Director, R&D IT - Operations Management

Portfolio IT Operations Manager – R&D IT Data, Analytics & AI

Do you love driving operational efficiency and effectiveness? Are you highly structured, data-oriented, and detail-driven? Do you excel at bringing clarity to complex, ambiguous situations? Do you enable teams to meet commitments and deadlines? If so, join our R&D IT Data, Analytics & AI organization at AstraZeneca and play a pivotal role in delivering measurable impact.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven BioPharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines for some of the world's most serious disease. But we're more than one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. 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. Always committed to lifelong learning, growth and development.

About our team

We power AstraZeneca's transformation by advancing digital and data capabilities that accelerate decisions and outcomes. We partner across the enterprise to deploy leading technologies, harness data, and deliver results faster. We challenge the status quo, innovate continuously, and build sustainable digital healthcare. We empower diverse specialists to explore bold ideas, learn continuously through two-way feedback, and see the tangible impact of data and digital.

About the role

The R&D IT Data, Analytics & AI (DA&AI) Operations Manager ensures smooth and efficient operations across the DA&AI portfolio. You connect central governance, reporting, and financial processes with business-driven outcomes and DA&AI DevOps delivery. You apply commercial, operational, compliance, and technical awareness to drive clarity, remove blockers, deliver on plan, and keep teams organised. No two days are the same and demands can be high, so you manage capacity, set priorities, and execute scheduled activities without compromising quality or timelines.

Key responsibilities

• Manage portfolio governance to drive decisions and outcomes. Plan and run LT meetings, strategy workshops, internal/external events, quarterly town halls, Operational Health reviews, and Capability Area Business Reviews (CARB).
• Drive portfolio-wide activities calendar and communications. Tailor messages to stakeholders and ensure timely, accurate information flow across DA&AI.
• Support definition and maintenance of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and portfolio metrics. Track performance, flag risks, and trigger corrective actions to keep delivery on target.
• Act as the single point of contact for central teams (Operational Excellence; Strategy, Performance & Quality) and engage with enterprise IT initiatives. Translate guidance into clear actions and follow-through.
• Run benefits and efficiency tracking process. Quantify value, report progress, and identify opportunities to increase value with Platform teams.
• Connect financial and resource management to delivery outcomes. Monitor impacts on throughput, quality, and timelines; recommend adjustments to optimise performance.
• Align DA&AI work to R&D IT and business objectives. Map initiatives to goals, measure contributions, and communicate results.
• Support annual planning. Coordinate MTP, demand and resource planning, risk and finance cycles; maintain a clear, auditable plan-of-record.
• Deliver leadership reporting on demand. Provide accurate, insight-led reports that enable swift decisions.

Typical accountabilities (embedded)

• Strategic framework: Design and refine the operational framework that connects strategy to execution, including scorecard ownership, KPI definition, measurement, and performance reviews. Enable capability teams to make informed decisions and act autonomously within defined strategic boundaries.
• Portfolio and planning governance: Manage end-to-end portfolio operations, from demand generation to project mobilisation, including prioritisation, capacity, stage-gate decisions, and integrated planning (MTP/LTP) as well as finance targets. Ensure alignment to IT2030, manage risks, and link initiatives to strategic KPIs, providing guardrails and transparency for capability teams to operate with increased autonomy and agility to decrease lead-times and improve efficiency.
• Scorecard management: Actively manage and maintain strategic scorecards, ensuring data accuracy and regular updates. Monitor performance against defined metrics and drive actions based on scorecard insights to track progress and achieve objectives.
• Leadership operations: Orchestrate capability leadership operations, managing strategic rhythms, agenda design for critical interactions, and timely follow-up on outcomes to drive comprehensive decision-readiness and execution.
• Business cases and prioritisation: Support the creation and tracking of business cases and initiatives, ensuring robust benefits tracking, resourcing, and value traceability to strategy and KPIs through streamlined portfolio stage-gate approvals.
• Performance reporting and analytics: Provide succinct, insight-led executive reporting and analytics to identify bottlenecks, optimise throughput, and highlight value and risk, equipping the capability team as well as delivery teams with data to drive improvements and simplification.
• Operating model and capability: Partner with central teams to govern the evolution of the operating model, promote role clarity, and design processes that empower capability teams towards greater autonomy. Support capability roadmaps and Strategic Workforce Planning to build future-ready skills.
• Change and simplification: Lead change initiatives to simplify processes and ways of working, reduce waste, and standardise best practices across capability teams, championing continuous improvement and efficiency to remove impediments and foster autonomous working.
• Communications and engagement: Plan and deliver internal communications, engagement plans, town halls, and build connected communities and networks to promote transparency.
• Stakeholder partnership: Drive strong networking and collaboration with diverse, global stakeholders (OneIT, Finance, SP&Q, HR). Build consensus and influence outcomes, maintaining a strong customer-service focus.
• Executive support: Provide timely support to the Head of IT and leadership team on key deliverables, urgent priorities, and strategic initiatives.

Essential skills and experience

• BA/BSc in Business Administration, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 2+ years in business or financial management in a complex matrix environment; project management/co-ordination experience is advantageous.
• 2+ years leading cross-functional teams and building consensus to decisions.
• 2+ years analysing datasets (primarily Excel) and distilling insights to drive decisions for specific audiences.
• Proven ability to structure work, prioritise effectively, and collaborate with large, international, multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience designing and managing metrics, reporting, and scorecards with clear targets and trends.
• Strong attention to detail; proactively questions assumptions to secure the right outcomes.
• Effective communicator; clear, succinct written and verbal communication across regions and levels.
• Demonstrated agility; re-prioritises, re-schedules, and adapts to change while maintaining delivery commitments.
• Track record of driving process performance and efficiency improvements.
• Advantageous: experience organising large teams and managing reporting data, resources, and finances.

Why join us?

We're a network of entrepreneurial self-starters who contribute to something far bigger. There's a diversity of expertise in our Technology group that's unique to AstraZeneca – it allows us to dive deep into exploring new leading-edge technology. We enable AstraZeneca to perform at its peak by delivering world-class technology and data solutions. Our work unlocks the potential of science. We optimise and evolutionise AstraZeneca by maximising efficiencies and finding new ways to drive productivity. From automation to data simplification. We're not afraid to take ownership and run with it. Empowered with unrivalled freedom. A place to be open and transparent – we speak up, think creatively and share ideas. Our diverse contributions help us to make better decisions. But we have a constant drive to innovate, and an appreciation for high standards. It takes challenging the status quo to add value in our ever-evolving environment. We love it here because put simply, we make a meaningful impact. Technology at AstraZeneca is a home for purposeful disruptors!

So, what's next? Are you already imagining yourself joining our team? Click the link to apply and we'll be in touch as soon as we can.

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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.