Senior Specialist, Cell Therapy Vein-to-Vein Operations

At AstraZeneca, we are advancing an ambitious vision in cell therapy to deliver transformative treatments through innovative science, operational excellence, and uncompromising quality. The Senior Specialist, Cell Therapy Vein-to-Vein Operations plays a key role in strengthening the quality backbone of V2V Operations, supporting compliant, timely, and risk-based execution across a dynamic, patient-focused environment. This role helps protect COI/COC integrity across the vein-to-vein product journey, enabling reliable and compliant execution and strong delivery performance. It is a high-impact senior individual contributor position for someone motivated by improving quality processes in practice, partnering with SMEs to solve problems, and translating quality data and documentation into meaningful action and continuous improvement. You may be based in Tarzana, CA or Gaithersburg, MD and report to the Senior Director, Global Logistics.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate quality records for V2V Operations, including change controls, deviations, and CAPAs, from initiation through closure, ensuring timely progression, complete documentation, and alignment with internal quality expectations.

• Partner with SMEs and process owners to develop robust and compliant record content, including problem statements, impact assessments, root cause analyses, corrective and preventive actions, implementation plans, and effectiveness considerations.

• Review and challenge documentation quality to ensure records are clear, scientifically sound, appropriately justified, traceable, and consistent across related records and supporting documentation.

• Drive follow-up and maintain visibility of record status, action progress, aging, and closure timelines, escalating concerns where compliance, quality, or delivery is at risk.

• Facilitate and support quality risk assessments related to V2V activities and COI/COC-related processes, ensuring risks, controls, residual risks, and mitigation plans are clearly documented and linked to appropriate actions.

• Maintain alignment between risk assessments, quality records, and procedural controls so that risk-based decisions are consistently reflected across documentation and operational practice.

• Support the lifecycle management of quality procedures, including SOPs, work instructions, templates, and other controlled documents, through drafting, revision, review coordination, implementation support, and periodic maintenance.

• Help ensure procedures remain current and effective, aligned with operational practice, quality requirements, lessons learned, and outcomes from deviations, CAPAs, audits, inspections, and trend reviews.

• Compile, analyze, and communicate quality metrics and trends for the V2V Operations team, including measures such as record volume, aging, overdue actions, closure timeliness, recurrence, CAPA implementation, and procedural compliance indicators.

• Translate quality data into actionable insights by identifying recurring themes, emerging risks, and improvement opportunities, and by supporting governance discussions and management review.

• Support continuous improvement by using learnings from quality records, metrics, audits, inspections, and stakeholder feedback to strengthen processes, documentation quality, and preventive controls.

• Escalate significant quality, compliance, timing, or resource risks through the appropriate management and Quality channels, applying sound judgment on matters requiring higher-level attention.

• Support inspection and audit readiness through accurate documentation, effective tracking, organized record management, and readiness of quality system evidence relevant to V2V Operations.

• Collaborate effectively across functions with V2V Operations SMEs, Quality Assurance, technical teams, and other stakeholders to ensure timely and compliant execution of quality system activities.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific, technical, engineering, quality, or related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.

• 5+ years' experience in a GxP-regulated environment with solid knowledge of quality systems and documentation requirements.

• Demonstrated experience with deviations, CAPAs, change controls, and controlled document management.

• Experience supporting or facilitating quality risk assessments.

• Experience drafting, reviewing, or maintaining SOPs or similar controlled procedures.

• Experience compiling, reviewing, or interpreting quality metrics and trend data.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholder groups.

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines with limited supervision.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in cell therapy, supply chain, manufacturing

• Familiarity with COI/COC-related processes and associated quality expectations.

• Experience working in a cross-functional or matrixed environment.

• Experience supporting audits, inspections, or internal quality reviews.

• Working knowledge of root cause analysis tools, risk management methodologies, and continuous improvement practices.

Key Skills

• Strong understanding of quality management systems and good documentation practices.

• Ability to apply risk-based thinking to operational quality activities.

• Strong analytical capability to identify themes, trends, and emerging risks from quality data.

• Strong procedural writing and document review skills.

• Ability to influence and coordinate across functions without direct authority.

• Sound judgment in identifying issues, driving follow-up, and escalating where appropriate.

• Ability to balance detail orientation with timely delivery in a fast-paced environment.

#CellTherapy

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $89K to $134K. 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.

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.