Business Support at Gaithersburg, Maryland

Senior Business Support Coordinator

At AstraZeneca, we follow the science to deliver life-changing medicines. Our purpose drives everything we do - from advancing innovative research to fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture for our people. This Senior Business Support Coordinator role provides advanced business, operational, and communications support to Hematology R&D Translational Medicine (TM) leadership. Reporting to the Director of TM Strategy & Business Improvement, the role operates with significant autonomy, judgment, and discretion, enabling effective leadership engagement, operational execution, and organizational alignment across a dynamic, global environment. This position is based in Gaithersburg and plays a visible role in communications, engagement, and coordination across the TM organization, in addition to executive and operational support.

Key Responsibilities Executive & Business Operations Support

• Provide high-level, proactive business support to TM leadership, independently managing complex executive calendars, prioritization, and scheduling across global time zones.
• Exercise sound judgment to resolve scheduling conflicts, assess urgency, and anticipate leadership needs.
• Coordinate domestic and international travel, expenses, and logistics with accuracy, discretion, and follow-through.
• Prepare high-quality presentations, reports, briefing materials, and documents under tight timelines, often from incomplete or draft inputs.

Leadership Meetings & Governance Enablement

• Plan, coordinate, and support leadership meetings, forums, and offsites, including agenda development, materials preparation, minutes, and action tracking.
• Advise leaders on meeting structure, flow, and logistics to ensure efficient, outcome-driven engagements.
• Support cross-functional interactions with Business Planning & Operations, Communications, Finance, HR, and other R&D support partners.

Communications & Engagement (Expanded Scope)

• Support Gaithersburg's based organizational engagement activities such as townhalls, leadership cascades, workshops, and internal events by managing communications, logistics, and follow-up.
• Draft, edit, and coordinate internal communications on behalf of TM leadership, including team updates, announcements, group emails, and collaboration platform posts (e.g., Workvivo).
• Tailor messaging for different audiences, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment with TM and broader R&D priorities.
• Serve as a trusted point of contact to help connect people, information, and activities across the TM organization.

Vendor Contract & Operational Coordination (Expanded Scope)

• Provide business and operational support for Translational Medicine by coordinating vendor contracts, including initiation, tracking, renewals, and alignment with TM operational needs.
• Partner with internal stakeholders (e.g., Finance, Procurement, Operations) to ensure contracts are appropriately scoped, documented, and managed.
• Track key contract milestones and proactively flag risks, renewals, or actions required to maintain continuity of service.

Systems, Processes & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain and manage information across key systems (e.g., Workday, Capacitor, Assigner, MyTime, PlanIT), ensuring data accuracy and accessibility.
• Apply strong knowledge of AstraZeneca processes, policies, and systems to drive efficient execution.
• Lead or support special projects focused on operational excellence, communications, or business improvement initiatives.
• As a member of the administrative support community, provide back-up support, knowledge sharing, and contribute to the development of best practices and standard ways of working.

Required Education, Experience & Capabilities

• Min High School diploma required; Bachelor's degree preferred.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible administrative or business support experience, ideally supporting senior leaders.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to interact confidently with senior leaders and diverse stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities, maintain confidentiality, and meet tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, anticipate needs, and apply sound judgment.
• Experience working in fast-paced, matrixed environments with evolving priorities.

Desired / Differentiating Experience

• Experience supporting global organizations across multiple time zones.
• Prior experience in a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or R&D environment.
• Experience supporting communications, engagement initiatives, or leadership events.
• Exposure to vendor coordination, contract tracking, or operational support activities.

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.