Senior Director, AI Data Applications & Transformation

About the Role 

AstraZeneca is on a bold journey to become the most data-driven biopharmaceutical company in the world. Central to this is our Operational Data Strategy (ODS) function - a team reshaping how data powers everything to inform enterprise decision-making.

As Senior Director, AI Data Applications & Transformation, you will own the business case for AI across ODS - identifying where AI creates the greatest value for operational and patient data, defining the outcomes we need to achieve, and partnering with Data Products & Platforms to bring those solutions to life. You are the bridge between business ambition and AI capability: equal parts strategist, problem owner, and transformation leader.

You will lead a team of AI application specialists and transformation professionals embedded in ODS. Reporting to the Executive Director of Operational Data Strategy, you will be based at our Boston hub with strong connections to global stakeholders across R&D.

What You'll Do 

AI Application Strategy & Demand Definition 

• Own the AI use case pipeline: partner with business leaders across AstraZeneca to identify, prioritise, and define where AI applications will create the greatest operational value, with data as the backbone. 

• Translate business problems into well-scoped AI application briefs - articulating the desired outcome, data requirements, and success criteria - for delivery in close partnership with Data Products & Platforms. 

• Define the 'what' and 'why' of AI applications; Data Products & Platforms owns the 'how' and the build. Hold that boundary clearly and collaborate across it effectively. 

• Maintain a forward-looking view of how AI capabilities can evolve AstraZeneca's operational model and translate that into a prioritised roadmap aligned with enterprise strategy. 

AI Portfolio Ownership & Performance 

• Own the in-life AI application portfolio - its performance and the decisions to scale, sustain, or retire solutions. 

• Drive activation into the business - turning AI solutions into real changes in how teams work, not just deployments. 

• Stay accountable for the portfolio’s realised impact - the operational outcomes and adoption it delivers, not only the demand it defines. 

Enterprise AI Transformation 

• Partner with senior business leaders to identify high-value transformation opportunities where AI can create step-change improvements in operational performance. 

• Drive adoption of AI capabilities by working with change, communications, and training functions to embed new ways of working sustainably across the business. 

• Champion an AI-embedded model of operating - ensuring AI is a natural part of how every team in ODS works, not a separate function sitting apart from the business. 

Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Lead, develop, and inspire a team of AI application specialists and transformation professionals, fostering a culture of curiosity, delivery, and continuous learning. 

• Build strong partnerships with R&D and Technology to align AI application priorities with enterprise strategy. 

• Represent ODS at senior leadership forums and communicate AI application value clearly to executive audiences. 

• Collaborate with external partners, vendors, and academic institutions - including collaborations such as Tufts and TransCelerate - to accelerate delivery and bring world-class AI capability into the business. 

Responsible AI & Impact Measurement 

• Ensure all AI applications are deployed in line with AstraZeneca's ethical AI principles, privacy requirements, and regulatory obligations - partnering with Data Products & Platforms & Data Governance, Risk and Trust on the underlying governance infrastructure. 

• Own the value narrative for AI applications - articulating the business outcomes each application must deliver and partnering with the dedicated metrics, adoption and literacy team to ensure impact is measured and demonstrated to senior leadership. 

Key Deliverables 

In your first 12 months 

• A prioritised, AI use-case pipeline and roadmap for ODS, agreed with business leaders and aligned to enterprise strategy. 

• One to two prioritised AI-led transformation programmes, scoped with business owners, with target step-change operational outcomes defined and endorsed by senior leadership. 

• A clearly articulated value case for the AI application portfolio - the business outcomes each priority application must deliver - agreed with business owners and measured in partnership with the metrics, adoption and literacy team. 

• A responsible-AI operating standard for AI applications, agreed with Data Governance, Risk and Trust and embedded across the portfolio. 

• A team and capability plan for the AI application and transformation group, with priority hires in place.

On an ongoing basis 

• A quarterly-refreshed AI application portfolio and prioritised roadmap aligned to enterprise strategy. 

• Sustained executive alignment and sponsorship for the AI agenda across R&D and Technology, supported by regular value and adoption readouts to senior leadership forums. 

• AI-enabled ways of working embedded across ODS teams, with usage and business outcomes evidenced in partnership with the adoption and literacy team. 

What We're Looking For 

Essential 

• 10+ years of experience in data and technology roles, with at least 5 years in senior leadership positions delivering AI or advanced analytics products at scale. 

• Bachelor’s degree

• Proven track record of defining AI use cases, owning business outcomes, and working with platform or engineering partners to deliver in a complex enterprise environment. 

• Strong fluency across the modern AI landscape - LLMs, agentic AI, and ML models with enough technical depth to be a credible partner to teams. 

• Experience leading cross-functional transformation programmes with measurable business impact. 

• Exceptional communication and influencing skills; able to translate complex AI concepts for senior non-technical audiences and build conviction around a roadmap. 

• Demonstrated ability to operate at both strategic and hands-on levels - setting direction and rolling up sleeves when needed. 

• Experience managing and developing high-performing, multi-disciplinary teams. 

Desirable 

• Experience in the pharmaceutical, life sciences, or broader healthcare industry. 

• Familiarity with responsible AI frameworks and enterprise AI governance. 

• Background in working at the interface of business and technology - product management, business architecture, or similar. 

• Experience operating in a global, matrixed organisation.

The annual base pay (or hourly rate of compensation) for this position ranges from 210,336.00 - 315,504.00 USD Annual (80% - 120%). Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives—an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans. ​

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.

Why AstraZeneca:

Here, AI and data are embedded in the way we discover, develop, and deliver medicines, giving you the scale, trust, and access to make change that matters. You will work at the intersection of cutting-edge AI and world-class science, shaping applications that speed decisions from the bench to the clinic and ultimately to patients worldwide. We bring unexpected teams together—engineers, data scientists, clinicians, and operators—to solve complex problems with urgency and care. In Boston, you will be connected to vibrant biotech and AI ecosystems while collaborating globally across functions that value kindness alongside ambition. Your leadership will help translate science into outcomes, backed by meaningful sponsorship, modern platforms, and a culture that prizes clarity, learning, and impact.

Call to Action:

Lead the AI applications agenda that accelerates life-changing medicines—take the next step and shape how a global enterprise runs on data and AI!

As AstraZeneca continues to put patients at the forefront of our mission, we are excited for our move to Kendall Square/Cambridge in 2026. Find out more information here: Kendall Square Press Release