Associate Director, Global Product Planner - Cell Therapy

AstraZeneca · Los Angeles · $124,070–$186,104 (stated in the posting)

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AstraZeneca is pioneering the next generation of medicines through innovative cell therapies that have the potential to transform the lives of patients with serious diseases. As a Global Product Planner, you will play a pivotal role in turning scientific innovation into reliable patient supply.

You will shape the integrated supply chain strategy for a portfolio of autologous, allogeneic, and/or in vivo cell therapy products in clinical development. By connecting CMC Program Strategy, Clinical Operations, Technical Operations, and Supply Chain, you will translate ambitious development plans into clear, executable supply strategies that bring the right product to the right patient at the right time.

Working at the forefront of a rapidly evolving field, you will navigate complex supply networks, anticipate challenges, align critical resources, and enable confident decision-making across the organization. Your expertise, collaboration, and leadership will help accelerate the development of transformative therapies and contribute to AstraZeneca’s ambition to improve outcomes for patients around the world. This role can be based in either Tarzana, CA, or Gaithersburg, MD.

Key Responsibilities

• Integrated End-to-End Planning: Maintain the integrated supply chain planning view for assigned cell therapy products, connecting CMC development strategy, clinical plans, technical operations, manufacturing, and logistics. Ensure alignment of drug substance, drug product, raw materials, production activities, and distribution across the end-to-end supply chain.
• Supply Planning and Continuity: Translate CMC and clinical development plans into operational supply plans and forecasts. Determine study product requirements and proactively address supply risks to support continuous patient supply while balancing capacity, lead times, inventory, cost, and flexibility.
• Scenario and Risk Planning: Build and maintain detailed supply models for complex clinical and CMC scenarios. Assess operational feasibility, identify constraints and dependencies, evaluate alternative strategies, and provide clear recommendations for risk mitigation and decision-making.
• Clinical Supply and Operations Planning: Lead the product-level S&OP process, reviewing demand, supply, capacity, inventory, risks, and assumptions.  Facilitate cross-functional decisions and escalate trade-offs requiring leadership alignment.
• Supply Chain Configuration: Own and maintain the product supply chain configuration and value stream map, including planning parameters, lead times, production steps, suppliers, logistics routes, capacity assumptions, site dependencies, and CMO relationships.
• Product and Supply Chain Leadership: Serve as the primary supply chain planning liaison across Clinical Operations, CMC Program Strategy, Technical Operations, and other key functions. Lead the relevant supply chain subteam, establish effective ways of working, and ensure that decisions, risks, assumptions, actions, and timelines are clearly communicated and executed.
• Launch and Change Management: Lead the global supply planning response to product and network changes, including new indications, country expansion, CMC activities, manufacturing changes, site transfers, supplier changes, process changes, and other development or supply chain initiatives.
• Stakeholder and Partner Collaboration: Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders, manufacturing sites, CMOs, suppliers, logistics providers, and other external partners. Align stakeholders on supply requirements, constraints, risks, and mitigation plans.
• Systems, Data, and Process Improvement: Support the development and adoption of planning systems, advanced digital technologies and AI, master data, and standardized processes. Improve planning visibility, data quality, process maturity, and scalable collaboration across the enterprise.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify and implement opportunities to improve planning accuracy, scenario analysis, supply resilience, decision quality, and execution effectiveness.

Key Competencies

• Strategic and Analytical Thinking: Ability to interpret complex supply chain, CMC, clinical, and operational information; evaluate scenarios; and make sound, data-driven recommendations.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Ability to lead through influence, build alignment, and coordinate decisions across functions, regions, organizational levels, and external partners.
• Execution and Accountability: Strong ownership, organization, prioritization, and follow-through in a dynamic, ambiguous, and highly regulated environment.
• Communication: Ability to communicate complex planning issues, risks, assumptions, scenarios, and recommendations clearly to technical teams, business stakeholders, and senior leadership.
• Problem Solving: Demonstrated ability to identify constraints, anticipate supply risks, develop practical mitigation strategies, and make timely recommendations.
• Adaptability: Comfortable operating in an evolving cell therapy environment where demand, clinical plans, manufacturing processes, regulatory requirements, and supply chain configurations may change rapidly.

Education and Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Logistics, Life Sciences, Engineering, or a related discipline. An equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• Professional Experience: At least 7 years of experience in biopharmaceutical supply chain planning, manufacturing, operations, technical operations, or a related field, including experience supporting clinical or commercial product supply.
• Planning and Modeling: Experience developing integrated supply plans, forecasts, capacity models, scenario analyses, and risk mitigation strategies.

Preferred Experience

• Certifications: CPIM, CSCP, or an equivalent supply chain certification is preferred.
• Continuous Improvement: Lean, Six Sigma, or similar process improvement certification or experience is an advantage.
• Cell and Gene Therapy Experience: Demonstrated experience with cell therapy, gene therapy, or other complex, patient-specific, temperature-sensitive, or highly regulated supply chains is strongly preferred. Experience with clinical development supply planning is highly desirable.

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $124,069.60 - $186,104.40. 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.

#CellTherapy

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Date Posted

Closing Date

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.

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