Associate Director, Network Supply Planning

Position Summary:

The Associate Director, Network Supply Planning is a senior team member within the Global Supply

Planning Team in Astra Zeneca Alexion Rare Disease Business Unit (RDBU), responsible for

supporting the end-to-end tactical supply planning agenda across the network over a 0–3-year

horizon. The role supports integrated planning and supply oversight across all supply chain nodes,

contributing to strong performance in service, inventory, and cost while supporting broader business

and portfolio objectives.

This roles supports alignment across demand, supply, inventory, and operational priorities to enable

informed decision-making and effective management of trade-offs and supply risks for the

network. The Associate Director works across cross-functional teams to support robust plan

validation, proactive issue resolution, and timely escalation of critical risks through the appropriate

governance channels.

The role contributes to strengthening network supply planning capabilities and governance by

supporting structured risk management, improving planning discipline, and advancing mitigation plans

that support business continuity, launch readiness, supply reliability, and network resilience. The

position also supports strategic decision-making by highlighting emerging risks, scenario

impacts, and operational considerations that may influence portfolio execution and mid to long-term

supply performance.

The ideal candidate should possess significant experience in global supply planning and

network operations, supply chain strategy, and cross-functional collaboration, particularly in complex,

matrixed, and regulated environments. They should demonstrate strong capability in supply chain

operations, with the ability to collaborate across functions, make sound operational decisions,

manage risk, support continuous improvement, and translate strategic priorities into effective

execution.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Serve as a senior member of the Network Supply Planning Team for the Alexion RBDU,

contributing expertise and ensuring supply network planning activities support business priorities,

patient needs, regulatory requirements, and market-specific considerations.

• Contribute as an experienced senior team member by sharing expertise, supporting colleague

development, encouraging accountability, and fostering collaboration and continuous

improvement across the global network supply planning team.

• Support end-to-end network supply planning strategy and execution, developing robust

supply plans aligned across the global network to deliver reliable product supply, appropriate

inventory levels, and effective capacity utilisation.

• Translate strategic business priorities into operational supply plans, aligning mid to longrange objectives with tactical and short-term execution across manufacturing sites, external

partners, and distribution networks.

• Establish and embed best-in-class supply planning standards, processes, and governance to

improve consistency, transparency, decision-making quality, and compliance across the network.

• Coordinate risk management and disruption mitigation activities within supply network

planning, identifying vulnerabilities early and supporting the development and execution of

proactive plans to minimise impact to patients and the business.

• Ensure effective exception management and escalation, making informed decisions in complex

situations while balancing patient supply, financial impact, operational feasibility, and compliance

requirements.

• Support and enhance the global Sales & Operations Execution (S&OE) process,

strengthening integration between demand, supply, capacity, inventory, and business priorities

across the network. Assess trade-offs, support resolution of imbalances, and enable timely

decisions related to supply constraints, prioritisation, allocation, and network performance.

• Monitor and report on critical performance indicators such as service levels, backlog, on-time

delivery, inventory value, months on hand, plan attainment, and supply reliability, using insights to

drive accountability and performance improvement.

• Drive data-led operational decision-making by leveraging planning insights, supply scenarios,

and performance trends to guide actions and support effective issue resolution.

• Support financial planning processes by providing robust supply inputs for budget cycles,

business reviews, and resource planning, ensuring operational plans are aligned to financial

commitments.

• Partner closely with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders across regulatory,

quality, finance, internal / external manufacturing, product management, technical operations, and

logistics to ensure aligned planning and execution.

• Build strong and trusted stakeholder relationships across the organisation, enabling effective

collaboration, alignment on priorities & rapid resolution of supply issues.

• Drive continuous improvement & digitalisation across supply planning processes, identifying

opportunities to simplify workflows, reduce inefficiencies, improve responsiveness, and strengthen

planning accuracy.

Qualifications:

• Extensive experience in biopharmaceutical operations, global supply chain, supply

planning, network operations, or related disciplines within a complex, global, and highly

regulated environment, typically gained over 10+ years.

• Demonstrated senior-level experience in supply planning, product supply, network

planning, or end-to-end supply chain management, with a strong track record of

delivering results through expertise, collaboration, and influence across global and matrixed

organisations.

• Strong understanding of end-to-end product supply across manufacturing, external

supply, distribution, and market delivery, with the ability to manage trade-offs across service,

inventory, capacity, cost, and compliance.

• Experience in supply risk management, supply continuity planning, network strategy,

launch readiness, or product lifecycle planning is strongly preferred.

• Deep knowledge of operational risk management principles, methodologies, and

tools, including experience contributing senior expertise to complex risk assessments

involving multiple stakeholders and functions.

• Proven ability to influence and collaborate across complex organisational interfaces, with

success in working cross-functionally across supply chain manufacturing, quality,

regulatory, finance, commercial, and external partners.

• Strong strategic, analytical, and problem-solving capability, with the ability to interpret

complex data, assess network and supply risks, and translate insights into practical mitigation

and execution plans.

• Strong decision-making capability in fast-paced and ambiguous environments, with the

judgment to balance short-term operational needs and long-term business objectives.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including experience

engaging senior leaders, contributing to governance discussions, and supporting crossfunctional decision-making forums.

• Experience establishing governance, performance metrics, and operating models to

improve supply chain effectiveness, enhance visibility, and drive business performance.

• Experience developing, monitoring, and driving global KPIs to assess and improve

supply planning performance, network health, service outcomes, inventory management, and

risk mitigation effectiveness.

• Track record of driving continuous improvement across processes, tools, reporting, and

ways of working to enhance consistency, transparency, decision-making, and organisational

resilience.

• Working knowledge of GMP, quality systems, and regulatory requirements, with

demonstrated commitment to compliance, inspection readiness, record management, and

continuous improvement of quality-relevant processes within area of responsibility.

• Advanced familiarity with digital planning, reporting, and project management tools,

including platforms such as Smartsheet or similar systems, is desirable.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, supply chain, operations, business, or a

related discipline is required.

• An advanced degree, such as an MBA, MS, or other postgrad qualification, is desirable.

• 10+ years of equivalent multi / cross functional experience

Date Posted
05-Oct-2026

Closing Date
18-Oct-2026

Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.