Senior Director – Procurement Program Management Office (PMO)

We are a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company and our innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Ultimately, our aim is to find solutions that prevent, treat and even cure some of the world’s most complex diseases. Whether that’s by shaping the patient ecosystem and focusing on outcomes, or by progressing potential medicines and accelerating their launch.

As AstraZeneca launches the Growth Through Innovation strategy we have created a Procurement group that will have responsibility for the value chain from late stage development through to drug manufacture and distribution to patients. The new structure is designed to help us build on a proud legacy of operational excellence, and ensure we are positioned to continue to deliver more life-changing medicines for patients.

Introduction to Role:

Join our dynamic team at AstraZeneca as Procurement Director. As a key member of the Operations Procurement leadership team, you will report directly to the VP, Global Head of Operations Procurement. This role offers an opportunity to lead operational excellence within Operations Procurement. Expertise in Procurement and business will be instrumental in delivering excellence in this role.

The PMO is a trusted advisor to the VP, Global Head of Operations Procurement and his/her leadership providing them with high level support to run aligned and efficient execution of various programs and deliver governance to Operations Procurement. The role works closely with the VP, Global Head of Operations Procurement and his/her leadership to ensure effective decision making, change management, governance management and alignment on priorities across the organization to deliver short-, mid- and long- term objectives.

By partnering with various Global Procurement teams, this position is responsible for coordinating and facilitating change management initiatives related to procurement transformation, managing and overseeing operational governance, ensuring effective communication, stakeholder engagement, and working with process owners to ensure the adoption of new processes and systems – ensuring the VP, Global Head of Operations Procurement and his/her leadership have full visibility of our change agenda.

Typical Accountabilities

• In collaboration with the VP, Global Head of Operations Procurement translate the business and operations strategic vision into the long-, mid- and short-term goals/plans.

• In partnership with the Operations Procurement Leadership Team (OPLT), translates Global Procurement goals into the operational plan, setting out clear accountabilities with defined deliverables, timelines and KPIs that roll-up to the functional scorecard, while tracking progress and reporting on risks/issues and mitigation plans.

• Collaborates with OPLT to define, track and report on strategic priorities and their execution plans, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and objectives.

• Is an integrator and connector across the OPLT areas and coordinates key programs across Enterprise, within and outside of Procurement, ensuring dependencies are managed effectively and impacts fully understood and aligned.

• Leads the Operations Contract Approval Forum (CAF), while seeking to drive continuous improvement of the associated processes with all stakeholders.

• Supports effective business communication between the VP, Global Head of Operations Procurement and internal/external stakeholders, ensuring timely dissemination of business information and managing the flow of communication.

• Collaborates with Procurement’s central Strategy & Operational Excellence (S&OE) team and other Head of Procurement teams on programs (e.g. sustainability, system implementation etc.,) process improvements, obtaining insights and performance metrics to enable informed decision-making regarding the execution of strategy for the VP, Global Head of Operations Procurement and the OPLT.

• Coordinates capacity planning and resource management to ensure milestone and objectives delivery, while maintaining location strategy adherence and budget impact/oversight of resourcing decisions.

• Leads the Operations Procurement governance and management system, including dashboard and performance reviews. Leads and facilitates the operations Tier Management process/pulse meetings.

• Responsible for maintaining a record of OPLT key business partner relationships, a profile of ‘stakeholder satisfaction’ (via voice of the customer surveys) and associated individual/collective plans to drive improvement in feedback.

• Implements, monitors and reports the Operations Procurement finance framework in line with the Global Procurement definitions and reporting and runs regular financial status review with Operations Financial leads.

• Manages and coordinates all Operations Procurement area financial business processes, including quarterly spend and savings reporting (RBU), the annual Mid Term Plans (MTP) and monthly Operational Budget Management (run cost and Travel and Expense (T&E) oversight and tracking). Centrally manages T&E budget for OPLT, including forecasts and approval controls.

• Leads the Operations Procurement Monthly Leadership Meetings: Agenda planning, facilitation, minutes, process.

• Implements and facilitates OPLT Category Strategy and major projects governance, including measurement of category strategy performance and tracking of contract expiry pipeline.

• Drives consistency, improvement and tracking of the Procurement Operating Model within Operations.

• Leads Operations Procurement contribution towards the annual strategic Procurement Business Review Meeting (BRM).

• Leverages central learning and development programs to drive a capability uplift agenda; coordinates and disseminates knowledge sharing and best practices, while tracking progress across the teams.

• Supports the OPLT with coaching and talent development and maintains a central record of succession planning and associated processes to support this.

• Ensures all Procurement work is carried out in accordance with the Safety, Health and Environment standards, AstraZeneca standards and applicable laws and regulations.

• Ad-hoc support for critical initiatives.

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Degree or equivalent qualification in relevant scientific discipline

• Procurement experience in pharma (preferably Operations)

• Budget management experience

• Project management qualification (Prince 2, PMP etc)

• Extensive experience in strategy development and business planning within a pharmaceutical or clinical environment

• Extensive experience in risk management and effective communication of risks to senior stakeholders

• Ability to effectively communicate with stakeholders within AstraZeneca

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 are dedicated to getting more medicines to patients quickly, affordably, and sustainably. By embracing technology, we transform our ways of working both internally and externally. Our smart factories enhance our operations while making AstraZeneca an inspiring place to work. Here, we embrace change, trial new solutions, and use data to improve our processes. Our diverse workforce is united by curiosity, sharing learnings rapidly. Join us in delivering life-changing medicines through digital innovation.

Ready to make a difference? Apply now!

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.