Director, R&D IT Operational Excellence, Change Management & Communication

About this role

Director, R&D IT Operational Excellence , Change   Management   & Communication   

Gaitherburg, MD IT Hybrid Work- on average 3 days/week from office

The Director, R&D IT Operational Excellence, Change   Management   & Communication  i s a senior leadership role responsible for driving governance, operational performance, workforce strategy, financial stewardship, organizational effectiveness,   and change   adoption across R&D IT.  

As a member of the Operational Excellence organization, this role   partners with Capability, Portfolio, Finance, HR, Strategy, and Quality leaders to ensure disciplined execution of strategic priorities, effective decision-making, transparent performance management, and alignment to enterprise   objectives .  

You'll serve as the operational leader for assigned R&D IT capability portfolios, supervising governance, planning, workforce and capacity management, performance reporting, financial oversight, and continuous improvement. The Director connects strategy to execution by   establishing   scalable, data-driven operating models that improve organizational effectiveness and support AstraZeneca's digital, data, and AI ambitions.  

In addition, this role   leads   enterprise-wide change management, communications, employee engagement, and AI enablement initiatives that accelerate technology adoption, strengthen organizational capability, and enhance   the employee   experience across R&D IT.  

What you'll do

Operational Excellence & Governance  

• Lead operational excellence activities across assigned R&D IT capability portfolios, ensuring alignment to organizational   objectives   and enterprise governance standards.  

• Partner with senior leaders to   identify   and assess   operational inefficiencies ,   prioritize ,   drive process   standardization and   optimization , automation, and AI-enabled improvements that increase organizational effectiveness, consistency, scalability, and employee productivity.  

• Partner with R&D IT Operations Leads to   facilitate   process standardization across functional areas, fostering a one-team approach.   

• Drive operational rigor through governance reviews, compliance monitoring, risk management, and corrective action plannin g.   Provide regular reporting against targets, broken down by functional area, and partner with stakeholders to course-correct where needed.  

• Lead operational cadences including   but not limited to conducting   business reviews, governance forums, operational reviews, and planning activities , including defining agenda and recapping decisions and meeting minutes .  

• Build strong partnerships across Finance, HR, SP&Q, Operational Excellence, Enterprise Functions, and broader R&D organizations.  

• Influence stakeholders across a complex, matrix environment to achieve organizational   objectives   and drive sustainable outcomes.  

Performance Management & Executive Reporting  

• Own development and maintenance of   business, R&D and   capability   scorecards, frameworks, and executive performance reporting.   Provide narrative and speaking-note support for senior stakeholders, including presentation materials for executive-level review and quarterly performance storytelling.  

• Establish ,   review   and   maintain   operational health indicators   &   dashboards,   KPIs, OKRs, and executive reporting mechanisms.    

• Translate complex operational, financial, workforce, portfolio, and AI adoption data into concise, actionable insights for senior leadership .  

• Establish   &   leverage   existing   reporting frameworks that improve organizational visibility, accountability, and decision-making.  

• S upports   annual and multi-year planning activities including Mid-Term Planning (MTP), Long-Term Planning (LTP), business planning cycles, strategic roadmaps, and investment prioritization.  

Workforce Strategy, Capacity & Resource Management  

• Support   workforce planning activities across assigned portfolios, ensuring workforce capacity aligns with strategic priorities and delivery   objectives .  

• Supervise organizational headcount governance, including permanent employees and Outside Service Providers (OSPs).  

• Track workforce   utilization , organizational capacity, AI and digital skill demand trends, and future capability requirements to proactively   identify   workforce risks and opportunities .  

• Lead workforce readiness initiatives focused on AI literacy, digital capability development, and adoption of emerging technologies across R&D IT  

• Support long-term sustainability   goals, including but not limited to reducing our carbon footprint.  

Financial Stewardship & Business Operations  

• Support   capability leaders and business partners in   business case development, investment planning, value realization assessments, and funding prioritization decisions.  

• Lead operational oversight of budget performance   against plan , financial governance processes, investment tracking, resource-related expenditures ,   and recommend corrective actions

• Ensure compliance with AstraZeneca financial policies, governance standards, and planning requirements.  

Change Management & Communications:  

• Develop and implement the Change and Communications Events Plan, including R&D-facing engagement events.  

• Design and lead a forward-looking learning and technology adoption strategy, including ownership of recurring learning sessions and acceleration events, in partnership with learning & development teams.  

• Own communications related to technology upskilling and employee relations matters, ensuring clear,   timely   messaging across channels.  

• Lead a flagship feedback program designed to   monitor   and improve   the stakeholder   experience in real time.  

Essential for the role

• Bachelor's degree in Business , Information Technology, Life Sciences, Engineering, or related field

• 5-7+ years   experience in IT operational

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