Director, IT Risk & Compliance Strategy, Governance & Reporting

Overview

Are you ready to shape a global IT risk strategy that protects our ability to deliver life‑changing medicines? Could you guide the evolution of enterprise risk processes and turn complex data into decisive action for senior leaders? This role puts you at the center of how we govern and report on technology risk, connecting strategy to outcomes that matter for patients and the business.

As Director for IT Risk & Compliance Strategy, Governance & Reporting, you will set the vision and operating rhythm for how we identify, assess and manage IT risks across the enterprise. You will bridge core technology functions with enterprise risk, finance and strategic priorities, ensuring our leaders have the insight to make confident decisions. Your work will enable scale, speed and simplicity—keeping our digital ambitions on track and resilient in a complex, fast‑moving environment.

Strategy Leadership: Lead the design and development of the IT Risk & Compliance strategy and define the roadmap that uplifts all service lines. Establish and run internal governance to track milestones, drive delivery and ensure collaboration across the IT R&C towers. Serve as the culture and engagement lead for IT R&C, supporting initiatives and communicating key messages such as Pulse survey insights.

Risk Process Ownership: Own and continuously improve the IT risk process to remain fit‑for‑purpose for AstraZeneca’s key IT risks. Design escalation pathways and integration with existing or new governance, working closely with Risk Business Partners (BTG and C4E). Integrate related risk processes across data, exceptions, S4/HANA (Axial), MTP and Enterprise Architecture, partnering with Risk Operations to analyse information in BAU. Lead the relationship with the Enterprise team on OneGRC and define IT risk requirements within the tool.

Own the IT2030 risk process and coordinate with SPQ and Risk Business Partners.

Risk Governance and Reporting: Design and evolve risk reporting and insights for key stakeholders and governance forums, leveraging the Risk Operations team to implement your vision. Lead delivery of risk governance outputs for IT and Enterprise forums (including ITLT Governance and Audit Committee), ensuring timely, relevant input from IT R&C leads. Act as strategic project lead for initiatives aligned to the IT R&C strategy, such as automated assurance and data‑driven risk.

Enterprise Representation and Assurance: Represent IT risk at strategic governance forums across and outside of technology. Provide assurance and guidance to high‑profile projects and programmes, ensuring risk considerations inform scope, delivery and value. Maintain oversight of all aspects of IT risk to engage confidently with Enterprise Risk and other forums, and prepare comprehensive IT risk input for Audit Committee reporting. Act as deputy to the Senior Director, IT Risk & Compliance when required.

• BA/BSc and extensive experience in IT risk management and/or compliance application in large IT organisations
• Experience of defining and delivering the strategy for IT Risk & Compliance and influencing senior stakeholders
• Experience of operating at senior levels across functions and geographies in large, complex and sometimes uncertain IT environments
• Excellent consulting and business engagement experience
• Experience of analysing complex data and turning this into meaningful and actionable insights
• Experience of developing and implementing IT risk and controls frameworks in large IT organisations
• Proven challenge, negotiation & influencing capabilities
• Strong change management leadership
• Strong collaboration and relationship building skill
• Ability to make pragmatic decisions by analysing highly complex situations, assessing risks and balancing strategic and tactical compliance/quality requirements
• Strong presentation, communication & facilitation skills

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…