Head of AI & Digital Excellence

AstraZeneca plc; Dubai; On-site; AED 600,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca seeks a senior leader to head AI and Digital Excellence, aligning market strategy with global programs to accelerate Ambition 2030. You will collaborate with IT, commercial, medical, and enterprise teams to translate priorities into market impact across Customer Engagement, Business Excellence and Data & Analytics.

The role requires leadership across functions, strong communication, and a track record delivering AI-driven commercial improvements within healthcare.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare commercial roles.
• Highly developed communication and influencing abilities across organisational teams and levels in a matrixed environment.
• Experience in Data, Insight and Analytics (including forecasting, performance analytics and data visualisation), and familiarity with digital health / EMR-enabled deployment.

Responsibilities

• AI-enabled go-to-market design: define and evolve the market's AI and data-enabled customer engagement strategy across channels, embedding personalisation across channels and field models.
• Campaign operations & enterprise platforms: adopt and scale enterprise customer-engagement solutions in-market for omnichannel orchestration and next-best-action.
• Data foundation and analytics: partner with IT to build an AI-ready data foundation, champion real-world, CRM and engagement data, and drive data-driven decision making.

Job description

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science‑led, patient‑focused biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. But we’re more than one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

Role Summary

At AstraZeneca we believe in the potential of our people and that you’ll develop beyond what you thought possible. We make the most of your skills and passion by actively supporting you to see what you can achieve no matter where you start with us.

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation‑driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. AstraZeneca is one of only a handful of pure‑play biopharmaceutical companies to span the entire value chain of a medicine from discovery, early‑ and late‑stage development to manufacturing and distribution, and the global commercialization of primary care and specialty care medicines that transform lives. Our primary focus is on key areas of healthcare: Oncology; Cardiovascular and Renal Metabolic disease (CVRM) and Respiratory + Immunology – and Rare Disease.

The Head of AI and Digital Excellence is responsible for leading the market’s strategy to maximise the potential of AI and Digital to accelerate AstraZeneca’s in‑market delivery of Ambition 2030. This senior market‑level leadership role mirrors and connects into the regional (International) AI and Digital team and Enterprise AI (EAI) and works in lockstep with IT to translate global and regional priorities into market impact, and to feed market needs back into global programmes.

In this highly cross‑functional, cross‑therapy‑area role, the Head of AI and Digital Excellence spans three interconnected domains Customer Engagement, Business Excellence and Data & Analytics and Process Transformation and operates at the intersection of commercial, medical, and enterprise functions.

• Customer Engagement: Transform the go‑to‑market model across personal and non-personal channels to improve effectiveness, drive personalisation, and lift the impact of customer engagement.
• Business Excellence: Bring innovation and automation to salesforce operations including segmentation and targeting strategy, sizing and territory alignment, incentive compensation and performance management mechanisms
• Data & Analytics and Process Transformation: In close partnership with IT, focus on how we use data to drive outcomes, enable automation, and re‑wire critical processes starting with performance analytics and the annual business cycle
• Transform Care: Help execute and implement the Transform Care strategy owned by medical managing vendors, supporting implementation, partnering with the enterprise to identify scalable partners, and locally scouting innovation partners where no global one exists.

The Head of AI and Digital Excellence reports to the Country President and is a key member of the Country Leadership Team. This is a role for a leader who combines strategic thinking with operational credibility: comfortable engaging with business unit heads, functional leads, regional and global leadership, while also rolling up their sleeves to drive delivery.

What you’ll do

Customer Engagement:

• AI‑enabled go‑to‑market design: Define and evolve the market’s AI and data enabled customer engagement strategy across personal and non-personal channels, embedding personalisation across channels and field models to deliver the right message to the right customer, through the right channel, at the right time
• Campaign operations & enterprise platforms: Adopt and scale enterprise customer‑engagement solutions in‑market for omnichannel orchestration, next‑best‑action, segment‑of‑one campaigns and personalised HCP engagement, in partnership with EA and GBS
• Digital Footprint: Govern the market's digital presence including owned channels (websites, portals, apps), ensuring content is current, compliant, and aligned to the broader engagement strategy
• AI Augmented Field: Reduce ‘no-joy’ work through deployment of AI‑enabled field productivity tools (e.g., digital selling tools, remote engagement platforms, and AI‑powered next‑best‑action recommendations).

Business Excellence:

• Commercial operations: Own the core commercial operations engine segmentation, targeting, call planning, incentive design, field sizing and deployment, and CRM operations in partnership with therapy area leads, increasingly powered by AI‑driven insights to ensure resource allocation reflects customer preferences and commercial priorities
• Salesforce excellence: Drive salesforce excellence in partnership with the therapy areas capability building, coaching frameworks, and AI‑enabled productivity programmes that raise the quality and impact of every customer interaction
• Measurement: Act as the primary point of accountability for customer engagement performance metrics including reach, frequency, engagement rates, and channel ROI

Data & Analytics and Process Transformation:

• AI‑ready Data Foundation: In close partnership with IT who own where data sits and how it is processed focus on how the market uses data to drive outcomes, enable automation and inform decisions. Champion the use of real‑world data, market data, CRM data, and digital engagement data to generate insights that inform commercial strategy, resource allocation, and customer engagement planning
• Data‑Driven Decision Making: Re‑wire key performance analytics (commercial, medical, market access) with standardised datasets, highly visual dashboards and AI‑enabled analytics to accelerate decision‑making
• AI & Automation: Identify, pilot, and scale AI and automation use cases across the market, including but not limited to next‑best‑action engines, predictive targeting, content generation, and operational automation
• Process Transformation: Lead the redesign of core commercial and operational processes to increase efficiency, reduce friction, and free capacity for high‑value activities leveraging digital tools and automation where appropriate
• Upskilling and Adoption: Define and execute the in‑market upskilling agenda building AI literacy, data fluency and digital ways‑of‑working across functions

Matrix Leadership

• Talent and leadership: Lead and build the market AI and Digital team; recruit, develop and retain local talent and use the function as a hub for capability building and talent exchange.
• Transform Care: Support the Digital, Data and Operational execution of medical‑led Transform Care Strategy and programs (e.g., project management, vendor and implementation management) to deliver measurable improvements in earlier patient identification, faster and more accurate diagnosis, optimised treatment selection and continuous monitoring
• Enterprise alignment: Operate in lockstep with IT and align with the regional AI and Digital team, Enterprise AI and Global Functions to secure prioritisation and resources.

Essential for the role

• Significant experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare commercial roles, with a strong understanding of the end‑to‑end commercial model.
• Highly developed communication and influencing abilities across organisational teams and levels in a matrixed operating environment.
• Ability to express sophisticated ideas in a clear and compelling way to multiple internal and external partner groups.
• Experience in Data, Insight and Analytics (including forecasting, performance analytics and data visualisation), and familiarity with digital health / EMR‑enabled deployment.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in digital, commercial excellence, or transformation functions.
• Track record of delivering measurable business impact through omnichannel, digital, or data‑driven initiatives.
• Strong analytical capability and comfort working with data to generate and communicate insights.
• Experience managing cross‑functional programmes and external partners/vendors.
• Ability to operate effectively across medical, commercial, and enterprise functions.

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 unleash 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.

Where can I find out more?

• Our social media, Follow AstraZeneca on LinkedIn
• Follow AstraZeneca on Facebook
• Follow AstraZeneca on Instagram

Date Posted 03-Nov-2026

Closing Date 09-Nov-2026

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.