About the AstraZeneca

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. But we're more than one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. 

At AstraZeneca, we're proud to have a unique workplace culture that inspires innovation and collaboration. Here, employees are empowered to express diverse perspectives - and are made to feel valued, energized and rewarded for their ideas and creativity. 

About The role

The Lead Enterprise Architect will ensure that common architecture decisions support both business and IT strategy, and that architectures delivered are compliant with relevant AZ architecture standards, blueprints and roadmaps. The role will assess and review the work of both Enterprise and Solution architecture and create a balance between the immediate and the strategic. As a Senior Enterprise Architect, the role is focused on strategic planning typically over the 1-5 year horizon.

The role will be accountable for the development of architecture standards, roadmaps (1-5 years) and blueprints for one or more architecture focus areas. The role will understand implications of architecture requirements to ‘As-Is’ architectures and define/update ‘To-Be’ architectures applying AZ architecture guiding principles. The Enterprise Architect will also support solution development efforts originating from portfolios, participate in and/or lead IT initiatives, domain groups and provide active guidance for better planning and decision making. and lead / contribute to continued development of the project / programme management capability.

The Lead Enterprise Architect will be accountable for:

• Provide Enterprise Design thinking & support to AZ’s Enterprise in one of the below focused domains of architecture.
  • Business
  • Data
  • Application
  • Infrastructure
• Lead the effort to ensure that common architecture decisions support the business and IS strategy, and that the architectures delivered are compliant with relevant AZ architecture standards, blueprints and roadmaps.
• Participate in Architecture Assessments & Reviews either as Lead Reviewing Architect or as a Subject Matter Expert in the review team.
• Contribute to the development of the Architecture Capability within IS, by documenting and sharing knowledge and best practices with peer Architects.
• Be accountable for the development of architecture standards, technology domain strategies, roadmaps and blueprints for one or more architecture focus areas.
• Understand implications of IT architecture requirements to ‘As-Is’ architectures and define/update ‘To-Be architectures applying AZ architecture guiding principles.
• Support solution development efforts originating from portfolios, participate in IT initiatives and provide active guidance and value for better planning and decision making.
• Maintain a view of the current and future state (1-5 years) architecture within a defined architecture focus area.
• Develop Architecture Building Blocks to support implementation of Enterprise Architecture in the specific area.
• Lead and/or provide active participation in Enterprise domain teams and working groups applicable to domain accountability.

Requirements

Essential

• Relevant technical degree or equivalent
• Experience producing application strategies/roadmaps for a global enterprise in their focused architecture domain
• Experience with rationalisation, consolidation and integration across business domains
• Experience with large Justification phase work – product evaluation, business case formulation
• Experience developing and influencing business strategies with cross functional team impact.
• Experience developing and leading innovative solutions
• Proven experience of leading change and challenging approaches/ideas
• Experience developing and managing relationships with third party suppliers
• Experience working within and developing policies, procedures and guidelines within a secure, quality, and compliance environment
• Strong networking skills with good internal/external links
• Strong communication, facilitation and relationship building skills
• Ability to interpret and communicate technical information into business language
• Awareness of developments in the marketplace and understand the relevance and potential impact to AZ IS
• Ability to work well in diverse, multinational teams and proven ability to influence others to achieve positive outcomes

Desirable

• Good business acumen
• Understanding of the pharmaceutical/healthcare industry and of competitor activity, on a particular architecture and Information Management
• Third Party suppliers
• Vendor / System integrators Support
• Architecture Professional and Industry bodies
• Technical forums

Why AstraZeneca?

At AstraZeneca when we see an opportunity for change, we seize it and make it happen, because any opportunity no matter how small, can be the start of something big. Delivering life-changing medicines is about being entrepreneurial - finding those moments and recognising their potential. Join us on our journey of building a new kind of organisation to reset expectations of what a bio-pharmaceutical company can be. This means we’re opening new ways to work, pioneering cutting edge methods and bringing unexpected teams together.