Senior Director, AI Business Partner – Enabling Functions

Senior Director AI Business Partner Enabling Functions

Cambridge UK

Competitive salary and benefits

Introduction to role

The AI Business Partner Enabling Functions acts as the critical link between AstraZenecas core enabling capabilities and our enterprise AI agenda. Covering Legal Procurement Finance Business Development Audit and Compliance this position combines functional domain insight hands-on delivery and technical fluency to turn complex business processes into scalable AI solutions that deliver measurable outcomes. This is not a coordination role. It is a builder and owner role working at the intersection of risk regulation and operational complexity to move AI from idea to impact responsibly and at pace. How will AI reshape the way we contract spend report partner audit and stay compliant This role exists to answer that question in practice.

Accountabilities

Lead strategy and portfolio ownership for AI across Enabling Functions holding end-to-end accountability from roadmap definition through to value realisation. Shape and maintain a clear AI roadmap aligned to the priorities of Legal Procurement Finance Business Development Audit and Compliance balancing rapid experiments with longer-term transformation. Build robust business cases and value narratives that resonate with senior functional leaders framing ROI in terms of risk reduction process efficiency cost avoidance and decision quality. Embed reuse principles so that solutions built for one function can be adapted and scaled across others maximising impact from each investment.

Act as a high-fidelity translator between business and technology engaging functional leaders process owners and subject matter experts to surface unmet needs and high-value decision points where AI can drive meaningful outcomes. Translate these needs into well-scoped AI use cases with clear problem statements success metrics data requirements and risk tiering while also explaining technical constraints and possibilities in language that drives decisions. Maintain sufficient technical depth to interrogate solution designs challenge assumptions and ensure approaches are right-sized for sensitive domains such as contract analysis financial modelling or regulatory monitoring.

Drive hands-on delivery by partnering closely with enterprise AI teams and working directly with tools and data to accelerate progress. Lead rapid prototyping and proof-of-concept development using low-code and no-code platforms or in close collaboration with engineering teams iterating quickly to validate ideas before full-scale build. Own the full solution lifecycle from pilot design through scaled deployment adoption planning KPI tracking outcome measurement and decommissioning where appropriate. Ensure robust evidence frameworks are in place to quantify value across areas such as contract cycle time reduction audit exception detection rates or forecast accuracy improvements.

Lead change management for AI adoption in process-critical and risk-aware environments. Partner with functional leaders to embed AI-augmented practices into day-to-day operations rather than delivering isolated pilots. Identify required process shifts in workflows approvals document handling and evidence standards ensuring they are implemented sustainably and aligned with internal controls. Navigate the cultural dynamics of Enabling Functions where professional standards and regulatory accountability shape how change is received. Support AI literacy and upskilling by working with learning and HR teams on targeted capability-building programmes tailored to each functions risk appetite and ways of working.

Champion data governance and compliance as first-order responsibilities. Partner with data and technology teams to ensure data used in AI solutions is AI-ready and compliant with enterprise standards and relevant regulations such as GDPR HIPAA the EU AI Act SOX controls in Finance and legal privilege considerations in Legal. Ensure each AI use case follows the enterprise governance framework including registry-before-scale model and data cards ongoing monitoring and human-in-the-loop oversight for high-stakes decisions. Maintain alignment with quality legal compliance and safety requirements throughout the solution lifecycle so that AI outputs do not create regulatory or reputational exposure.

Build and manage an ecosystem of partnerships that support Enabling Function priorities. Represent Enabling Functions in discussions with external partners such as legal technology vendors procurement platforms financial systems providers and regulatory bodies. Shape pilots and joint programmes with strategic technology partners in areas like AI-assisted contract intelligence automated spend classification or continuous compliance monitoring. Feed market insights back into the roadmap so emerging capabilities in legal AI procurement intelligence or financial automation can accelerate AstraZenecas internal agenda.

Integrate Enabling Functions into the broader enterprise AI organisation. Serve as the primary interface between Enabling Functions and enterprise AI teams to clarify ownership priorities and hand-offs. Contribute actively to enterprise forums on reuse standards and operating model evolution by sharing lessons learned from Enabling Function deployments that others across the business can adopt.

Essential Skills/Experience

The ideal candidate brings a combination of capabilities that is genuinely rare someone who understands the operational and regulatory fabric of Enabling Functions can hold a strategic conversation with a General Counsel or CFO prototype a low-code solution the same week and navigate the governance requirements that make responsible AI deployment in these functions non-negotiable.

Domain expertise in one or more Enabling Functions Legal Procurement Finance Business Development Audit or Compliance with a strong appreciation of how the others interconnect

Hands-on experience with low-code and no-code platforms and a genuine comfort working directly with data to explore assess and shape solutions

Proven ability to translate between business process complexity and AI capability in both directions with high fidelity and without oversimplification

Delivery track record across complex cross-functional programmes involving AI automation or digital transformation in process-intensive environments

Strong stakeholder and change management skills with the credibility to influence senior functional leaders who operate in risk-aware compliance-driven environments

Familiarity with AI governance responsible AI principles and the specific regulatory frameworks relevant to Enabling Functions including data privacy financial controls and legal and ethical AI use

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

AstraZeneca offers an environment where technology talent works side by side with scientific expertise to disrupt an industry and change lives through data analytics AI and machine learning; where experimentation is encouraged through hackathons and modern engineering practices; where there is real investment in learning every day through coaching feedback and exposure to cutting-edge tools; where diverse minds collaborate across functions to solve problems that have never been tackled before; and where the impact of optimising core operations is felt directly in the ability to deliver life-changing medicines to patients worldwide.

Ready to take ownership of an AI portfolio that sits at the heart of how AstraZeneca runs Apply now.

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