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Director, R&D IT Operational ExcellenceAstraZeneca · Canada - Mississauga
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AstraZeneca

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Director, R&D IT Operational Excellence

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🗓️ Posted 2026-10-02 Canada - Mississauga Full-time Hybrid ICT
💰 Salary Not shared 📊 Market 12,500 CAD–18,333 CAD/mo

About the Company

Director, R&D IT Operational Excellence Mississauga, ON IT Hybrid Work- on average 3 days/week from office The Director, R&D IT Operational Excellence is a senior leadership role responsible for driving governance, operational performance, workforce strategy, financial stewardship, organizational effectiveness, and change adoption across R&D IT. As a member of the Operational Excellence organization, this role partners with Capability, Portfolio, Finance, HR, Strategy, and Quality leaders to ensure disciplined execution of strategic priorities, effective decision-making, transparent performance management, and alignment to enterprise objectives.

About the Role

ios, overseeing governance, planning, workforce and capacity management, performance reporting, financial oversight, and continuous improvement. The Director connects strategy to execution by establishing scalable, data-driven operating models that improve organizational effectiveness and support AstraZeneca's digital, data, and AI ambitions. In addition, this role leads enterprise-wide change management across R&D IT, communications, employee engagement, and AI enablement initiatives that accelerate technology adoption, strengthen organizational capability, and enhance the employee experience across R&D IT.

Responsibilities

  • ● Operational Excellence & Governance
  • ● Lead operational excellence activities across assigned R&D IT capability portfolios, ensuring alignment to organizational objectives and enterprise governance standards.
  • ● Partner with senior leaders within R&D IT to identify and assess operational inefficiencies, prioritize, drive process standardization and optimization, automation, and AI-enabled improvements that increase organizational effectiveness, consistency, scalability, and employee productivity.
  • ● Partner with R&D IT Operations Leads to facilitate process standardization across functional areas, fostering a collaborative, one-team approach.
  • ● Drive operational discipline through governance reviews, compliance monitoring, risk management, and corrective action planning. Provide regular reporting against targets, broken down by functional area, and partner with stakeholders to course-correct where needed.
  • ● Lead operational cadences including but not limited to conducting business reviews, governance forums, operational reviews, and planning activities, including defining agenda and recapping decisions and meeting minutes.
  • ● Build strong partnerships across Finance, HR, SP&Q, Portfolio Excellence, Enterprise Functions, and broader R&D organizations.
  • ● Influence stakeholders across a complex, matrix environment to achieve organizational objectives and drive sustainable outcomes.
  • ● Performance Management & Executive Reporting
  • ● Own development and consolidation of business, R&D IT and capability scorecards, frameworks, and executive performance reporting. Provide narrative and speaking-note support for senior stakeholders, including presentation materials for executive-level review and quarterly performance storytelling.
  • ● Establish, review and maintain operational health indicators & dashboards, KPIs, OKRs, and executive reporting mechanisms.
  • ● Translate complex operational, financial, workforce, portfolio, and AI adoption data into concise, actionable insights for senior leadership.
  • ● Establish & leverage existing reporting frameworks that improve organizational visibility, accountability, and decision-making.
  • ● Supports annual and multi-year planning activities including Mid-Term Planning (MTP), Long-Term Planning (LTP), business planning cycles, strategic roadmaps, and investment prioritization.
  • ● Workforce Strategy, Capacity & Resource Management
  • ● Support workforce planning activities across assigned portfolios, ensuring workforce capacity aligns with strategic priorities and delivery objectives.
  • ● Oversee organizational headcount governance, including permanent employees and Outside Service Providers (OSPs).
  • ● Adhere to standards and onitor workforce utilization, organizational capacity, AI and digital skill demand trends, and future capability requirements to proactively identify workforce risks and opportunities.
  • ● Lead workforce readiness initiatives focused on AI literacy, digital capability development, and adoption of emerging technologies across R&D IT
  • ● Support long-term sustainability goals, including but not limited to reducing our carbon footprint.

Requirements

  • ● Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Engineering, or related discipline.
  • ● years+ experience in operational excellence governance, business operations, organizational effectiveness roles, financial management, and performance reporting
  • ● Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills.
  • ● Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and executive communication skills.
  • ● Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or regulated industry experience.
  • ● Knowledge of Lean, Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement, Agile, or equivalent methodologies.
  • ● Familiarity with technology adoption and enablement programs in large, matrix organizations.
  • ● A can-do attitude and eagerness to build experience across employee engagement, learning & development, and the broader business of R&D.
  • ● Confidence in building relationships across the business and constructively challenging behaviors.
  • ● Independence and ability to lead a matrix cross-functional team.
  • ● Great People want to Work with us Find out why:
  • ● GTAA Top Employer Award for 12 years
  • ● Top 100 Employers Award
  • ● Canada's Most Admired Corporate Culture
  • ● Learn more about working with us in Canada
  • ● View our YouTube channel
  • ● Are you interested in working at AZ Apply today
  • ● AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion and providing a workplace that is free from discrimination. AstraZeneca is committed to accommodating persons with disabilities. Such accommodation is available on request in respect of all aspects of the recruitment, assessment and selection process and may be requested by emailing [email protected] .
  • ● Annual base salary for this position ranges from 147,292.80 to 193,321.80. AstraZeneca is committed to providing fair and equitable compensation opportunities to all colleagues. Our compensation policies and practices have been designed to allow colleagues to progress through the salary range over time as they progress in their role. The range provided in this posting represents an offer pay range used in a majority of situations. The base pay offered will vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including the candidate's skills and experience, job-related knowledge, and other specific business and organizational needs. In some cases, offers outside the range may also be considered to address unique circumstances.
  • ● In addition, our permanent positions offer an annual Variable Pay Bonus/Short Term Incentive opportunity as well as eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (if applicable to role). Benefits offered for permanent roles include a competitive Flex Benefits & Retirement Savings Program, 4 weeks' paid vacation, and annual Personal Days. Fixed Term Contract/Temporary positions (excluding students) are offered a Contract Benefits Program.