Director, AI Strategy & Operations, AstraZeneca Beijing AI Center

The Beijing AI Center is a new strategic investment by AstraZeneca to accelerate drug discovery through AI. The center brings together AI researchers, computational scientists, and platform engineers to apply foundation models, agentic AI, and large-scale scientific computing to real R&D problems. Situated in one of the world’s most dynamic AI talent markets, it operates at the intersection of biologics discovery, computational chemistry, and AI-driven drug discovery.

The center is structured around three pillars: Discovery verticals (therapeutic design and preclinical predictions), Data & AI Platforms, and Ecosystem Partnerships with leading Chinese academic institutions and AI companies.

This role is the strategic and operational backbone of the Beijing AI Center. You sit alongside the center lead and function leads as a trusted thought partner and execution engine — making the center run better through cleaner decisions, faster follow-through, and clearer communication to global leadership.

Think of this as a Chief of Staff role with deep strategic thinking built in — not a traditional administrative function, but a strategic and operational force multiplier for the center. At the start, the emphasis is operational: the center needs its rhythms, decision-making infrastructure, and cross-functional processes established before strategic ambitions can fully land. By end of 2026, this role is expected to have stood up the center’s full operating rhythm and governance cadence, and begin to shape forward-looking strategic priorities (e.g., ecosystem partnerships).

You will lead by doing — establishing new ways of working, modeling excellence in execution, and creating the infrastructure and processes that enable the center to scale. You will be most visible when problems are ambiguous, cross-functional, or time-sensitive, and you will personally drive critical initiatives from conception through implementation.

Authority and Influence. This role has direct decision-making authority over the center’s operating cadence (meeting rhythms, agenda prioritization, and action-tracking protocols), standard operating procedures and playbooks, and day-to-day budget tracking and variance reporting. Decisions on budget allocation, the center’s overall operating model, and partnership commitments are made through cross-functional collaboration — this role shapes and structures those decisions, prepares the analytical foundations, and drives them to resolution.

Strategy Shaping & Partnerships

• Synthesize the AI in drug discovery landscape — emerging methods, technology capabilities, and external developments — into clear strategic options and recommendations for center and global leadership
• Shape the center’s approach to build, buy, and partner decisions across AI capabilities and scientific domains
• Develop strategy for the center’s ecosystem partnerships — with academic institutions and AI & tech companies — in close collaboration with China BD and Alliance Management teams
• Evaluate partnership opportunities with analytical rigor, assessing strategic fit and feasibility, and prepare structured recommendations for leadership decision-making
• Lead strategic planning cycles: design and facilitate quarterly and annual planning processes, translating strategic priorities into executable roadmaps with clear milestones and accountability

Operational Leadership & Hands-On Delivery

• Own the operating rhythm of the center: agenda-setting, cross-functional meeting cadence, action tracking, and follow-through across all functions
• Drive budget transparency and forecasting: maintain financial models, flag variances, and translate spend data into clear narratives for leadership
• Design and operationalize the center, in collaboration with China & global R&D, AISI, R&D IT, and EDE — with a year-one goal of standing up the full governance and meeting cadence by Q3 2026, and establishing clear accountabilities across the AI Science & Innovation (AISI), R&D IT, and Enterprise Data Enablement (EDE) functions by year-end.
• Build operational infrastructure: in year one, build the foundational layer — templates, playbooks, and SOPs for the center’s most critical recurring processes (financial planning & budget cycles, goal setting, partnership reviews) — so that operational decisions do not depend on ad hoc judgment each time
• Ensure China-global data sharing compliance: work alongside EDE, legal, and compliance teams to operationalize clear frameworks & apply to cross-border data transfers, partnerships, platform architecture decisions, and vendor agreements.  This will require working knowledge of PIPL (Personal Information Protection Law), DSL (Data Security Law), and cross-border data transfer requirements.
• Troubleshoot and unblock: identify bottlenecks in real-time and personally intervene to resolve issues, whether that means facilitating difficult conversations, clarifying decision rights, or coordinating across stakeholders

Leadership Communication

• Synthesize center progress, priorities, and decisions into leadership-ready materials for global AI and R&D leadership reviews
• Prepare leadership for key moments: anticipate questions, develop talking points, and ensure leaders are equipped with the right information and framing for critical meetings and decisions
• Draft briefing documents, pre-reads, and slide decks that communicate clearly across scientific, operational, and executive audiences

Experience

• PhD or advanced degree with a strong life sciences background (computational biology, chemistry, biology, bioinformatics, or a closely related field)
• 4+ years of strategy consulting experience at McKinsey, BCG, Bain, or equivalent top-tier firm
• Demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous problems and deliver clear, action-oriented recommendations
• Experience in cross-functional or matrix environments; biopharma or technology sector exposure a plus
• Demonstrated track record of hands-on delivery: examples of personally building processes, driving implementations, or standing up new capabilities from scratch
• Experience driving organizational change: successfully led or contributed to transformation initiatives in complex, matrixed environments

Skills

• Exceptional structured thinking: comfortable with issue trees, hypothesis-driven analysis, and synthesizing complex information into clear narratives
• Strong written communication: able to draft executive-ready documents, slide decks, and briefing materials independently
• Financial literacy: able to build and manage budget models, interpret variances, and communicate financial status to non-finance stakeholders
• Operational discipline: takes ownership of agendas, action tracking, and follow-through without prompting
• Stakeholder management: credible with both scientific leaders and executive audiences

China-Specific

• Ability to work in Beijing full-time (on-site)
• Mandarin fluency required
• Familiarity with the Beijing talent and innovation ecosystem is an advantage

Mindset

• Comfortable with ambiguity: the center is still being built and priorities will evolve
• Low ego, high impact: willing to do unglamorous operational work alongside high-visibility strategic work
• Curious about AI and drug discovery — working fluency will develop quickly on the job
• Discretion and judgment: visibility into sensitive decisions, budgets, and leadership dynamics across the center

Nice-to-Have

• Prior exposure to AI, data science, or technology platform environments
• Experience in biopharma or biotech R&D settings
• Experience supporting C-suite or senior leadership in fast-moving environments

Date Posted

Closing Date

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity.  We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills.  We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.  We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics.  We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.