ServiceNow Platform Operations Lead

AstraZeneca is a global biopharmaceutical organization dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world's most serious diseases. We are one of only a handful of pure-play biopharmaceutical companies to span the entire value chain of a medicine — from discovery, early- and late-stage development, to manufacturing, distribution, and the global commercialization of primary care and specialty care medicines that transform lives.

Our IT & Digital organization is central to enabling that mission. We invest in scalable enterprise platforms that power how we work, deliver services, and drive operational efficiency across the globe — and ServiceNow is one of those critical platforms.

About This Role

This position is based in our Guadalajara, Mexico center and plays a critical role in the global delivery of our ServiceNow platform. You will lead a team of 4–5 platform professionals, providing daily hands-on management, technical mentorship, and coaching to support their professional growth and technical maturity.

You will operate in a global follow-the-sun support model, partnering closely with teams in India to ensure seamless, structured handovers and continuous service delivery across regions.

As the platform evolves, you will help drive adoption of new capabilities including AI-enabled features, contributing to the platform's strategic growth across the organization.

A ServiceNow Platform Operations Lead plays a critical role in managing and maintaining the ServiceNow platform within an organization. This platform is widely used for IT service management (ITSM), as well as various other business process automation and service management tasks.

The primary responsibilities of a ServiceNow Platform Operations Lead may include:

• Platform Management: Oversee the day-to-day operations of the ServiceNow platform, ensuring its availability, performance, and reliability. Monitor system health and performance, proactively identifying and addressing any issues. Implement best practices for platform maintenance and optimization.
• Team Management: Lead a team of ServiceNow administrators, developers, and analysts, ensuring they have clear roles and responsibilities. Provide guidance, support, and mentorship to team members, fostering their professional growth.
• Configuration and Customization: Collaborate with business units to understand their needs and requirements for ServiceNow. Oversee the configurations of the platform to meet these requirements. Ensure adherence to best practices in platform development and customization.
• Change Management: Manage and document changes to the platform, ensuring that changes are properly tested and do not disrupt ongoing operations. Implement and enforce change management processes and policies.
• Incident and Problem Management: Handle and oversee the resolution of platform-related incidents and problems. Analyze the root causes of recurring issues and implement preventive measures.
• Release Management: Plan and coordinate platform upgrades and releases. Test and deploy new features, enhancements, and patches.
• Integration Management: Manage integrations between ServiceNow and other systems within the organization, ensuring data flows smoothly. Troubleshoot and resolve integration issues.
• Security and Compliance: Implement and enforce security policies and best practices on the ServiceNow platform. Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards.
• Reporting and Analytics: Develop and maintain reporting and analytics solutions within ServiceNow to provide insights into platform performance and usage.
• Documentation and Training: Create and maintain documentation related to platform configurations, processes, and procedures. Provide training and support to end-users and team members.
• Vendor Management: Manage relationships with ServiceNow or third-party vendors, as needed. Stay informed about updates, new features, and industry trends related to the platform.
• Performance Monitoring: Monitor system performance, conduct regular performance testing, and optimize the platform for efficiency and scalability.
• Budget Management: Create and manage the budget for ServiceNow platform operations, including software licensing, hardware, and personnel.
• Continuous Improvement: Continuously evaluate the platform's performance and user satisfaction, identifying areas for improvement. Implement process enhancements and new features to drive operational excellence.
• Emergency Response: Be on call for emergencies and incidents that require immediate attention.
• Global Operations & Handover Management: Operate within a follow-the-sun support model, ensuring structured daily handovers with partner teams in other regions. Maintain service continuity, consistent documentation, and clear escalation paths across geographies.
• AI & Platform Growth: Support the adoption and integration of AI-enabled capabilities within the ServiceNow platform. Contribute to expanding the platform's coverage and capabilities across the organization.

Mandatory requirements:

• 5+ Years of ServiceNow experience
• 10+ Years of IT Experience
• 5+ years working experience in ServiceNow with hands-on working experience in ITSM module — Also working experience on at least 2 other ServiceNow modules is required.
• Should be familiar with platform upgrades & ITIL process.

Additionally valued:

• Experience mentoring and developing junior technical team members
• Experience operating in a follow-the-sun or global shared-services support model with structured handovers between regions
• Experience providing daily hands-on technical guidance alongside people management responsibilities
• Interest in and exposure to AI and automation capabilities within enterprise platforms

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility.

Join us in our unique and ambitious world!

Date Posted

Closing Date

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.