Director, IT Business Partner – R&D Quality

Are you ready to develop how technology accelerates quality, innovation, and decision-making across R&D? At AstraZeneca, we are driven by our purpose to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines to patients. This is an outstanding opportunity to join a collaborative, ambitious environment where digital, data, and technology play an increasingly critical role in enabling scientific excellence and operational performance.

As Director – IT Business Partner – R&D Quality, you will act as a strategic partner to the Chief Medical Officer Organisation, helping to connect business priorities with the right technology capabilities, roadmaps, and investments. You will work at the intersection of business strategy, IT, and innovation, building positive relationships across customers and finding opportunities to improve quality, efficiency, and speed of decision-making.

This includes helping shape forward-looking solutions, including the use of AI/ML, to support evolving business needs in a highly regulated environment. This role is ideal for a leader who combines strong business understanding with technology insight, and who thrives on influencing senior collaborators, translating complex needs into practical solutions, and leading teams through change. You will be part of a company that champions bold thinking, empowered teams, and continuous learning — where your work can have meaningful impact across the enterprise and, ultimately, for patients.

• Act as an IT business partner for the Chief Medical Officer Organisation on R&D Quality business area.
• Develop local/ area-specific IT business partnering plans, managing delivery within a defined framework for functional area for the long term (18-24 months).
• Deliver and monitor budgets (including capacity planning/ utilization and capital) for own IT business partnering area to support the achievement of operational plans within budget.
• Identify, articulate, and champion strategic technology improvements to enhance business performance; collaboratively define the IT capability roadmap.
• Partner with business leaders within area to evaluate proposals, build cases, plan new joint initiatives, and assess feasibility and relevance.
• Oversee support to business functions around IT strategy development, service management, risk management, and relationship management.
• Educate the business on IT services, products, and capabilities, facilitating IT communication management across assigned business functions.
• Work closely with Business process and Business solutions leads within CMO function to Build a comprehensive strategy to improve quality and speed of decision making by deploying AI/ML models

• Lead, influence, and motivate IT business partnering team to achieve the stretch goals and contribute to success within area.
• Own performance measurement and associate metrics for delivery or functional targets and ‘Tier’ reporting.
• Facilitate capability development of IT business partnering professionals and managers through focused coaching and development plans.
• Facilitate successful recruitment for team positions through interviewing for skills and capabilities, against AZ values and behaviours, inclusivity and diversity.
• Drive future-focused skill development interventions within area through cross-functional/ regional/ external partnerships to equip and adapt IT business partnering workforce to evolving technologies.

• Bachelor's Degree
• 7+ years of demonstrated experience
• Proven experience in a client-facing IT role, including long-term planning, business plan/case development, and client management
• Substantial experience with business models, operating models, financial models, cost-benefit analysis, budgeting, and risk management
• Substantial experience working with diverse business ecosystems, Cloud/SaaS models, business applications, and other technology aspects
• Substantial experience in Pharma R&D business domain with comprehensive understanding of business processes and drivers for success
• Experience working with regulatory aspects related to IT solutions in the relevant business…