Associate Director, Global Regulatory Policy and Intelligence

Introduction to role:

This role is based in Barcelona, with an on-site commitment of three days a week. Fluency in English is required.

Are you ready to turn evolving global regulations into decisions that speed life-changing medicines to patients? Do you thrive at the intersection of science, policy, and strategy, translating complex external change into clear actions that shape development and access?

In this role, you will guide how we navigate a fast-shifting environment across evidence generation, clinical trial innovation, and market access-so our therapies reach the right patients earlier. You will connect external policy signals to internal priorities, helping teams anticipate change, reduce risk, and seize opportunity. Your work will directly influence the design and delivery of programs that aim to transform outcomes in cancer, bringing earlier detection and treatment strategies to more patients worldwide.

You will partner with global, regional, and functional leaders to build aligned positions, shape consultation responses, and coordinate engagement with regulators, health technology assessment bodies, and industry networks. This is a chance to lead with clarity, build consensus, and drive impact across a high-ambition portfolio.

Accountabilities:

• Monitor, analyse, and interpret emerging legislation, regulations, guidance, regulatory practices, health-system reforms, HTA developments, and industry trends across priority markets.
• Translate external developments into clear implications, risks, opportunities, dependencies, and recommended actions for AstraZeneca's clinical development, evidence-generation, regulatory, market access, data, manufacturing, and business priorities.
• Assess policy developments extending beyond medicines regulators, including those involving agencies responsible for research, healthcare delivery, reimbursement, health information, data standards, and public-private clinical trial infrastructure.
• Lead or contribute to regulatory policy and intelligence analyses relating to innovative clinical trial designs, routine point-of-care trials, decentralised trials, real-world evidence, digital and AI tools, surrogate endpoints, rare-disease development, and international regulatory harmonisation.
• Support the development of aligned AstraZeneca policy positions, consultation responses, advocacy materials, reports, position statements, briefing documents, and presentations.
• Coordinate cross-functional input to ensure AstraZeneca communicates with a clear, consistent, and evidence-based voice.
• Support the identification, assessment, coordination, and delivery of relevant Calls for Comment and external consultations.
• Conduct complex regulatory intelligence queries and deliver tailored analyses, precedents, landscape assessments, timelines, and insights for project teams and senior stakeholders.
• Provide regulatory policy and intelligence support to therapeutic areas, regions, and marketing-company teams.
• Identify and communicate emerging regulatory and policy risks and opportunities, including their potential impact on global clinical development and evidence-generation programmes.
• Support AstraZeneca participation in trade association committees, professional networks, external forums, health authority engagements, and policy discussions.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with health authorities, governmental bodies, trade associations, professional societies, peer companies, regulatory policy networks, and external information providers.
• Contribute to the governance, consistent use, maintenance, and improvement of regulatory intelligence systems, databases, information resources, and digital tools in partnership with IT, digital, information science, library, and vendor teams.
• Develop training, onboarding materials, communications, and best-practice resources to enable colleagues to use regulatory policy and intelligence information effectively.
• Lead or contribute to matrixed projects, cross-functional working groups, and priority policy initiatives, ensuring effective planning, stakeholder alignment, delivery, and escalation of issues.
• Support implementation of changes to strategy, processes, and ways of working arising from significant developments in the external regulatory and policy environment.
• Contribute to the strategy, direction, and efficient operation of the Global Regulatory Policy & Intelligence function.

Essential Skills/Experience:

• Degree in a scientific, medical, regulatory, public policy, legal, healthcare, or related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience

• Early-career experience, internship, placement, or demonstrable interest in regulatory affairs, regulatory intelligence, health policy, medicines development, or a related area.

• Ability to conduct structured research, assess information quality, and identify relevant facts and themes.

• Basic understanding of medicines development and the role of health authorities and regulatory agencies.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to summarise complex information clearly and accurately for different audiences.

• Ability to work collaboratively and seek guidance when required.

• Good organisational and project coordination skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.

Desirable Skills/Experience:

• Experience using regulatory intelligence databases, information-management systems, literature databases, or other research tools.

• Experience preparing regulatory or policy briefings, presentations, reports, consultation responses, or newsletters.
• Experience supporting regulatory intelligence, policy monitoring, legislative tracking, or health authority research.

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, bold science meets purposeful policy to accelerate breakthroughs for patients with cancer. We bring together scientists, clinicians, policy experts, and technologists to solve hard problems faster, leveraging a broad pipeline and modern evidence strategies to move from idea to impact. You will be part of a collaborative community that partners with leading institutions worldwide, embraces smart risk-taking, and equips you with advanced tools and networks to influence real-world change. We value kindness alongside ambition, and we back decisive action with the resources and trust needed to deliver results that matter.

Call to Action: If you are ready to shape global policy and intelligence that speeds transformative oncology therapies to patients, send your application today and turn insight into impact!

Date Posted

19-oct-2026

Closing Date

01-nov-2026

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.