health tools, advanced analytics, and data platforms to transform evidence communication, personalize stakeholder engagement, and enhance patient outcomes. They are the voice of medical—crafting compelling narratives, driving digital dissemination of evidence, and ensuring accurate, impactful, and compliant scientific communications.

• Guiding and Influencing Stakeholders : With significant expertise in internal and external engagement, the Senior GMAL builds and sustains powerful relationships across the healthcare ecosystem—including global and regional KOLs, professional societies, regulators, payers, patient organizations, digital innovators, and health systems. Their credibility and influence enable them to mobilize support for medical strategy, evidence generation, and healthcare change initiatives. They mentor and guide cross-functional teams, championing scientific leadership and strategic collaboration.

• Regulatory

  Insight & Compliance : The Senior GMAL possesses keen regulatory understanding and ensures clinical trial and evidence generation initiatives are designed for both scientific and regulatory success. They anticipate evolving regulatory and payer requirements for evidence, ensuring high quality, compliant data generation and communication at every stage.

Essential for the role

• Doctoral-level degree (MD, PhD, PharmD)

• Master’s degree with at least 5 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry (Medical, Marketing, R&D, Market Access), or extensive experience within a health system (clinical, pharmacy, pathway design, etc.).

• Demonstrated leadership in complex, global healthcare environments, including leading franchise/TA business in key markets, driving brand performance, and managing large, diverse teams.

• Significant expertise and strategic insight into healthcare system pathways, regulatory landscapes, market-shaping, and external stakeholder engagement.

• Strong track record of internal and external network building, collaboration across geographies and matrix teams, and effective mentoring of junior colleagues or peers.

• Digital proficiency, leveraging digital health tools and data platforms to advance evidence generation and communication.

• Deep understanding of patient care pathways, evolving treatment protocols, scientific literature, and contemporary approaches to healthcare transformation.

• Proven ability to guide, influence, and align diverse stakeholders—including thought leaders, regulatory bodies, patient groups, and payer organisations.

Desirable for the role :

• Clinical experience in obesity, PCP, heart failure and/or CKD

• Experience with the USA health care system

• Recognised expertise in the relevant or related therapeutic area, often evidenced by a history of clinical practice, research leadership, or significant external engagement.

• Advanced experience designing, leading, and interpreting clinical research programs, including pivotal clinical trials (Ph2–Ph4), practice-changing RWE studies, and implementation of innovative evidence generation approaches.

• Broad experience beyond Medical Affairs; for example, prior roles in Marketing, R&D, or Market Access.

• Long-standing relationships with global KOLs, societies, regulators, digital health partners, and innovative healthcare organisations.

• Track record of launching new products or indications in multiple, diverse markets (e.g., US, China, EU), and successfully developing and executing global medical strategies.

• Location; Boston, Massachusetts, USA (relocation support provided)

Total Rewards

The annual base pay (or hourly rate of compensation) for this position ranges from $243,586 to $365,379 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.

AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion and providing a workplace that is free from discrimination. AstraZeneca is committed to accommodating persons with disabilities. Such accommodation is available on request in respect of all aspects of the recruitment, assessment and selection process and may be requested by emailing [email protected].