Director, Business Planning & Operations

At AstraZeneca, we pride ourselves on crafting a collaborative culture that champions knowledge-sharing, ambitious thinking and innovation – ultimately providing employees with the opportunity to work across teams, functions and even the globe.

Recognizing the importance of individualized flexibility, our ways of working allow employees to balance personal and work commitments while ensuring we continue to create a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork by engaging face-to-face in our offices 3 days a week. Our head office and BlueSky Hub in downtown Toronto are purposely designed with collaboration in mind, providing space where teams can come together to strategize, brainstorm and connect on key projects.

Our dedication to sustainability is also central to our culture and part of what makes AstraZeneca a great place to work. We know the health of people, the planet and our business are interconnected which is why we’re taking ambitious action to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to access to healthcare and disease prevention.

The Director, Business Planning and Operations (BPO) reports to the Executive Director, Portfolio & Enabling Functions and acts as chief of staff and business planning lead for the Vaccine and Immune therapies (V&I) clinical operations function.

This role is accountable for the yearly business plan for V&I clinical operations.  This includes budget  planning, scorecard management, and strategic goal setting.  They will also complete operational business processes such as risk management, capacity management, communications, business reporting, etc., for the function they support. 

In addition, they will be a member of the BioPharmaceuticals Clinical Operations Business Planning & Operations team and will share standard processes and takeaways across a community of peers.  They may be assigned to lead or participate in strategic business improvement projects.

Typical Accountabilities

Business planning:

• Partner with functional leadership to devise multi-year strategic plans and align yearly functional scorecards and objectives with broader corporate strategies and ambitions.
• Orchestrate the development of annual functional capacity and budget proposals.
• Formulate strategic workforce improvement and capability development initiatives.

Business Operations:

• Assist functional leaders in the continuous management of budgets, including regular reporting and analysis.
• Coordinate the functional risk reporting and mitigation strategies.
• Supervise and communicate progress on scorecards and objectives.
• Keep the capacity and demand plans up-to-date in line with evolving business requirements.
• Curate and maintain a portfolio view of business improvement initiatives to improve function performance.

Chief of Staff support:

• Act as a key member of the V&I clinical operations leadership teams.
• Organize and guide leadership team meetings, ensuring actionable outcomes.
• Drive effective communication and employee engagement through various channels, including townhalls, meetings, and written communications.
• Manage and interpret function performance metrics to support informed decision-making.

BPO community participation:

• Contribute a functional perspective to the BPO peer community to shape strategy and decision-making across BioPharmaceuticals Clinical Operations (BPCO).
• Collaborate with the Executive Director, Portfolio & Enabling Functions (ED, P&EF), in formulating strategic plans and objectives for BioPharmaceuticals Clinical Operations.
• Engage in the development and implementation of best practices and standardized procedures alongside Business Planning & Operations colleagues.
• Assume ownership of certain cross-clinical operations operational processes, if required.
• Lead or contribute to cross-functional business improvement projects to drive innovation and efficiency.

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field is required.

Skills and Experience:

• Strategic Vision:  Proven expertise in developing strategic plans with the ability to operationalize these plans into actionable steps.

• Operational Excellence: A minimum of 5 years experience managing operational processes within a complex matrix organization, with a track record of tangible improvements.
• Multitasking and Attention to Detail: Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and responsibilities simultaneously, maintaining high quality and attention to detail.
• Communication: Exceptional communication skills, with proficiency in articulating complex ideas effectively to diverse audiences.
• Influence and Leadership: Strong influencing skills, with experience in persuading peers and senior leaders across organizational boundaries. Proven leadership in guiding cross-functional project teams towards successful outcomes.
• Adaptability: Adept at navigating ambiguity and adapting to evolving business needs with a solution-oriented mindset.
• Project Management: Solid experience in leading cross-functional projects with a history of positive impact and delivering results.

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Are you interested in working at AZ, apply today!

AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion and providing a workplace that is free from discrimination. AstraZeneca is committed to accommodating persons with disabilities. Such accommodation is available on request in respect of all aspects of the recruitment, assessment and selection process and may be requested by emailing AZCHumanResources@astrazeneca.com.

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.