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Associate Director Automation and Digital ManufacturingAstraZeneca · Ireland - Athlone
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AstraZeneca

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Associate Director Automation and Digital Manufacturing

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🗓️ Posted 2026-09-17 Ireland - Athlone Full-time Hybrid Manufacturing Transport Logistics
💰 Salary Not shared 📊 Market 6,500 GBP–9,500 GBP/mo

About the Company

We're transforming the future of healthcare by unlocking the power of what science can do for people, society and the planet. For more information, visit www.astrazeneca.com. Community Guidelines: bit.ly/2MgAcio Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Specialties: Pharmaceutical, Biopharmaceutical, Innovation, Research and development, Global business

About the Role

The Associate Director, Automation & Digital Manufacturing is accountable for the strategic leadership, governance and lifecycle management of site automation, operational technology (OT), manufacturing computer systems, industrial cybersecurity and digital manufacturing capabilities across the Athlone site. The role develops and executes the site automation and digital manufacturing roadmap, leads a multi-disciplinary technical organisation, and partners with Manufacturing, Quality, Validation, IT, Engineering and global functions. The role ensures systems are safe, compliant, reliable, secure, validated and capable of supporting current operations and future business needs. This leader will champion responsible adoption of advanced analytics, AI-enabled tools and Industry 4.0 technologies to improve safety, quality, supply reliability, cost, people capability and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

  • ● Own and execute the site Automation, OT and Digital Manufacturing strategy, including multi-year roadmaps for capability, lifecycle, obsolescence, resilience, compliance, cybersecurity and investment.
  • ● Provide strategic and technical leadership for PLC, DCS, HMI, historian, MES interfaces, industrial networks, OT infrastructure and related manufacturing systems.
  • ● Establish and govern standards for automation architecture, integration, compatibility, configuration management, system ownership, documentation and technical decision-making.
  • ● Ensure manufacturing systems remain available, secure, supportable, validated and inspection-ready, with effective administration, access control, backup, recovery, on-call support and business continuity arrangements.
  • ● Lead systemic resolution of complex automation issues through risk assessment, structured problem-solving, root cause analysis, investigations, change controls and effective CAPAs.
  • ● Own the site OT cybersecurity improvement plan with IT and global teams, including segmentation, privileged access, patching, vulnerability management, monitoring, incident response and recovery controls.
  • ● Identify and prioritise opportunities to use AI, analytics, predictive maintenance, digital twins and manufacturing intelligence to improve reliability, yield, cycle time, cost, energy performance and decision-making.
  • ● Ensure digital and AI solutions meet applicable validation, data integrity, security, ethical and GxP requirements, and build team capability through practical use cases, coaching and structured learning.
  • ● Lead automation and digital workstreams for capital projects, capacity expansions, equipment upgrades, technology transfers and new product introductions from concept through handover.
  • ● Approve automation strategies, architectures, functional requirements, vendor designs, testing approaches and lifecycle support models, ensuring delivery to agreed scope, schedule, cost, quality and compliance.
  • ● Manage strategic system integrator, supplier and OEM relationships, including technical performance, deliverables, safety, risk and long-term support.
  • ● Develop and manage operating and capital budgets, workforce plans, external service strategies, business cases and KPIs for safety, quality, supply, cost, people, compliance, reliability, cybersecurity and digital adoption.
  • ● Lead, coach and develop managers, engineers, specialists and partner resources, maintaining clear goals, development plans, succession plans and targeted upskilling for critical capabilities.
  • ● Build strong cross-functional and global partnerships, communicate complex issues clearly, influence senior stakeholders and act as the senior site escalation point for critical issues.

Benefits

  • ● Competitive Salary and Benefits