Associate Director, Automation & Innovation

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 head office and BlueSky Hub in downtown Toronto are purposely designed with collaboration in mind, providing space where teams can come together to strategize, brainstorm and connect on key projects.

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.

Are you ready to harness AI to reshape how a portfolio of life-changing medicines is delivered to patients? Do you see yourself translating the latest advances in AI, machine learning and NLP into decisions that accelerate development and sharpen our strategic focus across a global R&D portfolio?

In this role, you will set direction and drive adoption of enterprise AI initiatives that unlock value in project and portfolio management, decision support, capacity planning and governance. You will join a high-performing team that connects data, processes and technology to reveal new insights, reduce cycle times and improve the way critical portfolio decisions are made-always with patient impact in mind.

Working alongside product, data, IT, compliance and business leaders, you will move from pilots to scaled capabilities that are ethical, secure and compliant, ensuring AI becomes a trusted, measurable accelerator for our pipeline and operations.

Accountabilities:

• AI Strategy Leader ship: Define and communicate an actionable AI strategy aligned to business objectives, setting clear priorities and success measures across portfolio, functional and tactical levels.
• Opportunity Discovery: Identify high-impact AI use cases in project management, portfolio analytics and decision support, capacity management and governance, translating pain points into solution roadmaps.
• Roadmap and Delivery: Lead design, pilots and scaled deployments of AI solutions; sequence investments, manage risks and ensure delivery excellence from proof of concept to enterprise adoption.
• Value Realization and KPIs: Establish metrics, dashboards and review cadences to track performance, adoption and ROI; course-correct to maximize impact on cycle time, quality and decision speed.
• Responsible AI and Compliance: Embed privacy, security, ethics and regulatory requirements in solution design and operations; ensure alignment with standards such as GDPR, HIPAA and EMA guidance.
• Partnership Building: Orchestrate cross-functional collaboration with IT, data science, business units, legal and compliance; manage external relationships with vendors, academia and industry consortia.
• Change Leadership and Adoption: Champion innovation and knowledge sharing; enable training, communications and change management that build trust and scale new ways of working.
• Modern Data and Architecture: Guide choices on data pipelines, model lifecycle management and governance to ensure solutions are robust, reusable and resilient.
• External Representation: Stay ahead of industry trends; represent the organization in forums and communities to bring back insights and influence best practice.
• Progressive Impact: Deliver early wins in priority domains, then scale patterns across the platform to improve portfolio delivery, strengthen decision-making and contribute to faster patient impact.

Essential Skills/Experience:

• Advanced degree in Computer/Data/AI/Engineering or a related quantitative field; Bachelor’s with equivalent experience considered. Minimum 6+ years experience, with strong knowledge of the drug development process.
• Extensive hands-on experience with AI/ML/NLP and analytics, including model development, deployment and lifecycle management; familiarity with modern data architecture and governance.
• Proven delivery of AI strategies and solutions at scale in regulated environments (pharma/healthcare preferred), translating digital technologies into measurable business impact; PPM experience in Life Sciences is mandatory.
• Demonstrated leadership of cross-functional, global teams and complex programs; strong business acumen, stakeholder management and communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences; evidence of thought leadership in AI/innovation.
• Deep understanding of data governance, privacy and ethics with working familiarity of GDPR, HIPAA and EMA guidance.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability, able to synthesize complex data and present clear insights to senior leadership
• Customer-focused, adaptable and results-driven; self-starter who works effectively both independently and in global, cross-functional settings

Desirable Skills/Experience:

• Certifications in AI, data science, or project management (such as Certified Data Professional, PMP, or equivalent)

Great People want to Work with us! Find out why:

• GTAA Top Employer Award for 12 years
• Top 100 Employers Award
• Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Culture
• Learn more about working with us in Canada
• View our YouTube channel

Are you interested in working at AZ, apply today!

AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion and providing a workplace that is free from discrimination. AstraZeneca is committed to accommodating persons with disabilities. Such accommodation is available on request in respect of all aspects of the recruitment, assessment and selection process and may be requested by emailing [email protected].

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AstraZeneca is committed to providing fair and equitable compensation opportunities to all colleagues. Our compensation policies and practices have been designed to allow colleagues to progress through the salary range over time as they progress in their role. The range provided in this posting represents an offer pay range used in a majority of situations. The base pay offered will vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including the candidate's skills and experience, job-related knowledge, and other specific business and organizational needs. In some cases, offers outside the range may also be considered to address unique circumstances.

In addition, our permanent positions offer an annual Variable Pay Bonus/Short Term Incentive opportunity as well as eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (if applicable to role). Benefits offered for permanent roles include a competitive Flex Benefits & Retirement Savings Program, 4 weeks’ paid vacation, and annual Personal Days. Fixed Term Contract/Temporary positions (excluding students) are offered a Contract Benefits Program.

We are using AI as part of the recruitment process.

This advertisement relates to a current vacancy.