Congress Lead, Early Pipeline Scientific Engagement and Communication (Associate Director)

Do you want to be part of an inclusive team that works to develop innovative therapies for patients? Every day, we are driven to develop and deliver innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians.  If you want to be part of this exciting work, you belong at Astellas!

Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients and their families. Keeping our focus on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting our business with ethics and integrity enables us to improve the health of people throughout the world. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.com .

This position is based in Northbrook, Illinois. Remote work from certain states may be permitted in accordance with Astellas’ Responsible Flexibility Guidelines. Candidates interested in remote work are encouraged to apply.

Purpose and Scope :

The Congress Lead, Early Scientific Engagement and Communications will lead the strategic planning and execution of global scientific congress activities across the spectrum of preclinical, scientific (basic / translational), and medical congresses for early-stage assets. Reporting to the Head of Early Scientific Engagement and Communications, this role is positioned within the Quantitative Sciences & Evidence Generation (QSEQ) function. This embedded structure ensures a data-driven, evidence-backed approach that leverages biostatistics, real-world evidence (RWE), epidemiology, and medical writing to deliver compelling, scientifically rigorous presentations and materials for a diverse range of congresses, from discovery-oriented scientific meetings to large-scale medical conferences.

A core focus of this role is to translate discovery, preclinical, early-phase clinical insights, and quantitative evidence into high-impact congress deliverables, including abstracts, posters, oral presentations, and satellite symposia. This role will work closely with Research, Asset Maximization Teams (AMTs), and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to ensure that early-phase data is effectively disseminated at key global congresses to target the appropriate scientific audience—from basic researchers to clinicians—and maximize scientific engagement and value creation. Collaboration with Scientific Publications is essential to ensure all congress activities are aligned with overall publication plans and scientific communication platforms.

This role will oversee end-to-end congress management for the early pipeline, from strategic audience analysis and abstract development through onsite execution and post-congress dissemination. The Associate Director will also leverage congress content to develop derivative materials for re-use across multiple channels, ensuring a consistent and impactful scientific narrative from bench to bedside.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities :

Congress Strategy & Planning

• Develop and implement the global scientific congress strategy for early-stage assets, identifying and prioritizing key preclinical, scientific, and medical congress targets to align with the asset's stage of development and target audience.
• Lead cross-functional congress planning meetings with Research, AMTs, SMEs, and Scientific Publications to align on data selection, audience-specific messaging, and format (abstract, poster, oral presentation).
• Partner with QSEQ and Research teams to ensure congress content is grounded in robust data analysis, from preclinical candidate selection to early clinical and real-world evidence.
• Manage the end-to-end abstract and presentation submission process for all congress types, ensuring compliance with congress deadlines and guidelines.

Content Development & Execution

Onsite & Post-Congress Management

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement