Role: Project Director
Role Type: Temporary – 6 Months Initial
Location: Remote (Ad-hoc travel to Cambridge required for on-site meetings)
Your New Company
This role is a key member of the Transformation Management Office. This role will manage and run key transformation and improvement projects in our R&D BioPharma Clinical Operations function as well as across R&D, which may vary in scope and complexity. The primary project area will be focused on implementation of AstraZeneca chosen FSP models, with a view to redefine how we resource external support into our functions.
The chosen individual will have a global remit, wide runway for value add and a highly visible area of responsibility. A truly exciting role that will allow one to touch several areas of the business and work on exciting, innovative and thought-provoking initiatives. Reports to the Head of Transformation Management within the Transformation Management Office.
The project manager will be accountable to the projects they support and has the authority to run the project on a day-to-day basis.
The project director’s prime responsibility is to ensure that the projects they support produce the required products within the specified tolerances of time, cost, quality, scope, benefits and risk. The project director is also responsible for the projects they support in producing a result capable of achieving the benefits defined in the business case.
Your New Role
- Support the Head of TMO and the wider group on activities related to project management, across multiple projects
- Prepare the following baseline management products, in conjunction with any project assurance roles, and agree them with the project teams: project brief (including the project description), benefits management approach, stage/exception plans and their descriptions, work packages.
- Lead large projects directly, with full scope and deployment activity under this role
- Develop and Prepare the following reports for their projects : highlight reports, issue reports, end stage reports, exception reports, end project report.
- Maintain records such as: issue register, risk register, lessons log.
- Actively deploy project methodology to suit the project’s situations and documenting this accordingly
- Liaise with portfolio, programme management or the stakeholders to ensure that work is neither overlooked nor duplicated by related projects.
- Liaise with any external suppliers or account managers.
- Lead and motivate the project management team while also establishing behavioral expectations of team members.
- Manage the information flows between the directing and delivering levels of the project.
- Manage the production of the required projects, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary.
- Establish and manage the project’s procedures: risk management, issue management, change control and communication.
- Establish and manage the project controls: monitoring and reporting.
- Act as a liaison to the TMO and advise the group of any deviations from the project plans or timelines.
- Unless appointed to another person (or portfolio, programme management or customer function), perform the team manager role
- Implement the change control approach while ensuring project personnel comply with the change control approach.
Essential Skills
- Degree in business or scientific field (or Project Management related field)
- Expertise in programme/project management, with a proven track record
- Demonstrate strong communication and relationship building skills with the ability to influence others to achieve objectives
- Experience of defining the business strategies and influencing the key stakeholders of the vision for the business area
- Strong networking/consulting skills with good internal/external links
- Ability to interpret and communicate technical information into business language and in alignment with AstraZeneca business
- Proven track record in delivering high risk programme/projects and decision making
- Ability to convince and manage negotiations across a complex group
Desirable criteria:
- Formal qualifications in project management, change management, and/or process improvement methodologies
- Experience of working in a global organisation with complex/geographical context
- Pharmaceutical Industry experience
WHY ASTRAZENECA?
It's an exciting time to join AstraZeneca, a global business that's rapidly growing - there's a lot happening and even more to come. And we are a valued part of this journey. Respected partners across the business, we provide the platform that's going to power us to achieve more.
So, what's next?
Are you ready to bring new insights and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available, and we hope it's yours. Please apply with a copy of your CV.