B.U.Director Rare Diseases

The Business Unit Director (BUD), Rare Diseases plays a pivotal leadership role within the CAMCAR Cluster, with full accountability for setting strategic direction, delivering sustainable business growth, ensuring patient access to AstraZeneca’s Rare Diseases portfolio in the region, and driving effective market preparation for the successful launch of new products. This includes shaping the external environment, strengthening stakeholder readiness, and ensuring that healthcare systems, access pathways, and cross-functional teams are prepared to support timely and impactful product introductions. This role is based in San José, Costa Rica.

As an active member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), the BUD contributes to short-, mid-, and long-term strategic planning, shaping country and cluster priorities while fostering a culture grounded in innovation, accountability, collaboration, and AstraZeneca’s core values.

This role owns the Rare Diseases P&L, leads highly specialized commercial and cross-functional teams, and represents AstraZeneca with credibility and integrity across government bodies, healthcare institutions, and the broader healthcare ecosystem. The BUD operates in a highly matrixed global and cluster environment, ensuring full alignment with regional and global strategies while responding effectively to local market realities.

The Business Unit Director (BUD), Rare Diseases is accountable for operating within two strategic frameworks, aligning AstraZeneca’s broader business priorities with specialized rare disease approach. This dual responsibility requires the BUD to translate both perspectives into a clear business strategy that supports growth, launch readiness, and patient access across the region

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Recognized and experienced Business Unit Director, General Manager, or Country Head within the biopharmaceutical industry, ideally in Rare Diseases, with prior experience in the Central & Caribbean market.
• Demonstrated track record of success and career progression in sales and marketing leadership roles, with significant experience in institutional markets and high-cost treatments, including the ability to navigate complex healthcare systems, drive strategic account engagement, shape access opportunities, and deliver strong commercial performance in highly specialized environments
• Strong expertise in strategic, business, and financial planning, with consistent delivery of P&L results.
• Broad cultural orientation, with experience working in international or multi-country environments.
• Recent successful experience leading product launches, ideally in rare or orphan diseases.
• Proven success in market shaping activities to establish unmet medical need.
• Deep understanding of the local policy, pricing, access, and reimbursement environment, including the ability to interpret healthcare system dynamics, anticipate regulatory and market changes, identify access barriers and opportunities, and develop strategies that support sustainable patient access and successful commercialization of specialized therapies
• Authentic commitment to engaging with external stakeholders, including the patient community.
• Hands-on experience building, expanding, and transforming sales and marketing organizations.
• Strong track record of leading high-performing cross-functional teams in global matrix structures.
• Seasoned leader with strong executive presence, able to influence and engage at senior levels.
• Languages: Fluent English
• Education: Master’s Degree or higher education (MD, PhD, PharmD, or equivalent) with a strong scientific background.
• Strong digital competencies (Teams, Copilot, ChatGPT, PowerPoint, Power BI).

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Business & Portfolio Leadership

• Define and execute short-, mid-, and long-term strategies for the Rare Diseases Business Unit, aligned with CAMCAR cluster and global priorities.
• Anticipate market trends, risks, and policy changes impacting rare disease therapies and proactively adjust strategies to ensure business sustainability.
• Translate future opportunities into robust growth strategies and execution plans.
• Clearly communicate the vision and strategic priorities to AZ leadership, cluster stakeholders, country teams, and external audiences.
• Drive strong performance culture with clear accountability and results orientation.

Commercial Excellence, Access & P&L Ownership

• Lead country-level strategic and operational planning processes to maximize opportunities and manage risk.
• Own and manage Rare Diseases P&L, ensuring disciplined investment, financial sustainability, and value creation.
• In partnership with AZ regional and global teams, secure approval for pricing and reimbursement strategies through appropriate governance forums.
• Lead and represent the business in Government Affairs and access-related processes, being accountable for outcomes.
• Ensure sufficient and continuous supply of medicines for patients and full compliance with ethical standards.
• Maintain accountability for all required regulatory licenses.

Cross-Functional & Matrix Leadership

• Lead effectively within a highly matrixed environment, collaborating across Medical, Market Access, Regulatory, Finance, Supply, Digital, and Commercial teams.
• Conduct regular business performance reviews and mobilize cross-functional teams to deliver against local strategies and targets.
• Ensure alignment between local execution and CAMCAR cluster, regional, and global strategies, translating broader business priorities into clear local plans and actions while maintaining consistency in strategic direction, cross-functional collaboration, resource allocation, and execution excellence to support business growth, launch readiness, and patient access.

External Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and sustain strong, trust-based relationships with health authorities, payers, healthcare professionals, and patient organizations.
• Act as AstraZeneca’s senior representative for Rare Diseases in CAMCAR.
• Shape the external environment to support long-term access and sustainability for rare disease patients.

People Leadership

• Build and retain a high-performing, collaborative organization aligned with AstraZeneca’s culture and values, fostering an environment of accountability, inclusion, continuous development, and cross-functional teamwork while attracting, developing, and engaging top talent to deliver strong business results and support long-term organizational success.
• Act as a talent magnet, recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent.
• Coach for performance on an ongoing basis and actively develop successors and future leaders.
• Foster a dynamic, inclusive, and accountable culture that enables high performance and engagement.

Governance, Compliance & Role Modeling

• Act consistently in the best interest of AstraZeneca, safeguarding its reputation across the CAMCAR cluster.
• Role model AstraZeneca’s values:
We follow science. We put patients first • We do the right thing • We play to win • We are entrepreneurial
• Ensure full compliance with the Code of Conduct, company policies, and local legal requirements.
• Create an environment where employees feel safe to speak up and demonstrate managerial courage to address issues decisively.
• Represent AstraZeneca legally before local authorities, as defined within the matrix governance model.

Why AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science‑led, patient‑focused company committed to transforming the treatment landscape in serious and rare diseases. Within the CAMCAR cluster, we foster an inclusive, high‑performance culture where leaders are empowered to make meaningful impact for patients and healthcare systems.

Join us to shape the future of Rare Diseases in CAMCAR—and to grow your career in an organization where your leadership truly matters.

Date Posted

19-May-2026

Closing Date

09-Jun-2026

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.