Global HR Business Partner- Alexion R&D

AstraZeneca; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 122,000 - 183,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

AstraZeneca is seeking a Global HR Business Partner for Alexion R&D in Boston to translate scientific priorities into workforce and organization strategies. The role focuses on AI, automation, and new ways of working to shape roles and capabilities.

You will lead workforce planning, talent development, and change initiatives in a global, matrixed environment. Reporting to the Head of RDU HR, Global R&D, you will collaborate across AstraZeneca HR functions to deliver integrated solutions, coach

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 8+ years of progressive HR experience, including partnering with leaders on workforce, talent, organization and change priorities.
• AI and digital fluency, with ability to translate tech changes into workforce strategies.
• Ability to use workforce data, analytics and external insights to inform decisions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic advisor to R&D leaders translating priorities into people and organization strategies.
• Lead strategic workforce planning including demand/supply analysis and scenario planning.
• Assess impact of AI, automation and emerging technologies on work design and skills.
• Develop talent and capability strategies using build, buy, borrow, redeploy and automate approaches.
• Drive people and change agenda for digital and AI-enabled transformation.
• Partner with HR functions to deliver joined-up solutions across the organization.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Executive communication

Consulting mindset

Change management

People leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Global HR Business Partner- Alexion R&D

Boston, MA

Alexion HR

Hybrid Work- on average 3 days a week from office

At Alexion, we are a talented, global team working to transform the lives of people affected by rare and devastating diseases. As a key enabler of our evolving Rare Disease R&D organization, the HR Business Partner team helps unlock the power of science by ensuring we have the organization, leadership, talent, and capabilities needed to deliver for patients.

Reporting to the Head of RDU HR, Global R&D, the HRBP serves as a strategic talent and workforce advisor to R&D leaders. The role translates business and scientific priorities into workforce, talent, organization, and culture strategies, with a particular focus on how AI, automation, and new ways of working are reshaping roles, skills, and workforce needs.

Working across Alexion and AstraZeneca, the HRBP combines strong business acumen, workforce insight, and practical HR expertise to anticipate talent risks, strengthen organizational capability, and enable leaders and teams to perform through change.

What you'll do

• Serving as a trusted strategic advisor to R&D leaders, translating business, portfolio, and scientific priorities into integrated people and organization strategies.
• Leading strategic workforce planning, including demand and supply analysis, scenario planning, critical-role identification, and assessment of workforce risks and capability gaps.
• Assessing how AI, automation, and emerging technologies will change work, role design, team structures, and the skills required to deliver future business priorities.
• Developing talent and capability strategies that use build, buy, borrow, redeploy, and automate approaches to address current and future workforce needs.
• Advancing skills-based talent practices, including skills mapping, capability assessment, succession planning, internal mobility, reskilling, and upskilling.
• Partnering with leaders on organization design and operating model effectiveness to clarify accountabilities, decision rights, interfaces, and the most effective balance of human and technology-enabled work.
• Using workforce analytics, talent intelligence, and business insights to identify trends, test assumptions, inform decisions, and measure the impact of people strategies.
• Leading the people and change agenda for business, digital, and AI-enabled transformation, including stakeholder alignment, leadership readiness, adoption, and sustained behavior change.
• Providing coaching and challenge to leaders on leadership effectiveness, team performance, talent decisions, culture, inclusion, engagement, and employee experience.
• Driving integrated talent planning across acquisition, development, performance, succession, retention, and deployment, with particular attention to critical and emerging capabilities.
• Partnering across AstraZeneca HR, including Talent Acquisition, Talent and Development, Total Rewards, Employee Relations, Inclusion and Diversity, People Services, and other Centers of Expertise, to deliver joined-up solutions.
• Providing sound guidance on complex people matters while balancing employee needs, business priorities, risk, consistency, and organizational values.
• Ensuring high-quality execution of core HR processes, data, and systems, while continuously improving how HR work is delivered and using digital and AI tools responsibly to increase insight, speed, and impact.

Essential for the role

• Bachelor's degree
• 8+ years of progressive HR experience, including experience partnering with leaders on workforce, talent, organization, and change priorities.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to understand R&D strategy, scientific priorities, operating models, and the workforce implications of business decisions.
• Demonstrated capability in strategic workforce planning, talent strategy, organization design, and organizational effectiveness.
• AI and digital fluency, with the ability to help leaders understand how technology is changing work and to translate those changes into practical workforce and skills strategies.
• Ability to use workforce data, analytics, and external insights to frame issues, develop scenarios, and influence evidence-based decisions.
• Strong consulting, problem-solving, and facilitation skills, including the ability to challenge constructively and navigate ambiguity.
• Experience leading complex change and transformation across a global, highly matrixed organization.
• Strong leadership coaching, stakeholder management, and collaboration skills across business leaders and HR partners.
• High learning agility and the ability to manage multiple, changing priorities with sound judgment.
• A high level of ethics, integrity, confidentiality, accountability, and commitment to responsible use of data and AI.

Desirable for the role

• Experience supporting R&D, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, or another complex knowledge-based environment.
• Experience with strategic workforce planning, skills-based talent approaches, workforce analytics, or AI-enabled business transformation.
• Experience working effectively across global and highly matrixed organizations.
• Advanced degree and/or relevant professional certification

Office Working Requirements

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.

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $121,836.00 - 182,754.00 USD. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives—an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

• qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.