AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world's most serious diseases. But we're more than one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. At AstraZeneca, we're proud to have a unique workplace culture that inspires innovation and collaboration. Here, employees are empowered to express diverse perspectives - and are made to feel valued, energised and rewarded for their ideas and creativity.

The Global Data Office (GDO) sits within Global Business Services (GBS), a function providing value to the business by simplifying the way work is done and reducing the complexity that often gets in the way of our scientists and commercial leaders who are targeting to develop and deliver life changing medicines to 200 million patients by 2025.  The GDO provides Finance data governance and assurance functions alongside finance data management services.  The GDO vision is to be a collaborative, trusted, innovative and value led enterprise-level master data function enabling process excellence & timely decision making.  Data is now at the heart of everything we do, and what we record, consume and report is growing vastly. Driving value through how this data is created, consumed and provides insights will give us a competitive advantage while ensuring compliance and control.  The GDO has ambitious plans to transform the data management service provision for our current scope (Finance, Vendor & Customer Master Data) and to expand our services to other areas.

As part of this, a Programme of work has been initiated to harmonize and simplify our Customer and Vendor master data globally, across our regional ERP systems, ensuring we have consistent tools and processes used to create, maintain and master this data centrally. The Data Transformation Programme Director will be responsible to lead the successful implementation of the change.  This will include leading a diverse team with responsibility to design, build, test and deploy a standardise master data on-boarding solution utilising SAP MDG globally.  The role will lead a multi disciplinary team (Finance, IT, data, compliance staff) based in multiple locations (primarily Cambridge UK, Kuala Lumpur, Chennai & Warsaw).  You will establish a robust project delivery structure, proactively manage risk and issues, inspire the project team to achieve challenging milestones and drive decision making.  As the programme director you will also be responsible for senior stakeholder engagement activities, leading programme steering committee meeting, regional forums and responding stakeholder demands. 

Join AstraZeneca as the Master Data Transformation Director at our Cambridge HQ, and you’ll be using those skills to the full.  This is a highly visible role that puts you at the heart of building Data processes, governance and tools that will grow and flex as AstraZeneca grows.  This role will develop further as AstraZeneca prepares to implement SAP Hana and provide further data standardisation opportunities.  Ultimately data feeds all of the core business processes across the company so the data team is pivotal to success.

Put simply, it’s an opportunity to make your skills count as part of a world-leading pharmaceutical company.

Your new role!

• Establish a programme structure and build a strong leadership team to achieve programme objectives

• Lead and inspire a diverse team to achieve challenging project milestones and solve complex problems

• Establish a performance driven culture & develop ways of working to allow your team to successfully manage volume of workload.  Ensure individual team members are clear of daily, weekly & monthly objectives & that tasks are distributed to the right people, with the right skills at the right time. 

• Proactively manage the programmes key decisions, risk and issues that deliver programme benefits

• Provide senior level stakeholder briefings including to a Programme Steering Committee, members of the Finance Leadership Team and Group CFO as required.

• Manage and communicate benefits and value realisation through lifecycle of project

• Challenge and work collaboratively with IT leaders on solution design, architecture

• Work closely with GDO process leads, P2P/C2C Global Process Owners, Service Delivery Directors and leaders from supply chain, logistics and procurement to ensure business requirement and expectations are being achieved

• Evaluate future data transformation opportunities and prepare value focused business cases for further investment

• The role holder will work collaboratively with:

  • The Global Data Office Management team to ensure vision and priorities are aligned

  • Other project Workstreams in order to ensure we deliver solutions, resolve issues and manage dependencies in an aligned manner.

  • S4/Hana Programme team to ensure design and delivery approach are aligned

• As a member of the Global Data Office Leadership Team, you will input to the organization in the form of leadership, shaping future direction and service expansion, team engagement activities and general running of the organization

Your essential qualifications, skills and experiences:

• Strong education background (University Degree Level).

• Excellent communication skills

• Proven track record of delivering data change in complex, global organisations, and devising change management strategies.

• Deep expertise in the data structures, especially Customer, vendor and Finance Master data in S/4 and legacy environments

• Past experience of SAP change projects and SAP MDG implementations

• Strong team leadership capabilities, and experience of leading diverse global teams

• Previous experience of working with Multiple internal customers to deliver coordinated approach

• Manage risks and issues and identify which require escalation to Project Management

• Influencing, networking and team working skills

• Independence, with an ability to clearly report the state of Project to programme leadership. Strong drive for results, achieving challenging deadlines without compromising quality.

• Development of data focused investment cases

Your desirable qualifications, skills and experiences:

• Process improvement (LEAN, Six Sigma) expertise preferred

• Experience of working within an outsourced shared services environment

Competitive rates of pay apply

Opening date: 19th Aug

Closing date: 3rd Sept

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.