Sr. Director, Strategic Programs & Transformation, China

About the role

AstraZeneca's China Cell Therapy unit is responsible for the value chain of cell therapies, from discovery through late-stage development and commercialization, and this role is a critical leadership position within it. The Senior Director manages overall business improvement, transformation and strategic programs for the China Cell Therapy group, working closely with senior leaders of the Enterprise Cell Therapy Unit, R&D China and China Commercial across multiple therapy areas.

Key responsibilities

• Define and execute business transformation strategies that improve quality, effectiveness and efficiency, and establish the transformation roadmap
• Identify and drive process improvement and lean initiatives to support launches and management of multiple products and pipeline
• Drive synergies, simplification and productivity initiatives and cost efficiencies within the Cell Therapy organizations
• Lead cross-functional teams to strengthen the supply model for autologous and allogeneic modalities
• Collaborate with internal and external networks to stay aware of industry trends and emerging technologies
• Share strategic outcomes with senior leadership, showing benefits in cost, speed and quality and the ROI
• Build trust with senior leaders and stakeholders to influence operational change supporting the 2030 ambition

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree or PhD preferred
• 7+ years of pharmaceutical experience, or 7+ years in management consulting, or 10+ years in operational strategy
• Experience in a matrix organization, leading through influence, and in strategic planning processes
• Strong communication, organizational and relationship-building skills

Required skills

• Project management and cross-functional team leadership
• Risk management and contingency planning
• Forecasting, budgeting and financial tools
• Desired: broad experience across cell therapy or biotechnology

The role is based in the Shanghai Jing'an office, with an average of at least three days per week in the office.