Associate Director, Project Management

AstraZeneca; Kendall Square (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

AstraZeneca in Cambridge, MA is seeking an Associate Director, Project Management to lead enterprise-scale transformations that accelerate how we deliver medicines to patients. You will drive cross-functional delivery within our R&D organization, guiding initiatives from concept to deployment with a global remit and exposure to senior leaders.

As a key leader within Site Management & Monitoring, you will shape standards, orchestrate delivery, and turn strategy into measurable outcomes, creating

Qualifications

• 4+ years of programme/project management experience.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders and achieve objectives.
• Ability to translate technical information into business language.
• Track record of delivering high-risk programme/projects.
• Experience in pharmaceutical/biotech environments is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise-scale transformation initiatives across Site Management & Monitoring.
• Own end-to-end delivery, ensuring time, cost, quality, scope, benefits and risk adherence.
• Align portfolios and stakeholders to avoid overlaps and enable timely decisions.
• Define and govern project standards, plans, benefits approach and work packages.
• Establish robust reporting and control mechanisms for transparent governance.
• Lead and develop the project management team and promote quality/compliance.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in business or scientific field

Job description

Job Title: Associate Director, Project Management

Location: Cambridge, MA

Introduction to role

Are you ready to lead enterprise-scale transformations that accelerate how we deliver medicines to patients? This role sits at the heart of our R&D organization, where scientific ambition meets operational excellence. You will drive complex, high-visibility projects that strengthen our pipeline and help promising science reach people who need it sooner.

As a key leader within our Site Management & Monitoring function, you will shape standards, orchestrate cross-functional delivery, and turn strategy into measurable outcomes. With a global remit and direct exposure to senior leaders, you will guide initiatives from concept to deployment, creating clarity, pace, and impact. Can you see yourself uniting diverse teams, harnessing data-driven insights, and lifting performance across an entire function?

Accountabilities

• Strategic Transformation Leadership: Spearhead high-impact transformation and improvement initiatives across Site Management & Monitoring, taking them from inception through global deployment and ensuring integration across R&D functions to unlock tangible value.
• End-to-End Ownership: Report to the Global Head of Site Management & Monitoring and exercise day-to-day authority to deliver within agreed time, cost, quality, scope, benefits, and risk tolerances; produce outcomes that achieve the defined business benefits.
• Portfolio and Stakeholder Alignment: Liaise with portfolio, programme and partner teams to avoid overlaps and drive alignment; influence senior stakeholders on strategy and advise on deviations from plan to enable timely decisions.
• Project Standards and Governance: Prepare and agree baseline management products with project teams and assurance roles, including the project brief and description, project plans, benefits management approach, stage/exception plans and work packages.
• Reporting and Controls: Establish robust reporting and control mechanisms, including issue reports, end stage reports, exception reports and end project reports, to enable transparent, data-informed governance.
• Team Leadership and Ways of Working: Lead and empower the project management team, set clear behavioural expectations, and ensure adoption of quality and compliance standards, policies and procedures; support project assurance activities.
• Risk, Value and Benefits Management: Identify, manage and, when appropriate, elevate risks and issues; steward benefits and value realization with clear metrics, adapting course to protect outcomes.
• Internal Delivery and Continuous Improvement: Support the Global Head and wider group on departmental initiatives; contribute to the development and maintenance of project management standards and guidelines; drive continuous improvement and knowledge sharing across programs.

Essential Skills/Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in business or scientific field (or Project Management related field) with 4 plus years of experience.
• Expertise in programme/project management, with a proven track record.
• Demonstrate strong communication and relationship building skills with the ability to influence others to achieve objectives.
• Experience of defining business strategies and influencing key stakeholders of the vision for the business area
• Strong networking/consulting skills with good internal/external links
• Ability to interpret and communicate technical information into business language and in alignment with AstraZeneca business
• Consistent record in delivering high-risk programme/projects and decision making
• Ability to convince and lead negotiations across a complex group

Desirable Skills/Experience

• Strong experience in transformation type projects with a deep understanding and practical application of design thinking principles and methodologies to drive innovation, user-centric solutions and customer experience enhancements.
• Robust understanding of processes with a significant emphasis on R&D
• Formal qualifications in project management, change management and/or process improvement methodologies.
• Experience of working in a global organisation with complex/geographical context
• Pharmaceutical Industry experience

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

Why AstraZeneca

Here, science moves with purpose and pace. We bring unexpected teams together to spark bold ideas, pairing cutting-edge technology with deep disease understanding to turn lab breakthroughs into real-world treatments. You will operate in a highly collaborative environm