Portfolio Project Lead - Productivity Initiatives

Portfolio Project Lead - Productivity Initiatives

Location: Luton, UK / Warsaw, Poland

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person.

In GBS we dare to change the way we work – we are brave, resilient and take smart risks with a focus on simplifying the way we work. Through our global scale and diverse services, we look to drive value through our innovation and expertise. This requires a team who see no boundaries, can collaborate and challenge the norm and feel empowered, motivated and engaged.

In our role as a global business services group, we are passionate about working smarter, to free up time, free up money, protect value and provide new capabilities to the enterprise – all to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines.

Reporting to the Head of Productivity Initiatives, and working closely with the Productivity Initiative Leads and the GBS Acceleration & Expansion Programme Director, this exciting role will provide technical leadership and set the direction for identifying and driving opportunity prioritisation within the GBS Acceleration & Expansion Programme, and across the AstraZeneca enterprise. Working closely with stakeholders across the SET areas, this role will help to identify potential opportunities that could improve business processes and promote the GBS and PI team. This is a key role in helping to drive the success of the GBS Acceleration & Expansion programme, which is part of the AZ Future of Work Programme.

To be successful in this role, you will need to be confident, proactive and have solid experience building relationships and aligning programme and business stakeholders. A strong understanding of the enterprise is a must, looking at the bigger picture and willing to challenge the norm, drive high standards and accountability and seek continuous improvements. The ideal candiate will be proactive and have the ability to build strong relationships at all levels.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Working closely with the GBS Programme Director and the Productivity Initiative (PI) Leads you will:

• Provide technical leadership and expertise across the portfolio of opportunities
• Develop, implement and maintain a robust prioritisation assessment of the opportunity pipeline
• Lead the championing of new opportunities
• Manage the governance process for opportunities which facilitate (re)prioritisation of objectives and resources, ensuring this follows both internal and external regulations, where relevant
• Oversee development of opportunities to ensure that internal and external resources are balanced within the overall portfolio
• Actively manage the portfolio of projects, ensuring that interdependencies are captured within the team, within GBS and the wider AZ organisation
• Apply specialist expertise in implementing new strategies and communicating new visions, and support this capability within the teams
• Ensure that identified opportunities are in line with AstraZeneca vision, strategy, standards and any external regulations
• Represent the team to the wider organisation and at external events
• Network with colleagues and experts to agree and clarify programme priorities, providing strategy advice based on programme performance and progress and serving as a resource for others by sharing experience within and beyond the programme team
• Support PI Leads to manage relationships with key business stakeholders and ensure that business requirements are effectively captured
• Support efficient and effective management of project information, quality of data and projection and integrity of information supplied
• Leading by example by keeping up to date on recent developments and emerging trends in the external market, across the business, and encourage others to do so as well

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Essential:

• Degree level qualification or professional Project Management qualification
• Extensive experience in Business Strategy and/or Portfolio management, within a global organisation with complex/geographical context
• Thorough knowledge of Business Strategy and/or Portfolio management processes
• Demonstrate excellent ability to lead, influence, and negotiate with, a wide variety of stakeholders including senior leadership
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills with experience of collaborating and sharing knowledge between teams
• Strong networking/consulting skills with good internal/external links
• Ability to interpret and communicate technical information into business language and in alignment with AZ business
• Excellent business engagement and business acumen with sensitivity to political/economic environment
• Experience of working within a quality and compliance environment and application of policies, procedures and guidelines

Desirable:

• Experience within Portfolio / Project management within productivity
• Background in providing consultancy services
• Cascade and Smartsheet experience

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca, we 're dedicated to being a Great Place to Work. Where you are empowered to push the boundaries of science and fuel your entrepreneurial spirit. There’s no better place to make a difference to medicine, patients and society. An inclusive culture that champions diversity and collaboration, and always committed to lifelong learning, growth and development. We’re on an exciting journey to pioneer the future of healthcare.

Please note that AstraZeneca adopts a flexible working policy, this is an office-based role and the expectation is that you are in the office 3 days per week.

So, what’s next?

Are you already imagining yourself joining our team? Good, because we can’t wait to hear from you! Are you ready to bring new insights and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available, and we hope it’s yours

Where can I find out more? Our Social Media:

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Date Posted

Closing Date

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.