Senior Director, Cybersecurity - Operational Excellence

Role : Senior Director, Cybersecurity - Operational Excellence

Location: US, Gaithersburg

Introduction to the Role:

Are you ready to elevate cybersecurity performance at global scale and convert strategy into quantifiable results that protect patients and power scientific breakthroughs? In this role, you will lead the operational heartbeat of cybersecurity, turning priorities into execution, ensuring governance is crisp, and making data-driven decisions that enhance resilience across the enterprise.

You will partner closely with senior leaders to coordinate cybersecurity strategy with our long-term technology vision and bold organizational goals. Your leadership will set the pace for how we optimize capabilities, mobilize talent and partners, and deliver detailed execution. How will you design the operating rhythm that accelerates outcomes while strengthening culture, sustainability and engagement?

Accountabilities:

• Strategy Alignment and Governance: Drive alignment between cybersecurity and enterprise strategy; embed well-defined oversight and delivery fields to time and quality using an agreed RACI.
• Performance Management and Analytics: Define, supervise and contribute to goals and achievements; use analytics to identify gaps, focus on improvements and demonstrate value.
• Benchmarking and Ongoing Improvement: Lead selective cross-sector and within-industry comparisons to build strategic choices and advise thought leadership.
• Capability Optimization: Ensure capabilities are optimized end-to-end; set and meet optimization targets that improve speed, quality and cost.
• Strategic Workforce and Partner Ecosystem: Identify workforce gaps and build a strategic people plan spanning employees and external service vendors to meet current and future needs.
• Planning and Reporting: Develop and supervise cybersecurity goals and key targets; facilitate mid-term planning and regional summaries from business units with robust data, insights, and detailed explanations.
• Roadmaps and Prioritization: Gather, maintain and socialize capability roadmaps to guide investment and delivery sequencing.
• Develop and lead a cybersecurity program passionate about balanced security practices. Deliver on targets and educate the workforce. Make tangible contributions to Healthcare Availability.
• Program Governance and Data Integrity: Champion standards and operating processes; ensure the configuration management database, project inventory, and associated operational information are accurate and maintained.
• Communications and Engagement: Coordinate leadership messaging, relationship building, and Town Halls; celebrate people and outcomes to build momentum.
• Execution and Value Realization: Orchestrate outstanding initiative delivery and ensure outcomes are clearly measured, realized and communicated.
• Build positive relationships with Strategy, Performance & Quality, and Human Resources and Financial departments. Coordinate change, headcount, and OSPs effectively.
• Organizational Structure and Talent: Build an organization that harnesses the right skills for emerging innovations, offerings, and client engagement through deliberate development and recruitment.
• Culture and Listening: Act as the Pulse Champion; socialize results and drive focused improvements that lift performance and engagement.

Crucial Skills/Experience:

• Extensive senior leadership experience overseeing cybersecurity strategy execution and operational excellence across a sophisticated global enterprise.
• Demonstrated capability to align cybersecurity strategy to long-term technology strategy and bold enterprise ambitions, with clear governance and a mutually defined RACI.
• Demonstrated success defining, managing and contributing to enterprise-level OKRs/KPIs for cybersecurity and technology outcomes.
• Advanced use of analytics to diagnose performance, prioritize improvements and track measurable impact.
• Experience conducting cross- and in-industry benchmarking to inform strategy and continuous improvement.
• Track record optimizing capabilities across functions with explicit optimization targets and delivery within schedule and standards.
• Experience developing and supervising cybersecurity strategic priorities and milestones; maintaining capability roadmaps.
• Proven track record to produce planning and business unit reports (e.g., MTP and RBU), integrating data gathering, analysis and narrative.
• Ownership of a cybersecurity sustainability agenda, including delivery against sustainability targets and workforce education, with contributions to Access to Healthcare.
• Deep knowledge of operational governance, standards and processes, and driving adoption across diverse teams.
• Hands-on experience ensuring accuracy of CMDB, project portfolio and related operational data to support overall operations.
• Strong record coordinating leadership communications, stakeholder engagement and events such as Town Halls.
• Consistent ability to ensure detailed initiative execution with clear outcome measurement and benefit realization.
• Experience partnering with HR and Finance to lead change initiatives, headcount and outsourced service providers.
• Expertise in organization design and recruitment to align skills with future technology, services and customer experience needs.
• Experience leading culture and engagement efforts, including acting as Pulse Champion and converting insights into action.

Desirable Skills/Experience:

• Background in pharmaceuticals, life sciences or other regulated industries.
• Experience scaling operating models globally across multiple regions and time zones.
• Recognized thought leadership in cybersecurity performance, strategy or operating model design.
• Strong storytelling and executive communication skills, translating sophisticated data into clear narratives and decisions.
• MBA or advanced degree in a relevant field.

Why AstraZeneca:

Join a team where cybersecurity enables science to move faster and safer, directly influencing how life-changing medicines reach patients. You will work alongside diverse authorities who blend a scientific mindset with sophisticated technology, experimenting with modern tools and data to solve challenges few have taken on before. Picture unexpected teams in the same room unleashing bold thinking, backed by the investment to scale ideas that work. We value grit alongside ambition, empowering you to take ownership, learn continuously and shape how a data-driven enterprise protects its people, platforms and purpose.

Call to Action:

If you are ready to turn bold cybersecurity strategy into measurable enterprise impact that safeguards science and patients, step forward and shape our next chapter.

The annual base pay for this position ranges from 182,645.60 - 273,968.40 USD. Hourly and salaried non-exempt employees will also be paid overtime pay when working qualifying overtime hours. Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition, our positions offer a short-term incentive bonus opportunity; eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (salaried roles), to receive a retirement contribution (hourly roles), and commission payment eligibility (sales roles). Benefits offered included a qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]; paid vacation and holidays; paid leaves; and, health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans. Additional details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base pay (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Date Posted

Closing Date

Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.