Introduction to role
The Director, Data Project Leadership plans and delivers priority enterprise data initiatives, turning strategy into high quality execution that delivers measurable value. This role runs day-to-day programme delivery, governance and benefits tracking for an assigned portfolio, partnering with platform, domain and compliance teams to deliver secure, scalable capabilities that are adopted across the business. Operating within Enterprise Data Programmes, the role contributes to the Data Project Leadership pillar and works closely with peers in Data Change Management and Data Automation. The Director owns delivery decisions within the portfolio, with clear escalation to the Senior Director for portfolio-level prioritisation and cross-platform trade-offs. Ready to shape how data powers the next generation of medicines?
Location
Central Cambridge, UK
Accountabilities
Lead delivery for a defined subset of the enterprise data portfolio, planning and executing enterprise data projects and capabilities from pilot through scale, maintaining scope, schedule and budget discipline while keeping value realisation at the centre. Operate portfolio governance for assigned programmes, ensuring transparent decision making, timely escalation and “compliance by design” in partnership with Compliance, Data Privacy, Quality and GxP where applicable, and ensure delivery adheres to AstraZeneca standards and relevant external regulations. Direct cross-functional delivery teams of project and programme managers, business analysts, product owners and vendors within agreed operating models, managing partner performance, commercials and integrated plans. Identify and manage dependencies with enterprise platforms and domain product teams, maintaining risk, issue and change logs, driving resolution and escalating material items to the Senior Director. Provide strategic leadership within the assigned portfolio by translating enterprise data strategy and Senior Director direction into executable delivery plans with codified stage and quality gates. Prepare directional proposals and business cases with clear benefits hypotheses, resource needs and milestones for governance approval. Monitor internal and industry practices to recommend pragmatic delivery approaches that balance speed, quality, risk and cost, proposing trade-offs and mitigation plans for decision. Drive programme execution and governance by building and managing detailed workplans, budgets, critical paths and release calendars; tracking progress; managing variance; and implementing recovery plans where needed. Chair working-level governance forums and prepare content for senior governance, ensuring artefacts are audit ready and decisions and actions are documented. Track costs and benefits against agreed baselines and implement robust risk, issue, change control and quality management processes. Run readiness reviews and post-implementation evaluations to ensure work is conducted in line with AstraZeneca standards and relevant external regulations. Coordinate with adjacent programmes, enterprise platforms and domain product teams to align milestones, manage interdependencies, avoid delivery conflicts, remove blockers and accelerate promptly when cross-portfolio decisions are required. Drive value realisation and adoption by defining success metrics for assigned initiatives from pilot through scale, tracking benefits such as adoption, cycle time, quality and compliance, productivity and cost avoidance, and triggering course corrections where needed.
Essential Skills/Experience
* Degree in a business, scientific or technical field, or equivalent experience.
* Proven leadership of complex data/technology programmes in a global, matrixed environment, delivering to time, cost and quality.
* Strong programme governance discipline (planning, stage/quality gates, risk/issue/dependency management, change control) with audit-ready artefacts.
* Benefits-led delivery: ability to define success metrics and track benefits from pilot through scale in partnership with Finance and Change.
* Ability to translate between technical topics (platforms, data products, standards, controls, specific and prioritised data domains) and business outcomes; clear written and verbal communication.
* Stakeholder management and influencing across functions and levels; experience preparing materials for senior governance and managing escalations.
* Coordination of cross-functional teams and vendor partners to agreed performance and commercial terms.
* Experience working with Change Management and/or L&D to drive adoption and sustained use of new capabilities.
Desirable Skills/Experience
* Experience in pharmaceutical R&D or other highly regulated industries.
* Knowledge of data management, analytics, AI enabled delivery and related compliance (privacy, security, GxP where applicable).
* Familiarity with behavioural science informed adoption techniques and change frameworks (e.g., Prosci/ADKAR).
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.
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