Director of Project Management Office, Cell Therapy Technical Operations

At AstraZeneca's, we follow the science to explore and innovate. We are working towards treating, preventing, modifying, and even curing some of the world's most sophisticated diseases. Here we have the potential to grow our pipeline and positively impact the lives of billions of patients around the world. We are committed to making a difference and have built our business around our passion for science. Now we are fusing data and technology with the latest scientific innovations to achieve the next wave of breakthroughs. 

Position Summary 

The Director of Project Management Office, Cell Therapy Technical Operations is a highly strategic leadership role responsible for establishing, digitizing, and leading the Operations branch of the centralized Cell Therapy Technical Operations (CTTO) PMO. This leader will set up the PMO's ways of working across CTTO with the ultimate vision of building a PM-enabled, self-sufficient organization. 

Reporting into the CMC Portfolio Strategy Cell Therapy organization, this role will oversee high-value Technical and Operational Projects while simultaneously establishing the standard project management framework, governance, tools, and best practices to be utilized across all tiers of the CTTO projects portfolio. 

By leveraging artificial intelligence and digital automation aligned with AstraZeneca's 2030 ambition, this role will empower technical leaders to manage projects independently, utilizing dedicated PMO resources primarily for complex initiation and planning phases.  

This position is based in Gaithersburg, MD. 

Responsibilities 

• Strategic Project Execution: Directly manage or oversee the execution of complex, highly cross-functional above-site Projects ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery. 

• Portfolio Visibility & Tracking: Develop, implement, and maintain a centralized, real-time portfolio dashboard capturing all active projects across the CTTO organization, ensuring full transparency of organizational demand, resources, and strategic alignment. 

• PMO Vision & Self-Sufficiency: Design and embed standard project management ways of working across CTTO to foster a PM-enabled, self-sufficient organization. Empower functional Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and leaders to act as independent Project Leads, requiring dedicated PMO support for critical lifecycle steps like project initiation and complex planning. 

• Digital Transformation & AI Integration: Develop, maintain, and continuously improve the PMO by leveraging cutting-edge digital solutions and artificial intelligence in alignment with AstraZeneca's 2030 ambition. Partner directly with IT to design, test, and implement custom AI tools and automation strategies that streamline project management workflows. 

• Standardization & Best Practices: Act as the authoritative voice for project management methodology within CTTO. Design, deploy, and govern standardized, highly automated tools (e.g., Project Charters, RAID logs, unified RAG dashboards) to ensure uniform, efficient ways of working across all pr