Axial Project Manager

Would you like to apply your project management expertise to support an ambitious transformation programme that is helping AstraZeneca deliver its 2030 Bold Ambition? If so, this could be the opportunity for you.

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing, and commercialising prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. Our Technology team plays a critical role in enabling colleagues across the organisation to make better decisions, work more effectively, and deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

About the role

Axial is a strategic, multi-year business transformation programme that will deliver a new backbone for AstraZeneca’s innovation, growth, and performance. The technology underpinning Axial includes SAP S/4HANA and the SAP Business Technology Platform.

We are looking for a skilled and experienced Testing Project Manager to support the coordination, planning, and tracking of key testing phases across multiple deployments, often running in parallel. You will work within the Axial Technology Testing workstream, helping to ensure that test phases are well planned, effectively coordinated, and delivered on time.

This is a highly collaborative role involving global, cross-functional teams across business areas including Operations, Finance, Research and Development, and Commercial.

Key responsibilities

In this role, you will:

• Coordinate testing plans: Support the development and maintenance of plans for Axial Technology testing phases, including activities, resources, costs, roles, responsibilities, dependencies, and quality requirements.
• Support project delivery: Assist deployment testing leads with managing schedules, tasks, forecasts, budgets, risks, issues, organisational change, and status reporting.
• Manage dependencies: Coordinate complex and interdependent test phases across Axial teams to support effective delivery of simultaneous testing activities.
• Support financial management: Assist with the management, control, and reporting of project budgets and forecasts, including oversight of external suppliers where required.
• Manage risks and issues: Coordinate the identification, assessment, mitigation, escalation, and reporting of risks and issues on behalf of the Technology Testing workstream.
• Engage stakeholders: Build effective relationships with global teams, business partners, technology teams, external partners, and senior stakeholders.
• Communicate progress: Prepare and communicate clear updates on project status, milestones, risks, issues, dependencies, and required decisions.
• Coordinate governance: Support stage gates and phase transition processes on behalf of the Technology Testing workstream.
• Manage change: Support changes to scope for testing phases, ensuring impacts are assessed, approvals are obtained, and changes are communicated effectively.
• Maintain compliance: Ensure that testing activities follow AstraZeneca standards, methodologies, quality requirements, and applicable validation and compliance processes, including ADF, GxP, and SOX expectations.
• Promote collaboration: Help create a positive, inclusive, and collaborative team environment that encourages knowledge sharing and effective teamwork.

You will work comfortably across both Agile and waterfall delivery environments, helping teams maintain focus and momentum in a complex and constantly evolving programme.

Essential experience and qualifications

• Proven project or programme management experience, typically two to four years as a Project Manager or PMO professional across the IT project lifecycle.
• Experience in project planning, scheduling, dependency management, and delivery tracking.
• A relevant technical or business degree.
• Experience supporting multiple projects, deployments, or project phases simultaneously.
• Experience with project financial management, forecasting, and external supplier management.
• Broad understanding of IT systems and technology within a business context.
• Experience using project delivery tools, particularly Jira and Microsoft Project.
• Experience working in a validated environment, with operational awareness of GxP and SOX requirements.
• Experience supporting SAP or similar ERP project delivery.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing, networking, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to work effectively across diverse, matrixed, and geographically distributed teams.
• A proactive approach to problem solving, delivery, and personal development.
• Alignment with AstraZeneca’s values and behaviours.

Desirable experience

• Experience managing testing phases for IT projects.
• Experience working with Operations and enabling functions such as Finance, Compliance, or Legal.
• Experience managing technology portfolios across multiple functional areas.
• Experience in the biopharmaceutical or life sciences industry.
• Project or programme management certification.
• Experience delivering SAP S/4HANA programmes.
• Experience using Smartsheet.
• Experience working with system integration partners.
• Experience defining or leading defect management processes.
• Experience in team leadership, line management, or matrix management environments.
• Experience working across different countries and cultures.

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca, you will be empowered to push the boundaries of science and technology while contributing to work that makes a meaningful difference to patients and society.

You will join an inclusive, collaborative culture where diverse perspectives are valued and where colleagues are supported to learn, grow, and shape their own careers. Our Technology teams work at the forefront of transformation, partnering across the business to deliver innovative solutions that support AstraZeneca’s mission.

Ready to make a difference?

If you are an organised, collaborative, and delivery-focused project professional who enjoys working across complex global programmes, we would welcome your application.

Date Posted

Closing Date

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.