BACKGROUND:
The next generation of medicines.
How will you take them even further?

At AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, we're constantly striving to make new discoveries. Discoveries that will make a meaningful difference to health globally. We already have an exceptional product pipeline, and everyone here has a part to play in making sure that pipeline fulfils its potential. This is your opportunity to join them – and to fulfil your own.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Head of Discovery Informatics Practice will create and maintain a world-class force of Informatics professionals to support projects and services delivered by R&D Information (RDI), and develop a clear view of long-term skills requirements as part of RDI strategy creation. The Practice Leader will deliver Discovery Informatics solutions which enable hypothesis generation, testing, and validation – accelerating scientific intuition and improving R&D productivity across the AstraZeneca pipeline. The Discovery Informatics Practice Leader will bring transparency and openness to the RDI resource allocation process, and ensure that the Capability is flexible and responsive in assigning skilled resources to drive value through business deliveries. The Discovery Informatics Practice Leader will also participate in the most challenging deliveries with views on the "state of the art" in Informatics and Information Sciences Capability. This role will create the Discovery Informatics strategy and is responsible for the implementation, planning, and execution to ensure that the organization contributes to meeting and exceeding objectives, delivering maximum value and return on investment.

Renowned as an expert in Discovery Informatics, and with a strong educational background and experience in Informatics, the Discovery Informatics Practice Leader will also have proven leadership skills in creating, developing and maintaining a community of Informatics professionals, and building their skills over time to take the overall capabilities of the community to a world-class level that creates competitive advantage for AZ and exciting career opportunities for practice members. This role will design and deploy training and development programs across RDI and R&D to accelerate the development of Informatics and Information Science skills – training and developing Informatics and Information Science Practice resources to develop business knowledge and insight across the value chain.

As a recognized leader in the Discovery Informatics field, the Practice Leader will participate in the international Informatics and Information Science communities and create external collaborations with thought leaders or technical experts in these disciplines. This role will maintain awareness of external developments and new approaches (competitors, collaborators, academia, vendor partners or other industry sectors) and benchmark Discovery Informatics Practice capabilities against other Pharma/Biotech/other R&D companies.

The Discovery Informatics Practice Leader will create an integrated view of practice knowledge, and how it should evolve over time to ensure it is distinctive and able to deliver impactful solutions across the pipeline in meeting the needs of the R&D business. This role will drive the formalization of knowledge developed internally, and the integration with outside knowledge.

Duties:

• Develop the informatics/information science strategy that enables the delivery of world class comprehensive solutions and capabilities in line with R&D needs
• Help shape AZ IS methodologies, processes and standards, ensuring that requirements are effectively met, tested and implemented in a way that provides the necessary speed and agility to match R&D needs
• Act as authority in Informatics/Information Science decision making processes.
• Advise strategic programmes on appropriate Informatics/Information Science approaches and strategies and educate senior information owners on best practices and processes.
• Drive the delivery of a portfolio life-cycle of Discovery Informatics initiatives, programmes, projects and services to maximise effective use of scientific information in the discovery and development business.
• Create a positive team climate of continuous improvement and recruit, lead, develop and motivate staff to achieve objectives, and deliver competitive advantage through clear linkages between investment in people and business performance.
• Drive the creation of an informatics and information science strategy and use of technology or practise to create business value and be accountable for execution.
• Work collaboratively with external key opinion leaders and develop strong alliances to leverage and promote optimised utilisation of data, information and knowledge.

REQUIREMENTS:

• MD/PhD or MS with equivalent experience in Life Science, Computer Science, or Information Science
• Minimum 5 years experience in leading the application of informatics solutions, information, and knowledge management within pharmaceutical, biotech or technology industries
• Experience of leading complex global organisation
• Domain expertise in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry or equivalent
• Excellent communication skills and facilitation skills
• Experience of influencing and controlling budgets
• Significant experience in leading skills to deliver complex R&D solutions in a pharmaceutical/Biotech/R&D based industry is essential
• May be a recognised authority in their area, but will be known for their passion for developing and building world-class, global capabilities which span geographic and functional boundaries through coordinated and targeted development programmes.
• Must have a demonstrated track record of being an inspiring and motivating leader of line and task teams and a strong developer of talent.

LOCALE:
This is a global role that can be done from any AstraZeneca R&D site in UK, US or Sweden

HOW TO APPLY:
Please visit jobs.astrazeneca.com and search for job reference # 601551.

POLICY:
AstraZeneca is an Equal Opportunity Employer
http://www.astrazenecacareers.com