Health Economics and Outcome Research Head

ABOUT ASTRAZENECA

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. But we’re more than one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

Join a high-performing team, empowered to cut through the noise and drive real change. Our agility and pace, coupled with scientific focus, powers us to spot opportunities in the market that keep us moving forward and into new spaces.

 
SITE DESCRIPTION 

AstraZeneca is experiencing a significant transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, driven by a commitment to advancing healthcare, innovation, and sustainable growth. Building on our global legacy, AZ KSA is rapidly evolving its operations to better serve patients, collaborate with healthcare stakeholders, and contribute to the ambitious goals outlined in the Saudi Vision 2030. We are investing in talent, digital solutions, and new ways of working; all designed to enhance our impact on patient outcomes and reinforce our leadership in therapeutic areas. This dynamic environment calls for visionary, agile professionals who thrive in change and are motivated to help shape the future of healthcare in KSA.  

ROLE SUMMARY

• Accountable for shaping and leading the Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) strategy in support of Market Access objectives, ensuring robust payer evidence generation, value demonstration, and sustainable reimbursement and patient access for the AstraZeneca portfolio in Saudi Arabia.
• Provides scientific and strategic leadership in health economics, payer evidence, and HTA engagement, enabling high-quality decision-making across brands and the product lifecycle.
• Acts as a partner to Market Access, Medical, Pricing, and Commercial heads, and as a credible external scientific interlocutor with HTA bodies and key stakeholders.
• Based in Saudi Arabia; reports directly to the Market Access Director.

What you’ll do

HEOR Strategy & Scientific Leadership

• Define and drive the local HEOR strategy, aligned with brand, market access, and pricing strategies, to support early access and lifecycle management of existing and new launches.
• Ensure development, adaptation, and deployment of high-quality health economic and payer evidence, supporting optimal access and value demonstration for AZ medicines.
• Oversee the development of reimbursement dossiers, economic models, and value narratives, ensuring scientific rigor, payer relevance, and consistency across brands.
• Ensure target product profiles and target claims are informed by payer needs, with appropriate evidence plans in place to support access and reimbursement requirements.
• Provide strategic oversight of HEOR analytical approaches, including HTA methodologies, economic modelling, and real-world evidence, to inform access and commercialization decisions.
• Guide scientific dissemination, including peer-reviewed publications and payer-focused communication, translating complex data into clear, decision-relevant insights.

External Scientific Engagement

• Lead engagement with HTA authorities, scientific advisors, and external experts, including preparation for scientific advice, reimbursement submissions, and policy dialogue.
• Position AstraZeneca as a trusted scientific partner through credible, transparent, and value-driven HEOR engagement.
• Anticipate HTA trends, methodological shifts, and policy developments, translating insights into strategic recommendations for the organization.

Stakeholder Strategy & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Set direction for HEOR stakeholder engagement, ensuring structured mapping and consistent interaction with key decision makers, influencers, and internal partners.
• Partner closely with Market Access, Medical, Pricing, and Commercial teams to integrate HEOR insights into access, pricing, and launch strategies.
• Ensure progress against HEOR plans and priorities is monitored and communicated to internal stakeholders.

Pricing & Evidence Enablement

• Support pricing and reimbursement strategy development by providing robust economic evidence and scenario insights, in collaboration with Market Access and Pricing leadership.
• Guide assessment of pricing competitiveness, regulatory impact, and access environment changes from an evidence and value perspective.
• Enable development of innovative pricing and managed entry approaches, supported by appropriate evidence frameworks.
• Contribute to definition of optimal recommended price strategies through value-based and evidence-driven input.

People Leadership & Capability Building

• Build and develop HEOR capability, strengthening scientific expertise, analytical quality, and strategic impact within the organization.
• Coach and mentor team members, fostering high performance, scientific excellence, and continuous development.
• Identify high-potential talent and support succession and capability planning within HEOR and Market Access.

Innovation & Value Partnerships

• Sponsor and enable innovative HEOR projects and partnerships that address payer and system needs and create sustainable, win-win outcomes.
• Promote new approaches to evidence generation, value communication, and stakeholder collaboration.

Corporate Responsibility & Compliance

• Role-model the highest ethical and scientific standards, in line with AstraZeneca’s Code of Ethics and corporate policies.
• Ensure all HEOR activities comply with local legislation, regulatory requirements, and corporate standards.
• Ensure timely and accurate reporting of adverse events, health/environment/wellbeing incidents, and conflicts of interest in line with procedures.

Only Applications in KSA will be considered.

Essential for the role 

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. 

Essential Capabilities: 

For internals:

• 1+ years of experience in the current role at AZ KSA with strong understanding of AZ ways of working, Code of Ethics, and governance.
• Solid performance ratings with no critical compliance flags; management endorsement for expanded brand ownership

For both internals & externals:

• Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, Health Sciences, Economics, or a related field, with a postgraduate qualification (e.g., MSc, MPH, PhD) in Health Economics, Outcomes Research, Public Health, Epidemiology, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in HEOR and payer evidence, including application to reimbursement, pricing, and market access decision-making.
• Strong understanding of HTA methodologies, payer requirements, and reimbursement processes, ideally within the Saudi healthcare system.
• Proven ability to communicate complex scientific and economic concepts clearly to payers, HTA bodies, and internal stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and decision-making skills, with the ability to set direction and prioritize effectively.
• Demonstrated leadership, autonomy, and accountability, with experience working cross-functionally.

Desirable Capabilities:

• Experience across multiple functions (e.g., Market Access, Medical, Commercial, Pricing).
• Exposure to multiple therapeutic areas, including primary and specialty care.
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of value-based healthcare.
• Prior people leadership, mentoring, or capability-building experience.

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca we’re dedicated to being a Great Place to Work. Where you are empowered to push the boundaries of science and unleash your entrepreneurial spirit. There’s no better place to make a difference to medicine, patients, and society. An inclusive culture that champions diversity and collaboration, and always committed to lifelong learning, growth, and development. We’re on an exciting journey to pioneer the future of healthcare.

So, what’s next?

• Are you already imagining yourself joining our team? Good, because we can’t wait to hear from you.
• Are you ready to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available, and we hope it’s yours.

Where can I find out more?

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Date Posted

Closing Date

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.