Lead, Disease State Training at AstraZeneca in New Haven, Connecticut

Lead, Disease State Training

This is what you will do: The Lead, Disease State Training will serve as a key member of the Alexion US Training Department, responsible for supporting and executing the disease state training strategy for Field Commercial Roles. This role will combine strategic contribution with hands-on execution to build and deliver high-impact disease state learning solutions that strengthen field readiness, clinical and scientific understanding, and commercial effectiveness. The Lead will support the design and execution of a comprehensive disease state training roadmap that includes onboarding, advanced development, launch readiness, and ongoing capability building for field commercial teams. This individual will work across functions to ensure training solutions are aligned to business priorities, brand strategy, customer engagement expectations, and evolving field capability needs. The role requires a balance of scientific acumen, commercial understanding, executional excellence, stakeholder partnership, and innovation in adult learning. This role will also play an important part in evolving the overall training function by identifying opportunities to modernize disease state learning, strengthen foundational and advanced curricula, and build scalable solutions that support both current business objectives and future organizational growth. The Lead will partner closely with the Director, Disease State Training, and other cross-functional leaders, while independently owning key training initiatives and deliverables.

You will be responsible for:

• Support disease state training strategy development by helping to create and advance a comprehensive training roadmap aligned to Alexion US business priorities, brand strategy, field capability needs, and organizational goals across Field Commercial Roles.
• Directly contribute to the design, development, review, facilitation, and continuous improvement of disease state training materials and learning experiences.
• Design and deliver disease state training curricula that build field capability in areas such as disease education, clinical landscape, patient journey, standards of care, treatment paradigms, competitive environment, and healthcare ecosystem dynamics.
• Partner with the Director and cross-functional stakeholders to identify capability gaps, prioritize learning needs, and develop training solutions that improve individual and team performance in the field.
• Support strategic planning for disease state training initiatives by helping establish annual learning priorities, success measures, timelines, and execution plans aligned to business objectives.
• Create and execute high-impact learning experiences across instructor-led, virtual, self-directed, and digital formats, ensuring application of adult learning principles and a strong learner experience.
• Ensure field commercial teams are equipped with the disease state knowledge and contextual understanding needed to engage customers confidently, credibly, and compliantly.
• Support onboarding and ongoing training for field commercial audiences by building structured learning journeys that reinforce core knowledge and advance capability over time.
• Partner with Commercial, Medical, Marketing, Market Access, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, and Regulatory stakeholders to ensure training content is accurate, relevant, compliant, and aligned with enterprise expectations.
• Ensure alignment of training content with compliance and quality expectations, including participation in Medical/Legal/Regulatory review processes where required, so that training materials are appropriately reviewed and approved prior to deployment.
• Track and manage training completion and attendance for required learning, including Pharmacovigilance-related training, to support audit readiness, compliance expectations, and quality standards.
• Measure the effectiveness of training programs through learner feedback, field input, assessments, and other relevant data, and use insights to continuously improve training impact and value.
• Conduct field observations, leader engagements, ride-alongs, or other business immersion activities, when appropriate, to better understand learner needs, strengthen relevance of content, and identify opportunities to improve capability development.
• Partner with external vendors and consultants, when applicable, in the design, development, and delivery of disease state learning materials and capability-building solutions.
• Contribute to the evolution of the Training Department by sharing best practices and introducing innovative approaches to disease state training design and delivery.
• Report any Pharmacovigilance events discussed during training activities and ensure compliance remains embedded in all aspects of training strategy, design, and execution.

The incumbent may be asked to perform other function-related activities in addition to the above-mentioned responsibilities, as reasonably required by business needs.

You will need to have:

• RN required.
• A minimum of 6-10 years of pharmaceutical industry experience.
• Demonstrated experience in training, commercial learning, sales training, disease state education, field capability building, or biopharmaceutical learning and development.
• Demonstrated experience supporting and executing training plans or roadmaps that align learning investments to business priorities and measurable capability outcomes.
• Strong experience supporting Field Commercial Roles with training solutions that improve disease state knowledge, customer engagement readiness, and field effectiveness.
• Experience working in a cross-functional environment with stakeholders such as Commercial, Medical, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Regulatory, Marketing, Market Access, and Training teams.
• Proven ability to translate complex scientific, clinical, and business strategies into practical, engaging, and scalable learning solutions.
• Strong ability to manage multiple projects, stakeholders, and competing priorities simultaneously while maintaining high quality, attention to detail, and strong execution discipline.
• Strong communication, facilitation, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage and influence audiences at multiple levels of the organization.
• Experience developing training content using PowerPoint, Word, and Excel, delivering virtual training through platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and managing content in learning management systems and related platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, solve problems proactively, and navigate ambiguity in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Strong organizational judgment and the ability to manage sensitive issues, differing perspectives, and competing priorities with professionalism and discretion.
• Strong understanding of adult learning principles, training effectiveness, and compliant learning practices in a regulated pharmaceutical environment.
• The duties of this role are generally conducted in an office environment. As is typical of an office-based role, employees must be able, with or without an accommodation, to use a computer; engage in communications via phone, video, and electronic messaging; engage in problem solving and non-linear thought, analysis, and dialogue; collaborate with others; and maintain general availability during standard business hours.

We would prefer for you to have:

• Experience in rare disease, specialty biopharmaceutical, or complex healthcare markets, with an understanding of the unique needs of highly specialized field commercial teams.
• Experience supporting disease state training strategy across brands, customer segments, or field audiences.
• Understanding of adult learning theory, training measurement, digital learning innovation, and learning effectiveness best practices.
• Experience with instructional design tools such as Articulate, Captivate, Visio, or video editing software.
• Experience supporting new product launches, indication expansions, organizational transformations, or major capability-building initiatives.
• Strong influencing skills with a demonstrated ability to lead or support cross-functional teams in dynamic, evolving environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to build strong, professional relationships across all levels of the organization.
• Experience incorporating data, analytics, and learner insights into training strategy and program design to improve business relevance and measurable outcomes.
• Familiarity with change management principles and their application in capability building and adoption of new ways of working.
• Experience building or evolving field disease state curricula, onboarding programs, or advanced capability development initiatives.

The annual base pay for this position ranges from 150,771.20 - 226,156.80. 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.