Director, Study Operations

AstraZeneca•Durham, NC

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

Are you ready to lead and inspire a team dedicated to delivering life-changing medicines? As the Director of Study Operations, you'll be at the forefront of developing and guiding Study Management personnel to ensure the successful delivery of both drug and non-drug projects. Your leadership will be pivotal in resourcing study teams, embedding consistent practices across locations, and building capabilities within Study Management. You'll empower your direct reports with the skills needed to lead clinical trials effectively and drive the implementation of global strategies in BioPharmaceuticals Clinical Operations. Are you prepared to make a difference?

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in medical or biological science, or related subject or equivalent qualification or experience.
10 or more years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry
Comprehensive experience of clinical and Drug Development process within a pharmaceutical or clinical background
Proven leadership and ability to promote motivation and empower others in order to accomplish individual, team, and organizational objectives
Thorough knowledge of Study Management processes in both local regulation and global environment
An understanding of the therapeutic areas related to AstraZeneca’s products
Strong leadership, problem solving, stakeholder management, and conflict resolution skills
Ability to lead change with a positive approach to the challenges of change for self, team, and the business. Sees change as an opportunity to improve performance and add value to the business
Demonstrated ability to set and manage priorities, resources, performance targets, and project initiatives in a global and regional environment
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, negotiation, collaboration, and interpersonal skills

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in a scientific discipline
Line management experience
Expert reputation within the business and industry
Extensive knowledge of the latest technical information
Ability to look for and champion more efficient and effective methods/processes of delivering quality clinical trials with reduced budget and in less time.

Responsibilities

Line management of Study Management Late staff
Recruit, Retain & Develop personnel
Demonstrate AZ values
Provide skills and capability training to personnel to support their development
Ensure personnel have been trained and work within compliance of ethics, company policies and standard procedures
Role model and embed a performance-driven culture and coach staff for optimum performance
Develop and nurture capabilities of our present and future AZ leaders
Manage performance including feedback and rewards
Provide expertise and direction to support direct reports with proactive problem/risk identification, solution building, and issue resolution to facilitate achievement of objectives on time and to appropriate quality
Timely assignment of capable Study Management resources to meet the clinical study team demands, in collaboration with other members of Study Management Leadership team, and the Capacity Management Team
Participate in setting, and responsible for implementing, the vision & strategy for the Study Management, aligned with BioPharmaceuticals Clinical Vision & Strategy
Contribute to business strategy and streamline processes for drug/non-drug projects or departmental activities
Lead and support change by encouraging diversity of solutions and implementing process changes consistently across Study Management
Act as a change Agent, with local and global impact, to ensure adoption of global initiatives
Promote and encourage innovation and creativity
Work within Study Management to achieve accurate resource forecasting and develop solutions to efficiently and flexibly resource study teams
Promote and encourage communication within and across Study Management and BioPharmaceuticals Clinical
Ensure quality and compliance to External Regulations and AZ Standards
Work across the locations to develop global efficient ways-of-working
Provide expert input into functional and cross-functional global processes
Foster the sharing of study delivery knowledge, information, and best practice