Associate Director Data Curator
Introduction to role
Are you ready to make a significant impact in the world of pharmaceuticals? We are looking for a highly skilled Associate Director Data Curator to join our Pharmaceutical Technology & Development (PT&D) Data Governance team.
Pharmaceutical Technology and Development (PT&D) is the organization that turns brilliant science into actual medicines that help millions of people. We work across the entire value chain, designing and delivering active ingredients, formulations and devices for new medicines and providing expert technical support to all AstraZeneca’s commercial drug substances and products to ensure we successfully supply medicines to patients.
In this pivotal role, you will interpret and represent complex biological and medical data, creating controlled vocabularies and following a structured data model. Your work will enable interoperable data and maximize insights into the diverse data types used during pharmaceutical product development. Collaborating closely with PT&D business units and the Data Governance team, you will drive improvements in data quality and play a crucial role in our mission to deliver life-changing medicines.
Accountabilities
Assess and analyse demand from business teams to capture and develop controlled terminology within a cohesive data harmonization strategy.
Analyse and review datasets for meaning and context to ensure they meet business needs.
Perform data profiling and data quality assessment.
Collaborate with a wide range of business and technical stakeholders.
Explain and promote data curation concepts to business stakeholders.
Collaborate with business data specialists, including scientists and domain experts.
Collaborate with technical data specialists, including information architects, data modelers, ontology specialists, and knowledge graph experts.
Design, implement, and maintain controlled vocabularies; support the development of taxonomies and ontologies for PT&D.
Generate high-value, enriched data assets through in-depth curation of selected data assets.
Arrange data in a structured manner to facilitate easy access, integration, and analysis.
Apply data curation standards including FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
Ensure high data quality and consistency by implementing quality checks and validation rules for ontology-driven systems and processes.
Maintain and update data repositories to ensure data accuracy and availability.
Use data curation tools such as Progress Semaphore to design, build, and maintain controlled vocabularies and collections.
Work with Data Governance team members to ensure policy and governance related to data standards implementation and curation are planned for and complied with.
Continuously improve implementation processes and tools related to data standards and curation; make scientific data FAIR and AI/Analytics-ready.
Support data analytics and reporting efforts by providing curated datasets.
Deliver training and support to improve the use of data curation tools and platforms.
Adapt to future changes due to the introduction of automated tools, large language models (LLMs), and AI automation, anticipating significant evolution in responsibilities over the coming years.
Essential skills and experience
Relevant degree in Life Sciences, Information/Data Science, Computer Science, Informatics, IT, or other related subject area
Work experience in data curation and management, ideally in the healthcare space
Operational understanding of common data models, data standards, vocabularies, taxonomies, ontologies etc., and their implementation within a centralized repository
Experience working with business and IT partners in the implementation of data standardization and curation projects
Ability to learn new tools and technologies
Experience in creating system and user documentation artifacts related to data standards implementation & curation
Proven interpersonal and communication skills to translate, promote, and embed Data Governance and Data Standards ensuring consensus across a large scale and diverse organization
Problem-Solving: Proficiency in identifying issues, analyzing situations, and developing effective solutions within the scope of data policy and governance
Experience in working in multi-skilled, multi-location data teams, working to agile principles
Excellent written and verbal communication, and consultancy skills
Desirable skills and experience
Experience with clinical data curation and familiarity with industry standards
Domain data understanding: the structure, provenance, and meaning of the source data crucial to the domain
Enterprise data management: Understanding of the concepts of data governance, data quality, and data architecture in a large, complex organization
Technology knowledge: Data technologies, including databases, data lakes, and data warehousing solutions, and tools for data visualization and reporting
Familiarity with industry-standard tools such as Semaphore, Protégé, and Collibra
Project management
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, innovation is at our core. We embrace change by trialing new solutions with patients' needs at heart. Our diverse workforce is united by curiosity as we share findings rapidly. By being digitally-enabled, we make impactful contributions to society. Feel supported by our leaders as we accelerate our digital journey!
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.
