Associate Director Technology & Insights

AstraZeneca•Gaithersburg, MD

10h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director of Technology & Insights leads cross-functional teams to deliver data analytics and visualization solutions that address complex business challenges! This role translates team member needs into actionable data strategies while driving strategic technology integration and evaluating emerging solutions to enhance enterprise capabilities. Key responsibilities include owning enterprise data platforms, establishing governance frameworks, developing multi-year roadmaps, and implementing standardized visualization practices for business users. The position ensures IT governance and compliance integration across all deliverables while providing training and guidance to team members. Working globally across COO functions, this role manages risk in complex situations and supports data-driven decision-making through expertise in AI, technology, and analytics trends. Typical Accountabilities Translates medium to highly complex business or scientific problems into clear technology, software, analytics or data solutions to address project and organizational objectives Communicates results, insights, uncertainties, and limitations to collaborators clearly, enabling informed decision-making Builds and manages positive relationships across business, scientific, IT, and senior leadership to ensure teamwork and derive business value from data resources Provide hands-on training and mentoring for colleagues and COO functional groups to build AI, analytics, and data management skills. Support the development of upskilling sessions for non-technical partners. Lead an Insights Center of Excellence by establishing standards, encouraging an SME community, and promoting visualization guidelines and knowledge sharing. Delivers high-quality data analysis and/or visualization solutions within defined project scope, ensuring alignment to quality standards and regulatory requirements Maintains up-to-date technical knowledge by actively seeking out trends, standard methodologies, and regulatory developments within data technology, data analytics and related fields Contributes to the development and implementation of standardized and shared data methodologies, standard processes, and collaborative efforts within the function Operates in a global context, collaborating with collaborators and teams in other countries or regions as part of COO projects involving multiple functions Makes evaluative judgments and proactively manages risk in complex, complicated, or novel situations Ensures effective interactive communication within the team and directly influences and advises colleagues to achieve project objectives and organizational goals May lead small projects or workstreams or manages a small team (2–3 direct or indirect reports), providing leadership, direction, and day-to-day guidance within the function Lead end-to-end delivery of new enterprise data and insights capabilities, from discovery and business case development through implementation and rollout across portfolio and platform initiatives. Develop data integration strategies for IoT and operational systems, collaborating with site technology teams to establish standardized pipelines and maintain data quality for analytics and decision support. Own enterprise data platform operations including data lakes and warehouses, managing schema design, metadata governance, catalog maintenance, system reliability, backup procedures, performance optimization, and cost control. Ensure governance and compliance coordination throughout all deliverables by maintaining adherence to change control processes and enterprise approval workflows in partnership with assurance teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or undergraduate degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, R&D, Data Management)
Solid understanding and practical experience with analytic or visualization tools (e.g., R, Python, Tableau, SpotFire)
Demonstrated data analysis skills, including defining requirements, critical data elements, data quality, and data profiling
Familiarity with database systems (e.g., SQL, NoSQL, graph databases)
Excellent written and verbal communication, business analysis, and consultancy skills
Experience collaborating within multi-disciplinary or multi-location teams
Working understanding of at least one business domain or business process
7+ years in data/analytics platform leadership or technology product ownership at enterprise scale.
Demonstrable experience with data architecture, governance, and BI/visualization standards; solid understanding of integrating IoT and operational data into analytics platforms.

Nice To Haves

Postgraduate or advanced degree in a relevant quantitative or data field
Prior experience or familiarity with high-performance computing or cloud environments
Demonstrated experience in leading small teams or providing coaching
Background with enterprise data and workflow platforms supporting governance, approvals, and change control.
Experience with cost management and performance engineering for data platforms in regulated environments.
Familiarity with enterprise compliance and assurance processes across privacy, risk, third-party, and security assessments.

Responsibilities

Translates medium to highly complex business or scientific problems into clear technology, software, analytics or data solutions to address project and organizational objectives
Communicates results, insights, uncertainties, and limitations to collaborators clearly, enabling informed decision-making
Builds and manages positive relationships across business, scientific, IT, and senior leadership to ensure teamwork and derive business value from data resources
Provide hands-on training and mentoring for colleagues and COO functional groups to build AI, analytics, and data management skills. Support the development of upskilling sessions for non-technical partners.
Lead an Insights Center of Excellence by establishing standards, encouraging an SME community, and promoting visualization guidelines and knowledge sharing.
Delivers high-quality data analysis and/or visualization solutions within defined project scope, ensuring alignment to quality standards and regulatory requirements
Maintains up-to-date technical knowledge by actively seeking out trends, standard methodologies, and regulatory developments within data technology, data analytics and related fields
Contributes to the development and implementation of standardized and shared data methodologies, standard processes, and collaborative efforts within the function
Operates in a global context, collaborating with collaborators and teams in other countries or regions as part of COO projects involving multiple functions
Makes evaluative judgments and proactively manages risk in complex, complicated, or novel situations
Ensures effective interactive communication within the team and directly influences and advises colleagues to achieve project objectives and organizational goals
May lead small projects or workstreams or manages a small team (2–3 direct or indirect reports), providing leadership, direction, and day-to-day guidance within the function
Lead end-to-end delivery of new enterprise data and insights capabilities, from discovery and business case development through implementation and rollout across portfolio and platform initiatives.
Develop data integration strategies for IoT and operational systems, collaborating with site technology teams to establish standardized pipelines and maintain data quality for analytics and decision support.
Own enterprise data platform operations including data lakes and warehouses, managing schema design, metadata governance, catalog maintenance, system reliability, backup procedures, performance optimization, and cost control.
Ensure governance and compliance coordination throughout all deliverables by maintaining adherence to change control processes and enterprise approval workflows in partnership with assurance teams.