Associate Director, Diagnostic Project Management

At AstraZeneca, we are guided in our work by a strong set of values, and we’re resetting expectations of what a bio-pharmaceutical company can be. By truly following the science, we pioneer new methods, new thinking and bring unexpected teams together. From scientists to sales, lab techs to legal, we’re on a mission to turn ideas into life-changing medicines that transform lives. We need great people who share our passion for science and have the drive and determination to meet the unmet needs of patients around the world. If you’re swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person.

The Diagnostic Project Management group within Precision Medicine, Project, Portfolio & Operations is accountable for providing project and portfolio management to ensure successful delivery of diagnostic projects from initiation of development to regulatory approval, across all therapy areas, and to further optimise the delivery of precision medicines by defining and fostering best practices. Furthermore, this group is responsible for driving continuous improvement processes, for providing accurate Precision Medicine portfolio information for decision making and business reporting, and for capacity and resource management.

The ADDPM will work across several cross-functional diagnostic project/ programme teams to provide hands on project management expertise to deliver projects within agreed time, budget and quality. The role depends on close collaboration with Project Managers and project teams to ensure strategic alignment, and with Information Managers, who are responsible for inputting project information into AZ’s enterprise planning tool (PLANIT).

**Accountabilities/Responsibilities**:

- Manages multiple complex projects to deliver to time, cost and quality
- Creates and manages project plans to supervise and drive delivery of major milestones
- Manages project costs aligned to investment decisions, and FTE resources aligned to project needs/ forecast demand
- Creates and manages project risk logs, and drives mitigating actions with diagnostic project teams
- Creates progress reports to track delivery to time, cost and quality
- Coaches, and works with, Diagnostic Information Managers to ensure accuracy of project/ portfolio information within AZ’s enterprise planning tool (PLANIT)
- Drives process simplification and standardisation across Precision Medicine to maximise efficiencies and establish best practice
- Meeting planning and facilitation
- Plans and facilitates Diagnostic Project Team meetings, ensuring accurate actions are captured, circulated and followed up on.
- Plans and facilitates Precision Medicine project review meetings, attended by Precision Medicine leaders, diagnostic project team members and key R&D stakeholders
- Deputises for the Diagnostic Project Manager at programme level, as necessary

**Requirements**:

- Significant experience within a scientific project management environment
- Expert understanding of Project Management techniques, tools and principles
- Strong organisation and forward-planning skills, with attention to detail
- Experience of global team-working and effectively communicating with key stakeholders
- A professional, enthusiastic and proactive approach, with the ability to independently manage a diverse and fast paced workload
- Experience of using Microsoft Office/ Outlook, project planning tools and web-based programmes
- Prior experience in managing and reporting of project information

Preferred Experience
- Professional project management qualification (e.g. PMP)
- High-level understanding and curiosity about Precision Medicine
- Experience of using PLANIT to accurately forecast resource and maintain milestones