Director Enterprise Architecture
Director Enterprise Architecture

Director Enterprise Architecture

Full-Time 100000 - 150000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
AstraZeneca

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead enterprise architecture to enhance product quality and speed up medication delivery.
  • Company: Join AstraZeneca, a leader in pharmaceutical innovation and technology.
  • Benefits: Collaborative culture, cutting-edge tools, and a focus on personal growth.
  • Other info: Work globally with diverse teams and enjoy excellent career development opportunities.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on global health by shaping the future of medicine.
  • Qualifications: Proven leadership in enterprise design within pharmaceutical technology and quality assurance.

The predicted salary is between 100000 - 150000 £ per year.

Are you ready to develop an enterprise architecture that strengthens product quality and speeds up the provision of medications to patients worldwide? In this role, you will lead the end-to-end architecture across Pharmaceutical Technology, Quality Control, and Global Quality Assurance—linking datasets, artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions, applications, and platforms to clear business outcomes in a highly regulated environment.

From day one, you will develop a vision for architecture spanning one to five years and bring coherence to a sophisticated global portfolio. Can you see yourself simplifying and standardizing how we assure product quality across sites, minimizing exposure and expenses while growing agility? You will create the foundations that enable faster, safer decisions from lab to plant to release.

You will join an experienced architecture community that moves quickly, challenges how work gets done, and unites teams with varied strengths behind pragmatic standards. Your judgment will guide strategic choices, your governance will unlock value at pace, and your leadership will build the capabilities that keep our technology ecosystem resilient and ready for what’s next.

Accountabilities
  • Provide coordinated mentorship throughout Business, data science, intelligent systems, application development, and technological areas related to pharmaceutical tech, quality checking, and international quality assurance, ensuring solutions deliver measurable capability uplift.
  • Architecture Strategy and Roadmaps: Define and own the principles, protocols, and roadmaps covering a timeframe spanning from one to as many as five years. Align them with corporate targets and regulatory needs. Set the North Star and sequence investments that improve value.
  • Strategic Decision Authority: Act as the authority for major architecture decisions; approve solution builds, guide segment architectures, and ensure builds balance speed, risk, and cost.
  • Portfolio Simplification and Risk Reduction: Continuously align capabilities to current objectives; rationalize and simplify to reduce technical risk and TCO while improving resilience and accuracy of data.
  • Governance and Cross-Functional Engagement: Participate in steering teams, design authorities, and standards forums; bring clarity to trade-offs and ensure disciplined, outcome-focused decision-making.
  • Trend Sensing and Thought Leadership: Examine sector and business environment developments relevant to your domain; translate insights into actionable mentorship and investments that keep us ahead.
  • Standards, Procedures, and Tools: Coordinate the building and adoption of EA guidelines, workflows, and instruments; embed compliance validation and reliable data practices as a fundamental element.
  • External Partnerships and Product Evaluation: Establish strategic collaborations with major providers and integration specialists; evaluate products, develop cases, and secure value through informed choices.
  • Lead 5 to 8 architects and a wider matrix community. Mentor, manage performance, develop expertise, and build communities of practice to increase impact.
  • Work globally across sites and functions. Partner with research and development, production, technical operations, and distribution teams. Ensure delivery of consistent, high-quality architectures across complex, large-scale environments.
Essential Skills/Experience
  • Proven experience providing enterprise design leadership across Business, Data, AI/ML, Application, and Technology within Pharmaceutical Technology, QC, and Global QA.
  • Demonstrated ability to define architecture strategy, standards, and 1–5 year roadmaps aligned to business priorities and supervised operating requirements.
  • Authority to make and govern strategic architecture decisions; experience signing off solution blueprints and guiding segment architectures.
  • Track record of continuously aligning capabilities with business objectives, rationalizing and simplifying portfolios to reduce risk and cost.
  • Active participation in cross-functional decision-making bodies (e.g., project steering teams, technical design authorities) and design/standards governance forums.
  • Evidence of championing enterprise architecture initiatives across technology organizations; ability to analyse market and industry trends and assess impact.
  • Leadership of EA standards, processes, and tooling, with embedded GxP validation and measures ensuring data reliability in architectures.
  • Experience establishing partnerships with key technology suppliers and system integrators; evaluating products and shaping business cases.
  • Dedication to capability development through mentoring, collaborative learning groups, and standards ownership.
  • People leadership of 5–8 architects with varied seniority, plus matrix leadership across adjacent domains and programs; accountable for coaching, performance management, capability building, and delegation.
  • Success operating with a global remit across multiple countries and functions, with interfaces to R ability to structure value‑focused contracts and partnerships.
  • Executive communication and storytelling skills that influence senior stakeholders and align diverse teams.
  • Advanced degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience driving transformation in complex, regulated environments.

Here, architecture is a catalyst for business performance and patient impact. You will work where unexpected teams sit in the same room to unlock bold thinking, uniting science, operations, and technology to create simpler, faster, safer ways of working. We match ambition with support: clear purpose, access to cutting-edge tools, and a collaborative culture that values kindness alongside challenge. Your designs won’t gather dust—they will be adopted, scaled globally, and felt in how quickly and reliably we deliver life-changing medicines.

If you are ready to set the architectural direction that elevates quality, reduces risk, and accelerates medicines to patients at global scale, seize this opportunity to lead, simplify, and deliver impact now!

Director Enterprise Architecture employer: AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, where architecture serves as a catalyst for enhancing business performance and patient outcomes. Employees benefit from access to cutting-edge tools, mentorship opportunities, and a supportive environment that values both ambition and kindness. With a global reach and a commitment to impactful work, you will play a vital role in shaping the future of medicine while growing your career in a dynamic and inclusive setting.
AstraZeneca

Contact Detail:

AstraZeneca Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Director Enterprise Architecture

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry on LinkedIn or at events. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.

✨Tip Number 2

Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Tailor your answers to show how your experience aligns with their goals, especially around quality assurance and technology.

✨Tip Number 3

Showcase your leadership skills! Be ready to discuss how you've mentored teams or led projects in the past. Companies love candidates who can inspire and guide others.

✨Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining us.

We think you need these skills to ace Director Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise Architecture
Pharmaceutical Technology
Quality Control
Global Quality Assurance
Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning
Architecture Strategy
Governance
Cross-Functional Engagement
Risk Management
Data Analysis
Mentorship
Stakeholder Communication
Portfolio Simplification
Leadership

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to reflect the specific skills and experiences that align with the Director Enterprise Architecture role. Highlight your leadership in enterprise design and how it relates to pharmaceutical technology and quality assurance.

Showcase Your Vision: In your application, share your vision for architecture over the next few years. Discuss how you would simplify processes and enhance product quality, demonstrating your strategic thinking and ability to drive change in a regulated environment.

Highlight Collaborative Experience: Emphasise your experience working across various teams and functions. We want to see how you've engaged with cross-functional decision-making bodies and how you've led diverse teams to achieve common goals in complex environments.

Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensure you’re considered for this exciting opportunity to make an impact in global healthcare.

How to prepare for a job interview at AstraZeneca

✨Know Your Architecture Inside Out

Before the interview, dive deep into enterprise architecture principles, especially in the pharmaceutical sector. Familiarise yourself with how data science, AI/ML, and application development intersect with quality control and assurance. This knowledge will help you articulate your vision and strategies effectively.

✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills

Prepare to discuss your experience leading teams of architects and cross-functional groups. Highlight specific examples where your leadership made a tangible impact on project outcomes. Be ready to explain how you mentor others and foster a collaborative environment.

✨Align with Business Objectives

Understand the company's goals and how your architectural vision can support them. Be prepared to discuss how you would align architecture strategies with corporate targets and regulatory needs. This shows that you’re not just thinking about technology but also about business value.

✨Prepare for Strategic Decision-Making Scenarios

Anticipate questions around making strategic architecture decisions. Think of scenarios where you had to balance speed, risk, and cost. Practising these responses will demonstrate your ability to govern and guide architecture choices effectively.

Director Enterprise Architecture
AstraZeneca

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