Director, Upstream and CLD Digital & AI Transformation

About AstraZeneca  

At AstraZeneca, we pride ourselves on crafting a collaborative culture that champions knowledge-sharing, ambitious thinking and innovation – ultimately providing employees with the opportunity to work across teams, functions and even the globe.  

Recognizing the importance of individualized flexibility, our ways of working allow employees to balance personal and work commitments while ensuring we continue to create a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork by engaging face-to-face in our offices 3 days a week.  

Our dedication to sustainability is also central to our culture and part of what makes AstraZeneca a great place to work. We know the health of people, the planet and our business are interconnected, which is why we’re taking ambitious action to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to access to healthcare and disease prevention.  

Role Summary  

The Director of Digitalization & AI Transformation is responsible for shaping and implementing an integrated strategy that advances digitalization, AI, and predictive science within Upstream Process Development and CLD. This pivotal role will unlock the potential of our data—maximizing automation, reuse, and insight generation by collaborating with expert functions (e.g., DSM, APD, R&D IT) and cross-functional transformation teams (e.g., BDAT, MAST). The Director will deliver high-impact, value-driven, data-centric and AI-enabled solutions that transform ways of working in a coordinated, scalable manner.  

The successful candidate will drive a multi-year transformation roadmap, prioritizing and delivering digital and AI tools aligned with business objectives. They will lead teams that rapidly evaluate emerging technologies, scale successful pilots, and ensure projects are delivered on time and within budget. The role will spearhead function-wide change management by fostering a culture of continuous learning, promoting data-centric behaviors and AI literacy, and clearly communicating the vision and value of data, AI, and predictive science across the organization.  

As Upstream representative on cross-functional transformation teams (e.g., BDAT, MAST), the Director will ensure functional priorities are incorporated into broader initiatives while providing insight into key functional projects. The position also offers opportunities to lead major cross-functional projects, driving collaboration and delivering shared organizational objectives.  

Ideal candidates will be strategic leaders with a consistent track record implementing technical projects (ideally including digitalization and AI initiatives) within their relevant functional area, are subject matter experts in upstream and are familiar with the technology landscape and business processes. They must have demonstrated ability in leading or implementing new technology. They are passionate about transformation and skilled at guiding cross-functional teams to achieve measurable outcomes and meaningful change.  

Key Responsibilities  

• Strategy & Roadmap: Develop, drive, and iteratively refine a functional Digitalization, AI, and predictive science strategy aligned with business objectives and emerging trends. Define and maintain the functional roadmap, ensuring prioritization and alignment with departmental transformation goals.  

• Developing code strategy: Develop foundational data and AI literacy (including use of AI Co