Location: Waltham, MA

Hybrid Working: 3 days per week in the office

About the Position

AstraZeneca is seeking an experienced and visionary Director to join our Immunology Cell Therapy Discovery team. The role focuses on leading both ex vivo and in vivo cell therapy discovery efforts, underpinned by an in-depth understanding of immunological disease biology and expertise in cell therapy (e.g., CAR-T) discovery.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic leadership: Develop and execute strategy to advance cell therapy discovery, leveraging state-of-the-art ex vivo and in vivo cell therapy technologies to help build a robust pipeline.

• Scientific domain expertise: Maintain a comprehensive, up-to-date understanding of the immunological disease landscape and emerging trends to inform program direction and target selection.

• Cross-functional collaboration: Partner with discovery, translational, preclinical, CMC, and regulatory colleagues to progress programs and expand AstraZeneca's immunology cell therapy portfolio.

• Team leadership: Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing team; foster a culture of innovation, scientific rigor, accountability, and agility.

• Stakeholder engagement: Align strategies and milestones with internal and external stakeholders and consortia to accelerate delivery against R&D objectives.

• Compliance and governance: Ensure adherence to all applicable laws, regulations, and company policies related to the research and development of medicines.

• Assay and process development: Direct the development of in vitro assays and research processes to evaluate, optimize, and validate novel cell therapy modalities and mechanisms.

Required Qualifications

• Education: PhD (or equivalent) in Immunology, Molecular or Cell Biology, Bioengineering, or a related field.

• 5-10 years of relevant industry experience.

• Scientific expertise: Demonstrated in-depth understanding of immunological disease biology, including B and T cell mediated immunological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, allergy & asthma, fibrosis etc.

• Leadership: Proven track record of leading scientific teams and delivering on strategic initiatives in a dynamic, matrixed environment.

• Collaboration and communication: Excellent interpersonal, communication, and stakeholder-management skills across functions and organizational levels.

• Regulatory understanding: Comprehensive knowledge of the regulatory landscape for cell therapy and genetic engineering.

Preferred Qualifications

• Vector and construct design: Experience designing and engineering lentiviral, retroviral, or AAV vectors.

• Genetic engineering: Hands-on experience applying CRISPR or related tools to innovate and refine cell therapies.

• External network: Established relationships within the cell therapy, genetic engineering, and immunology communities.

• Publications: Strong record of peer-reviewed publications in vector engineering, cell therapy engineering, or related fields.

If you are passionate about leading and innovating in the field of immunology cell therapy, we invite you to consider this pivotal opportunity at AstraZeneca. Join us in our mission to transform patient outcomes through groundbreaking scientific discovery.

The annual base pay ranges from $225,208 - 337,812. Hourly and salaried non-exempt employees will also be paid overtime pay when working qualifying overtime hours. Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition, our positions offer a short-term incentive bonus opportunity; eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (salaried roles), to receive a retirement contribution (hourly roles), and commission payment eligibility (sales roles).

Benefits offered include a qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]; paid vacation and holidays; paid leaves; and, health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans. Additional details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

If hired, employee will be in an 'at-will position' and the Company reserves the right to modify base pay (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Date Posted 22-Apr-2026 Closing Date 19-May-2026

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The Senior Tax Counsel & Head of Tax Controversy (U.S.) is responsible for leading North America on complex tax legal issues. This position works with senior management and business unit leaders in North America and Global HQ to provide strategic tax law counselling on ongoing, new and evolving business transactions, while managing tax law risk and enabling opportunities from operations subject to many legal jurisdictions.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide strategic tax counsel to senior leadership and business units on complex U.S. federal, state, and international tax matters, enabling business growth while managing legal and financial risk across evolving transactions and operating models.
• Lead the Federal & State Tax Audit, Controversy, and Planning function, overseeing high-impact audits, disputes, appeals, and litigation with tax authorities, and driving optimal outcomes through strong advocacy and technical judgment.
• Partner closely with global and regional stakeholders, including Global HQ, Finance, Legal, Government Relations, and external advisors, to align tax strategy with business objectives, market dynamics, and regulatory developments.
• Assess, quantify, and manage significant tax risks, including advising on tax positions, confidence levels, and methodologies for accurate financial statement reporting, reserves, and SOX controls.
• Develop and execute forward-looking tax strategies, balancing compliance, cash flow, effective tax rate, and reputational considerations while supporting new and evolving business initiatives.
• Represent the company before tax authorities and auditors, leading negotiations, alternative dispute resolution, and litigation strategies from initial challenge through final resolution.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team, providing coaching, oversight, and growth opportunities while managing departmental resources, systems, and processes.
• Monitor legislative, regulatory, and policy developments, proactively advising leadership on potential impacts and advocating positions that protect the company's long-term interests.

Qualifications, Experience, and Skills

• J.D. from an ABA accredited law school
• LLM in taxation or equivalent experience
• 10+ years tax experience in law firm or tax department of a Fortune 500 company
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Maturity and judgment

Job Dimensions

• No. of Direct Reports - 4
• No. of Indirect Reports
• Financial Dimensions - $2.5 million in budget. Key responsibility for tax exposures/controversies and tax planning with impacts in excess of $5 billion.

Decisions Expected

• Develop and recommend tax approaches to business transactions that align with compliance requirements, cashflow and effective rate objectives, while supporting market dynamics and business objectives.
• Recommend and execute controversy approach that maximizes likelihood of success while building relationships and considering reputational risk.
• Department associate preparedness for stretch assignments and development needs to advance department associates competencies and careers.

Working Conditions

• Teleconferences outside of regular working hours due to time zone differences
• Ability to respond to complex requests quickly, and work outside of regular business hours during work load peaks due to transaction, compliance or controversy deadlines
• Hybrid - 80% onsite / 20% remote
• 10% Travel

Total Rewards

• Competitive Base Salary
• Regional Bonus
• Manager Lease Car Program
• Industry-leading Benefit Plans
• Paid time off, including vacation, holidays, shutdown
• Company Paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• 401K Plan with company match + additional contribution
• Relocation assistance (if eligible)

Career Growth

• Advancement Opportunities
• Career Mobility
• Education Reimbursement for Continued Learning
• Training and Development Programs

Additional Offerings

• Lifestyle Account
• Childcare Reimbursement Account
• Elder Care Support
• Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Repayment
• Wellbeing Program
• Community Service and Engagement Programs
• Product Programs

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Working in close collaboration with technical and research teams, you will evaluate sophisticated tax scenarios and guide how AI systems interpret and apply statutory authority, Treasury Regulations, IRS guidance, and judicial precedent. Your contributions will directly influence the accuracy, consistency, and interpretive quality of AI-generated tax conclusions.

You will draw on specialized expertise in individual, partnership, or corporate taxation to identify and analyze challenging tax issues comparable to advanced tax coursework, technical tax research, or professional practice analysis. This includes resolving ambiguous fact patterns, weighing alternative positions, and clearly articulating defensible tax treatments.

This role is well suited for tax professionals and educators who thrive in intellectually dynamic environments and are comfortable engaging with evolving prompts, frameworks, and research objectives. Success requires the ability to exercise professional judgment under uncertainty, communicate tax reasoning with precision, and adapt to iterative guidance, similar to developing tax policy analyses, teaching advanced tax concepts, or responding to changes in tax law and interpretation.

Responsibilities:

• Use proprietary software applications to provide input/labels on defined projects.
• Support and ensure the delivery of high-quality curated data.
• Play a pivotal role in supporting and contributing to the training of new tasks, working closely with the technical staff to ensure the successful development and implementation of cutting-edge initiatives/technologies.
• Interact with the technical staff to help improve the design of efficient annotation tools.
• Choose problems from corporate accounting fields that align with your expertise, providing rigorous solutions and model critiques where you can confidently provide detailed solutions and evaluate model responses.
• Regularly interpret, analyze, and execute tasks based on given instructions.

Basic Qualifications:

• 3+ years of professional experience in taxation, gained through public accounting, national or regional tax practices, specialized advisory firms, or comparable industry roles, with specialization in individual, partnership, or corporate taxation.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze income tax issues, including evaluating complex fact patterns, interpreting statutory and regulatory authority, and applying sound professional judgment.
• Strong written communication skills in English, with the ability to produce clear, well-reasoned tax analyses, such as technical memoranda, research summaries, or instructional explanations.
• Proficiency in navigating authoritative tax resources, including the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations, IRS guidance, court decisions, and professional tax research platforms.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to reach defensible tax conclusions in situations involving ambiguity, incomplete facts, or competing interpretations of tax law.
• Interest in applying tax expertise to emerging technologies and AI-driven tax analysis.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• CPA license in good standing
• Advanced experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Corporate tax (e.g., ASC 740, mergers and acquisitions, international tax concepts)
• Partnership tax (e.g., Subchapter K, allocations, basis, restructurings)
• Individual tax (e.g., high-net-worth individuals, flow-through entities, planning considerations)
• Experience drafting or reviewing technical tax memoranda, tax planning analyses, or tax controversy positions.
• Familiarity with financial reporting for income taxes (ASC 740) and the interaction between tax and financial reporting.
• Teaching, training, or mentoring experience in taxation topics, such as Individual, Partnership, or Corporate Tax, or Tax Research.
• Contributions to professional thought leadership, including publications, presentations, firm guidance, or externally published tax commentary.

Location and Other Expectations:

• Tutor roles may be offered as full-time, part-time, or contractor positions, depending on role needs and candidate fit.
• For contractor positions, hours will vary widely based on project scope and contractor availability, with no fixed commitments required. On average most projects may involve at least 10 hours per week to achieve deliverables effectively though this is not a fixed commitment and depends on the scope of work.
• Tutor roles may be performed remotely from any location worldwide, subject to legal eligibility, time-zone compatibility, and role specific needs.
• For US based candidates, please note we are unable to hire in the states of Wyoming and Illinois at this time.
• We are unable to provide visa sponsorship.
• For those who will be working from a personal device, your computer must be a Chromebook, Mac with MacOS 11.0 or later, or Windows 10 or later.

Compensation and Benefits:

US based candidates: $45/hour - $100/hour depending on factors including relevant experience, skills, education, geographic location, and qualifications. International candidates: Information will be provided to you during the recruitment process. Benefits vary based on employment type, location and jurisdiction. Benefits for eligible U.S. based positions include health insurance, 401(k) plan, and paid sick leave. Specific details and role specific information will be provided to you during the interview process.

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