Operational Excellence Director

Please note resumes most be submitted in EnglishAt AstraZeneca, we pride ourselves on crafting a collaborative culture that champions knowledge-sharing, ambitious thinking and innovation - ultimately providing employees with the opportunity to work across teams, functions and even the globe.Recognizing the importance of individualized flexibility, our ways of working allow employees to balance personal and work commitments while ensuring we continue to create a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork by engaging face-to-face in our offices 3 days a week. Our head office and BlueSky Hub in downtown Toronto are purposely designed with collaboration in mind, providing space where teams can come together to strategize, brainstorm and connect on key projects.Our dedication to sustainability is also central to our culture and part of what makes AstraZeneca a great place to work. We know the health of people, the planet and our business are interconnected which is why we’re taking ambitious action to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to access to healthcare and disease prevention.Key Responsibilities:This role will be responsible for providing support to the Operational Excellence Leader and will work closely with all R&D IT (including Operations Managers, Portfolio, Practices & Governance) Global IT (including Enterprise Technology Services, Strategy and Performance) and other functions as needed. A key accountability is to accelerate change and transformation initiatives, performance metrics and tracking, drive initiatives to improve ways of working, lead employee communication strategies and various initiatives to support R&D IT and OneIT.Typical Accountabilities:- Accelerate strategy enabling one R&D IT and One IT Culture - including project leading initiatives with ambiguity, complexity and cross functional collaborators - including preparing change management plans, communications and following through to execution- Accountable for partnering with various colleagues to ensure a clear plan and track execution to drive initiatives including : pulse improvements, supporting MTP/LTP processes, improved processes and refreshing of R&D IT strategy etc- Partner with S&P and other team members to ensure various results are provided in advance of deadlines including scorecards, etc- Prepare various communication materials, and lead R&D IT cross enterprise activities, pulse improvement plans- Lead efforts to ensure Operational Health for R&D IT is running as efficiently as possible across global teams- Lead various projects to drive improved ways of working within R&D ITEducation, Qualifications, Skills- Bachelor level degree in Information Technology, Math, Science, Engineering and/or Business. Master's level degree preferred.- Certified in Lean Six Sigma, Lean or Business Process Management- Minimum 7- 10 years combined experience in Information Systems, Project Management, Continuous Improvement leadership roles- 5 years leading large-scale Operational Excellence initiatives with strong Organizational Change experience and Change Management expertise;- Experience in leading various change management efforts - ideally enterprise change experience- Strong leadership skills and ability to work well in a matrixed organization - A background of successfully leading change initiatives; a background in process/continuous improvement with a focus on metrics/KPIs- Well-honed relationship building and negotiating skills; Partners well with colleagues to work through cross-functional issues at either a business unit, department level or organization level- Experience leading in a matrix, influencing in a matrix and leading culture change- Ability to leverage data to analyze performance, develop insights and effectively partner with resources to optimize operational excellence- Demonstrate ability to implement continuous process improvements focusing on operational efficiencies, internal and external customer relationships, engagement and motivating impactful teams- Effective collaboration skills with ability to get results and successfully manage through adversity- Excellent project delivery skills with proven track record to define problem statements, business cases, measures and then implement to deliver benefits.- Able to work virtually, in a global organization, develop and maintain networks across business and cultural boundaries- PROSCI certified & PMP certifiedGreat People want to Work with us Find out why:- GTAA Top Employer Award for 9 years- Learn about our culture- Learn more about working with us in Canada- View our YouTube channel