Associate Director, Translational Medicine Drug Project Management

The Translational Medicine (TM) Oncology Drug Project Management group at AstraZeneca (AZ) is responsible for project and portfolio management to ensure the successful delivery of TM projects from strategy development to data and results delivery to the Global Project Teams (GPT). The group also drives continuous improvement processes, providing accurate portfolio information for decision-making and business reporting, as well as supporting capacity and resource management.

The TM Program Manager will work alongside TM and Cancer Biomarker Development (CBD) functional representatives to gather project-related information, apply scientific knowledge, and coordinate cross-functional information management for TM project teams to ensure operational excellence and meet project goals and budget targets. This role depends on close collaboration with TM Strategy Leads, the TM Biomarker Operations Group, and R&D Finance. The Program Manager will develop relationships and collaborations within AZ to plan and coordinate work and apply organizational knowledge. The Program Manager will apply ingenuity to develop solutions and enable successful delivery of data to Global Project Teams (GPT).

Accountabilities:

 - Partner with the TM lead to help operationalize and deliver the translational strategy utilizing program management best practices and implementing the Biomarker Execution and Alignment Team to manage prioritization, timeline, cost, and risk.
- Work closely with the TML and Biomarker Operations Lead to provide a detailed view of project timeline and ensure risks and gaps are tracked and mitigated.
- Manage detailed project plans for complex and prioritized studies to track and drive delivery of major milestones across line functions
- Support preparation of study budgets and manage project costs aligned to investment decisions and approved budgets
- Provide budget information upon request to support contracting process and track progress of contract preparation and execution
- Champion and sustain best practices to inspire project teams to meet targets
- Work with the TM Drug Project Management team to support the project portfolio.
- Define project management processes and create tools to enable consistent and efficient project management support for the portfolio
- Create progress reports to track delivery to time, cost, and quality
- Ensure TM project information and costs are accurate within AZ’s enterprise planning tool (PLANIT, Planisware)
- Manage project budgets to ensure consistency across programs
- Track budget from proposal to spend, including spend against contracted work
- Work with finance to accurately forecast and communicate anticipated spend
- Ensure budget line items enable database tracking of activities
- Use technical expertise to drive simplification and standardization for information management across TM
- Own TM project documentation repository (MS Teams/SPOL)
- Optimize MS Teams structure to ensure logical and consistent approach to storage of project-related information enabling ease of access to information
- Drive toward a single solution for storage of project information within TM
- Partner with stakeholders to develop standardized processes to enable portfolio scaling
- Support development of user-focused best practices for project execution
- Advocate for continuous improvement
- Work effectively within a matrix environment. Communicate and identify/resolves issues that could have implications for the broader organization and stakeholders. Awareness of company processes/standards and how these affect TM deliverables.

Essential Skills/Experience

 - BA/BSc in relevant subject (or equivalent experience)
- In-depth knowledge of drug development process 
- Experience using Microsoft Office/ Outlook and SharePoint Online
- Experience managing projects in pharmaceutical/biotechnology organizations
- Experience with Project Management techniques, principles, and tools, such as MS Project or Smartsheet
- Experience of international/global team-working and communicating with key stakeholders
- A professional, enthusiastic, and proactive approach, with the ability to independently manage a diverse workload

Desirable Skills/Experience

- Prior experience in managing and provisioning of project information
- Basic understanding or experience of using Planisware (PLANIT)
- Project Management (PMP) Certification
- Experience supporting clinical trials in pharmaceutical/biotechnology organizations
- Experience working in a scientific or laboratory field, preferably in a regulated environment

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace, and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

At AstraZeneca, we follow the science and pioneer new frontiers. Join our team dedicated to Oncology with an ambition to eliminate cancer as a cause of death. With multiple indications and high-quality molecules at all stages of our innovative pipeline, we keep pushing forward. Fusing cutting-edge science with the latest technology, we achieve breakthroughs backed by investment aiming to deliver six new molecular entities by 2025. Our environment is built on courage, curiosity, and collaboration where bold decisions are driven by patient outcomes. Empowered at every level, we ask questions and take smart risks that write the next chapter for our pipeline.

Ready to make a difference? Apply now!

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.