At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead enterprise-scale tech transformation to enhance patient delivery and operational efficiency.
- Company: Join a pioneering company focused on life-changing science and innovation.
- Benefits: Flexible working, professional growth, and a supportive culture that values kindness and ambition.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for continuous learning and career advancement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping the future of healthcare technology and AI integration.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in IT transformation and strong stakeholder management skills.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 150000 £ per year.
Are you ready to orchestrate enterprise-scale technology transformation that sharpens how we deliver science to patients faster? This is a high-impact leadership role at the heart of our Global IT evolution—where you will translate strategy into outcomes that strengthen our operating model, modernise platforms and delivery processes, and unlock AI-enabled improvements across how we work.
As a strategic partner to the Executive Director, Strategy, Performance & Quality, you will lead the central IT transformation agenda across workforce strategy, supplier partnerships, cloud and platform modernisation, and end-to-end delivery change. You will engage as a credible peer with architecture, platform, engineering and service management teams to shape decisions grounded in operational reality and accelerate change that sticks. Do you thrive on turning ambiguity into clear roadmaps, real decisions and measurable value?
Accountabilities:- Transformation Leadership: Lead the central IT transformation agenda across Global IT, championing major workstreams such as supplier strategy, workforce and operating model, cloud and platform transformation, and technology delivery process change, ensuring focus on outcomes and enterprise impact.
- Roadmap Translation and Delivery: Translate Global IT priorities into clear transformation roadmaps, decision points and implementation plans, aligning workstreams and removing friction to deliver value at pace.
- AI-for-IT Enablement: Champion practical AI opportunities that improve IT delivery, decision-making and ways of working; pilot, scale and embed AI and automation where they lift performance and quality.
- Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner closely with Architecture, Platform, Engineering, Service Management and Supplier Management teams to shape, land and sustain transformation priorities across domains.
- Technical Challenge and Decision Quality: Act as a technically credible challenger—testing assumptions, clarifying trade-offs and ensuring transformation decisions are grounded in architectural and operational reality.
- Supplier and Partner Strategy: Drive supplier and partner strategy changes that enable the IT transformation agenda, improving capability, cost, scalability and resilience.
- Executive Facilitation and Alignment: Lead senior leadership discussions and workshops to align stakeholders, resolve issues and accelerate decisions across transformation workstreams.
- Investment and Value: Build, review and challenge strategic business cases and value cases to support prioritisation and investment decisions; track benefits to ensure value realisation.
- Proactive Leadership: Operate as a self-starting transformation leader who identifies opportunities, frames problems and drives progress with limited direction, especially in ambiguous environments.
- Enterprise Communication and Integration: Ensure effective communication, collaboration, coordination and integration across multiple transformation workstreams, stakeholders, priorities and teams.
- Stakeholder Workshops and Buy-in: Conduct workshops across the IT organisation to secure stakeholder buy-in, drive alignment and support delivery of the transformation agenda.
- Business and Technology Translation: Work collaboratively with business, IT and enabling functions to understand strategic and operational needs and translate them into sustainable transformation actions.
- Technology Roadmap Assurance: Assess technology roadmaps and delivery plans in partnership with architecture and platform teams to ensure feasibility, value and alignment to the target operating model.
- Strategic Support: Support the Executive Director, Strategy, Performance & Quality with strategic problem-solving, executive materials and leadership discussions linked to the Global IT transformation agenda.
- Culture and Values: Be a visible champion for change, innovation, accountability and the company’s ethics and values across the teams and programmes supported.
- Significant experience in IT or technology roles, with a strong foundation in areas such as engineering, architecture, infrastructure, platforms, enterprise applications and experience of AI, automation or analytics-led improvement within IT functions.
- Proven experience leading complex IT or business transformation initiatives, ideally including one or more of the following: supplier strategy, workforce or operating model transformation, cloud or platform change, or large-scale delivery transformation.
- Strong technical and architectural awareness, with the credibility to engage and challenge architecture, engineering and platform teams as a peer.
- Ability to champion strategic workstreams end-to-end, from shaping the vision and roadmap through to implementation and value realisation.
- Strong stakeholder management and facilitation skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and align multiple stakeholders without formal authority.
- Strong financial and analytical capability, including experience building and critiquing business cases and supporting investment decisions.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently, show initiative and proactively drive progress in ambiguous environments.
- Excellent communication skills and strong focus on high-quality deliverables.
- Experience working in global and/or regulated environments.
- Familiarity with IT governance, risk, validation or GxP-related ways of working.
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.
Here you will help shape a data- and digital-led enterprise that powers life-changing science at scale. We bring surprising combinations of specialists together to spark ideas, experiment with leading-edge technology and turn them into outcomes that matter for patients and the business. With meaningful investment behind bold ambitions, you will have the scope to modernise platforms, evolve how teams work and apply AI where it truly moves the needle—while growing through coaching, feedback and continuous learning. We value kindness alongside ambition, and we back decisive leaders who turn strategy into measurable impact.
Seize this opportunity to turn strategy into enterprise-wide outcomes and meaningful patient impact—step forward to lead this transformation today!
Senior Director, Business Transformation in Luton employer: AstraZeneca
Contact Detail:
AstraZeneca Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Director, Business Transformation in Luton
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry and let them know you're on the lookout for opportunities. A personal recommendation can go a long way in landing that senior director role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by researching the company inside out. Understand their transformation goals and think about how your experience aligns with their needs. This will help you speak their language and show you're the right fit.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just wait for job postings—be proactive! Reach out directly to hiring managers or teams you’re interested in. Express your enthusiasm for their transformation agenda and how you can contribute to their success.
✨Tip Number 4
Finally, 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 being part of our mission to deliver life-changing science.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Director, Business Transformation in Luton
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to reflect the specific skills and experiences mentioned in the job description. We want to see how your background aligns with our needs, so don’t hold back on showcasing relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: As a Senior Director, we’re looking for someone who can lead and inspire. Use your application to highlight past experiences where you’ve successfully driven transformation or led teams through change. We love seeing examples of proactive leadership!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, clarity is key! Make sure your points are easy to understand and get straight to the point. We appreciate well-structured applications that communicate your ideas effectively.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands and shows us you’re serious about joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at AstraZeneca
✨Know Your Transformation Agenda
Before the interview, dive deep into the company's IT transformation agenda. Understand their current challenges and how your experience aligns with their goals. Be ready to discuss specific examples from your past that demonstrate your ability to lead similar initiatives.
✨Showcase Your Technical Credibility
As a Senior Director, you'll need to engage with technical teams confidently. Brush up on key architectural concepts and be prepared to discuss how you've successfully challenged assumptions in previous roles. This will show that you can speak their language and make informed decisions.
✨Prepare for Stakeholder Management Scenarios
Expect questions about how you've managed diverse stakeholders in the past. Prepare examples that highlight your facilitation skills and your ability to align multiple parties towards a common goal. This is crucial for driving transformation across various teams.
✨Emphasise Your Proactive Leadership Style
The role requires a self-starter who thrives in ambiguity. Share stories that illustrate your initiative in identifying opportunities and framing problems. Highlight how you've driven progress without needing extensive direction, showcasing your leadership capabilities.