Insights and Forecasting Director

AstraZeneca•Wilmington, DE

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Insights and Forecasting Director provides strategic leadership across insights, analytics, forecasting, and AI-enabled decision support. The role helps the business understand performance, identify opportunities, and plan for future scenarios by integrating information from multiple sources and translating it into actionable recommendations for near-term execution and longer-term strategic choices. The Director applies analytical and forecasting capabilities alongside strong communication, collaborator management, influencing, and digital fluency. The role guides teams in adopting new tools and ways of working, balances innovation and experimentation with governance and risk awareness, and evaluates emerging analytical methods, digital tools, automation opportunities, AI capabilities, and data sources. It embeds scalable, repeatable, user-focused insight practices across the function and may manage external partners or project-based resources. The role works closely with cross-functional partners in strategy, commercial, finance, operations, data and analytics, customer-facing teams, and other senior collaborators. The position is based on an average expectation of at least three days per week in the office, with flexibility. Occasional travel may be required.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree.
Minimum 7 years of relevant experience.
Significant experience in insights, analytics, forecasting, market research, business analysis, or a related strategic decision-support function.
Experience applying qualitative and quantitative methods to answer business questions and support decision-making.
Strong experience building, interpreting, and communicating forecasts, scenarios, performance analyses, and decision-support outputs.
Demonstrated experience evaluating, adopting, or scaling digital and AI-enabled tools, methods, or data sources to enhance insight generation, analytics, or forecasting capabilities.
Good understanding of data governance, model risk, and responsible AI principles, with the ability to apply sound judgment in business contexts.
Ability to synthesize complex information from multiple data sources into clear, actionable recommendations.
Strong business, critical-thinking, systems-thinking, and problem-solving capabilities.
Experience influencing customers and working effectively across functions and seniority levels, including supporting adoption of new tools or ways of working.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate technical topics clearly to non-technical audiences.
Comfort working in a matrixed organization, navigating ambiguity, and leading through change.
Excellent communication, influencing, and interpersonal skills, including the ability to engage senior interested parties effectively.
Strategic approach and ability to connect detailed analysis, digital opportunities, and emerging technologies to broader business priorities.
Strong project and customer management skills across multiple concurrent initiatives.
Collaborative leadership style and ability to work across functions, teams, and external partners.
Curiosity, learning agility, and a proactive approach to testing, adopting, and improving methods, tools, and ways of working.
Commitment to continuous improvement, capability building, high-quality execution, and responsible use of data and AI.

Nice To Haves

Experience evaluating new tools, methods, or data sources to improve analytical output and team effectiveness.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and delivery of insight generation, analytics, forecasting, and AI-enabled decision support for strategic and operational decisions.
Translate business questions into research, analysis, forecasting, and experimentation plans using relevant qualitative, quantitative, and digital approaches.
Synthesize primary, secondary, internal, and external data to generate actionable insights and identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
Develop and maintain performance metrics, dashboards, and targets aligned with business priorities and strategic goals, improving insight accessibility and self-service where appropriate.
Build and refine forecasting models incorporating assumptions, scenarios, sensitivity analyses, and leading indicators to support planning and investment decisions.
Drive adoption of digital and AI-enabled tools, methods, and workflows to improve insight generation, forecasting speed, productivity, and decision support.
Evaluate, test, and scale emerging tools and techniques to strengthen predictive accuracy, scenario planning, automation, and business readiness.
Ensure analytical approaches, data usage, model assumptions, and outputs are objective, robust, documented, and aligned with responsible AI and data governance expectations.
Present findings, forecasts, and recommendations clearly and compellingly to senior customers, translating technical concepts into business impact and decisions.
Partner with cross-functional teams to align priorities, assumptions, decision rights, and actions and to drive shared accountability for outcomes.
Support case development, future planning, and prioritization through forward-looking analysis, digital insight generation, and scenario-based thinking.
Identify opportunities to improve data quality, tooling, processes, operating rhythms, and analytical capabilities across the organization.
Coach teams and customers in effective use of insights, digital tools, and AI-enabled outputs to build confidence, capability, and adoption.
Manage external vendors or project partners as needed to deliver high-quality work on time, within scope, and in line with business and governance requirements.
Promote continuous improvement, evidence-based decision-making, responsible innovation, and ongoing learning in analytical practices.