Director Strategic Advice - R&D Quality Assurance

Do you have expertise in, and passion for Quality? Would you like to apply your expertise influencing strategic directions on quality and compliance being the GxP expert related to clinical activities in a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life changing medicines? Then AstraZeneca might be the one for you!

At AstraZeneca we’re dedicated to being a Great Place to Work. Where you are empowered to push the boundaries of science and unleash your entrepreneurial spirit. There’s no better place to make a difference to medicine, patients and society. An inclusive culture that champions diversity and collaboration. Always committed to lifelong learning, growth and development.

We are now recruiting for a Director Strategic Advice position to join our Strategic Advice team within R&D Quality Assurance. R&D QA is an independent global assurance function in AstraZeneca R&D maintaining the R&D Quality Management System and assessing quality based on audits, inspections and self-reported quality issues. We promote and strive towards a state where everyone acknowledges that quality is a competitive advantage, and that quality arises from every individual’s contribution to a ‘right-from-me’ mentality. If you enjoy challenging the way things are done want to pioneer a new future to meet global healthcare challenges this is the place for you.

What you’ll do

• Working closely with stakeholders in R&D and providing leadership in influencing strategic direction on quality and compliance through responsive and proactive GxP expert advice related to clinical activities. This will include effective compliance reporting to senior management and relevant quality governance forums.
• Investigating critical Quality Issues as well as delivering end-to-end regulatory inspection strategy and management. We’re looking for people driven by making a difference to patients’ and society, dedicated to doing the right thing.

With that in mind the role is best suited to candidates with a high degree of integrity and strategic thinking agility. It is also important to have a ‘solutions focused’ attitude and the ability to generate simple solutions to complex challenges. Importantly, you will need to have a proactive ‘Business Partnering’ mindset and the personal credibility to effectively communicate and establish trust with senior stakeholders and leadership teams across the globe. This is critical to enable you to influence decisions and thereby sustain the Quality Mindset.

Having strong collaborative, influencing and interpersonal skills and that you are curious and willing to understand business environment is crucial.

Essential for the role

• Bachelor's Degree required, preference for life science degree

• Minimum of 7 years of proven experience in pharmaceuticals or a related life-science industry

• A thorough understanding and experience of GxP and quality assurance/management

• Excellent analytical, written and oral communications skills

• Proficient in written and spoken English

• High ethical standards, trustworthy, operating with absolute discretion

• Skilled at managing & using technology

• Ability to maintain and create professional networks with stakeholders

• Experience in managing regulatory health authority GxP Inspections

Desirable for the role

• Project management

• Key Account management

• Experience in Six Sigma/Lean/Process improvement tools

• Audit expertise

• Experience in digitalization

Why AstraZeneca?
At AstraZeneca you will be valued. Not only for your unique contribution, skills and background, but because we recognise people are our greatest asset. Here we are dedicated to being a Great Place to Work. Thrive in an energising environment where challenging work goes hand in hand with development. With opportunities, recognition and bright minds, there’s no better place to unlock learning and build a long-term career. Most importantly, we do meaningful work that changes lives. It’s our purpose that drives us, every day. Interested? Come and join our journey.