Executive Director, Head of Strategy & Business Transformation

Role Summary

Executive Director, Head of Strategy & Business Transformation. Reporting directly to the Chief Medical Officer and serving as a member of the CMO Leadership Team, this role defines and executes the CMO’s short- and long-term business strategy, influencing senior leadership on high-impact strategies and designs.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead high-impact strategic initiatives that advance the CMO’s operating model, including the AI roadmap. Leverage external insights from digital health, AI, and professional networks to inform capability-building, solution prioritization, and future-ready operations.
• Drive synergies, simplification, and productivity initiatives to achieve cost efficiencies across the CMO.
• Actively collaborate with internal and external networks to stay abreast of industry trends, contributing to and influencing evolving best practices.
• Present outcomes of key strategy implementation and business transformation projects to AZ senior leadership, highlighting benefits in cost, speed, and quality, and demonstrating return on investment (ROI).

Qualifications

• Required: Deep expertise in drug development and operational decision-making.
• Required: Strong strategic and analytical mindset, with the ability to structure and resolve complex, ambiguous problems.
• Required: Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and align cross-functional teams.
• Required: Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the agility to move seamlessly between detailed analysis and high-level narrative.
• Required: Proven success navigating matrixed organizations and collaborating across scientific, operational, and enterprise domains.
• Required: Highly self-directed, with the ambition and capability to independently lead high-stakes, cross-functional initiatives.

Education

• Masters in science/engineering or other advanced degree in appropriate discipline
• Experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, or pharma strategy/portfolio roles
• Exposure to enterprise planning cycles (e.g. MTP, governance, budget planning)
• Network in external innovation, AI, or digital health ecosystems is a plus