Associate Director, NGS & Bioinformatics Full-time

Associate Director, NGS & Bioinformatics Group

Are you ready to make a significant impact in the field of cell therapy? 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.

AstraZeneca is looking for an Associate Director to join the NGS & Bioinformatics group within Cell Therapy Translational and Safety Sciences (CT-TSS). In this role, you will provide scientific and analytical leadership for bioinformatics efforts that generate translational and safety insights across our cell therapy pipeline (CAR/TCR/in vivo). Your expertise will be crucial in advancing our cell therapy programs and transforming the lives of patients.

Accountabilities

• Lead the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq)-based analyses to generate translational and safety science insights supporting the AstraZeneca cell therapy pipeline (CAR/TCR/in vivo).
• Oversee the development and optimization of bioinformatics pipelines supporting single-cell transcriptomics and multi-omic data integration.
• Apply and guide the use of AI/ML methodologies and advanced analytics to derive actionable insights from complex multi-modal datasets.
• Develop, validate, and operationalize program-specific and cross-trial computational models that integrate longitudinal multi-omic and clinical data to address defined translational questions, including response prediction, mechanism-of-action characterization, biomarker discovery, and resistance profiling.
• Lead the evaluation, adaptation, and implementation of AI foundation models for single-cell and multi-omic data, including domain-specific pretraining, fine-tuning, embedding-based representation learning, benchmarking, and deployment to support translational and safety applications across cell therapy programs.
• Guide assay development teams on NGS assay design, sequencing strategy, data quality requirements, and analytical readiness.
• Interpret and integrate complex datasets within and across programs; provide clear written and verbal updates on findings and their translational/safety implications to key stakeholders.
• Contribute to regulatory-support materials, internal strategy documents, and publication strategy, including preparation of data for presentation at internal and external scientific conferences.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with bioanalysis, clinical, data engineering, and IT teams to ensure robust data management, workflow orchestration, and compute scalability for NGS and bioinformatics workflows.
• Stay current with advancements in single-cell technologies and AI and ML-based models, and apply this knowledge to continuously improve analytical approaches.
• Mentor and provide scientific/technical guidance to junior scientists and bioinformaticians within the team.

Essential Skills/Experience

• PhD in bioinformatics, computational biology, or a related field.
• 6+ years of relevant pharmaceutical industry experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in bioinformatics and computational analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) and multi-omic datasets.
• Experience generating translational and safety science insights from genomic/transcriptomic data within Cell Therapy, immunology, or tumor biology programs.
• Deep understanding of Cell therapy Biology, immune cell phenotyping, and/or tumor biology, with up-to-date knowledge of analytical methods applicable to characterization of cell therapy products and their mechanism of action.
• Deep familiarity with bioinformatics pipelines for single-cell and immune-profiling datasets.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python and R, with experience building and maintaining analytical pipelines.
• Experience with cloud computing environments and high-performance computing clusters for scalable data processing.
• Background in applying AI/ML models to biological data, including prediction, feature extraction, and integrative multi-omic analytics.
• Solid understanding of statistics and their application to biomedical science and clinical data.
• Working knowledge of FAIR data principles, structured metadata, and harmonized data practices.
• Exceptional ability to interpret and communicate complex datasets verbally, in writing, and in presentations, adapting to scientific, clinical, and executive audiences.
• Ability to work cross-functionally and collaboratively with project stakeholders, and to prioritize multiple projects concurrently in a fast-paced environment.

The annual base pay (or hourly rate of compensation) for this position ranges from $142,377 – $213,566 USD. 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.

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.