Director, Robotics and Automation Transformation

AstraZeneca•Gaithersburg, MD

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

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 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. Role Summary The Director of Robotics and Automation Transformation will be responsible for shaping and executing the Automation strategy within Drug Substance Development. This pivotal role will advance the "art of the possible" in delivering highly efficient laboratory processes for cell line, cell culture, and purification development. In collaboration with expert functions (e.g. DSM) and transformation teams (e.g. Robotics and Automation Champions Team., RACT) this role will deliver high-impact, value-driven, automated solutions that transform data generation and process development in a coordinated and scalable manner. The successful candidate will drive a multi-year Automation transformation roadmap, prioritizing and delivering Automation tools aligned with business objectives. They will rapidly evaluate emerging technologies, scale successful pilots, and ensure projects remain on track and within budget. In addition, this role will spearhead function-wide change management, fostering a culture of continuous learning, promoting automation-compatible practices, and clearly communicating the vision and value of Automation across the organization. As Drug Substance Development’s representative on cross-functional transformation teams (e.g. RACT), this role will ensure functional priorities are incorporated into broader initiatives while providing visibility into key functional projects. This position also offers the opportunity to lead cross-functional projects when required, driving collaboration and delivering shared organizational objectives. Ideal candidates will be strategic leaders with a proven track record in implementing automation initiatives within the Drug Substance Development area. They will be passionate about digital transformation and skilled at guiding cross-functional teams to achieve measurable outcomes and meaningful change. They will also have hands-on experience with robotics and automation.

Requirements

Consistently demonstrated leadership of scientific teams building innovative solutions that enable the integration of high-throughput, traditional bench-scale, or manufacturing systems.
Leads other engineers/scientists in developing and implementing the application of HT technologies to R&D and Manufacturing.
Leads other engineers/scientists in the creation, modification, and troubleshooting of laboratory robotics & automation scripts.
Applies a comprehensive understanding of the scientific workflows to create a clear strategic vision for automating these workflows.
Accountable making budget recommendations and may be accountable for ensuring proper usage.
Advanced Experience with Biopharmaceutical Drug Substance, Analytical or Drug product Development, or Clinical Manufacturing.
Knowledge of the organizational/business impact of the automation being implemented, ability to triage the value of projects being automated based on value added to the organization/business.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills for audience focused messaging.
Bachelor’s degree in a related field with 12 years of experience, Master’s degree with 10 years of experience or PhD with 8 years of experience.

Nice To Haves

Passion for innovation and digital transformation.
Ability to translate scientific needs into practical, scalable digital solutions.
Collaborative mindset with a strong focus on delivering measurable outcomes.
Advanced Application Specialty or Mastery of a laboratory automation instrument (i.e. TECAN, Hamilton, ambr, etc.), high throughput analytics (i.e. plate readers, LabChip GX, Trinean, etc.), automation scheduling software (Green Button Go, Cellario, etc), Data automation/management software (LIMS, Titian Mosaic, etc), Manufacturing automation systems (Ignition PLC, SCADA, etc), or multiple enabling laboratory automation tools (i.e. Autonomous Mobile Robots, Capper/decappers, plate seal/peel, tube labelers, automated barcode readers).
Advanced Experience in creating, modifying, and troubleshooting laboratory robotics/automation scripts and/or data management/manufacturing systems.
Advanced Experience in or familiarity with programming languages such as C/C++, visual basic, .NET, python, Java, SQL, or database management.
Advanced Experience automating multiple high-throughput, traditional bench-scale, or manufacturing systems.
Advanced Experience with Pharmaceutical Research, Development, or Manufacturing (such as experience working as a bench scientist or a manufacturing associate, utilizing a deeper understanding of the science being automated).
Advanced Experience with integrated/orchestrated/end-to-end automated solutions including a knowledge of the data flow between these multi-faceted systems.
Creates opportunities to develop and learn new skills as necessary for evolving their role.
Creates opportunities for development of other scientists and engineers they lead or mentor.
Familiarity with or skill in GxP principles, including the compliance implications/requirements in GxP/regulated environments (CFR 21 Part 11, GAMP categorization).
Certification training with 1 or more automation platforms (EVOware, Venus, Instinct, etc), 1 or more coding languages or computer aided design platforms a plus.
Experience with 3D modeling/printing, device design/development, electrical circuit design is a plus.
Familiarity with the differences needed to validate automated solutions between research and regulated environments.
External publications/presentations on automation expertise in high visibility industry relevant forums.
Skill with AI tools (LLM, Image Recognition, Machine Learning, etc) and their application to robotics and automation.

Responsibilities

Develop, drive and iterate robotics and automation strategies that increase laboratory efficiency and speed.
Hands-on PoC Development: Conduct hands-on work to design and develop strategic proofs of concept (PoCs) that de-risk priority use cases; when successful, ensure transition to full implementation by RACT.
Define and maintain the functional roadmap, ensuring prioritization and alignment with departmental transformation goals.
Collaborate with expert functions (e.g. DSM) to manage end-to-end delivery of robotics and automation processes to aid cell line, cell culture, and purification development, ensuring stakeholder engagement from requirements definition through PoC, small scale demonstration, and full deployment.
Lead and serve as a key contributor to functional matrix teams, fostering close collaboration with expert functions to deliver functional projects.
Accelerate adoption by creating training programs, communication plans, and KPIs to measure impact and success.
Partner with leadership to assess and adapt functional capabilities (talent, technology, capacity) to accelerate and scale delivery of the multi-year roadmap.
Represent Drug Substance Development in transformation teams (e.g., RACT), ensuring functional requirements are met by actively influencing cross-functional decisions. Proactively share functional plans and progress with the wider department.
Lead major cross-functional digital transformation projects when required.
Lead or contribute to cross-functional and cross-R&D Long Term and Medium-Term Proposals to accelerate innovation with the purchase of standardized capex and opex funding for key shared business deliverables.