Clinical Operations Planning Associate Director

Location: Barcelona, Spain (3 days working from the office and 2 days working from home).

Short Description

• Accountable for working with program/study leaders and site management and monitoring (SMM) colleagues to embed the use of AZ operational planning systems and develop streamlined cross-functional planning processes

• Provide one to one support to program/study leaders as needed to ensure adoption and ways of working integration, along with providing the teams with technical support to resolve issues and continuously improve the systems

• Become an expert in the use of AZ planning functionality and systems and will champion the use of the tools and associated reports by program/study leaders, functions, and collaborators

Typical Accountabilities

• Embed the use of AZ study planning systems via support for program and study teams as needed
• Mentor program/study leaders in the use of planning functionality, facilitating timeline discussions, and demonstrating the impact of good operational planning on stakeholders and other functions
• Work with the technical teams and Study Planning Director on problem-solving and issue resolution
• Lead development/revision of planning processes, driving consistency and standardization, and embedding portfolio perspective where appropriate
• Acquire feedback from program/study leaders on the templates/systems and reports, and work with collaborators to update them as needed for continuous improvement
• Maintain and update Degreed and instructor-led training
• Liaise with stakeholders to champion the use of planning data through the use of reports and dashboards
• Collaborate with and support clinical delivery planning functions to improve timeline visibility and collaboration, e.g. SMM, Supply Chain, GCS, Regulatory, Data Management
• Prepare and present communications to promote AZ planning systems, ways of working and use of reports
• Coach planning champions and SMEs to help raise awareness and embed good ways of working
• Work with Data Governance to enable creation and management of data quality reporting
• Ensure maintenance of the operational planning SPOL sites as needed
• Input to cross-functional or enterprise-level transformation projects as they relate to operational planning

Education, Experience and Exposure

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field e.g., life sciences, business or related subject area
• Proven experience in clinical study leadership within the pharmaceutical or biotech industry
• Experience in using planning functionality e.g. MS Project or similar planning tool
• Excellent communication, collaboration and project management skills
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams
• Ability to adapt to a fast-paced and dynamic work environment
• Knowledge of AZ study management and stakeholders

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 authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.