Director, Commercial IT - Business Partner, Patient

Director, Commercial IT – Business Partner, Patient Services 

US Commercial Technology | Patient Access & Support Programs 

Introduction to the Role 

The US patient services landscape is undergoing rapid transformation – from hub and specialty pharmacy models to AI-driven engagement platforms and increasingly complex access and affordability challenges. This role sits at the intersection of that transformation and AstraZeneca’s ambition to be a data- and AI-led enterprise. 

As Director, Commercial IT – Business Partner, Patient Services, you will be the senior technology partner for US Patient Services, encompassing Patient Affordability Programs (AZ&Me), Reimbursement Support (Access 360) and Field Market Access (Field Reimbursement Managers) and Support Programs (AZ IC), across the US business. You will combine deep hands-on expertise in Salesforce Life Sciences Cloud with a practitioner-level grasp of AI engineering and agile delivery to design, build, and ship solutions that genuinely move the needle for patients and the business. 

Critically, you will act as a thought leader – bringing an informed, current view of the external US healthcare environment to every conversation, shaping the technology roadmap from the outside-in, and helping business partners understand what is possible as well as what is necessary. You will engage with a wide range of stakeholders from senior leadership to front-line operations teams, and you will be measured on what gets delivered. 

Accountabilities

Thought Leadership & Strategic Direction 

• Serve as the domain authority on technology and digital trends relevant to US patient services – including access programs, hub services, copay and free-drug programs, and specialty pharmacy dynamics – proactively bringing external insight into internal strategy. 

• Shape a multi-year technology roadmap for Patient Services IT that reflects the evolving US payer, regulatory, and patient-engagement landscape. 

• Act as a credible strategic advisor to senior business leaders, translating complex technology possibilities into clear business value. 

Salesforce Life Sciences Cloud & AI Engineering 

• Own the end-to-end design and evolution of Salesforce Life Sciences Cloud capabilities supporting patient programs, including Health Cloud, Service Cloud, Experience Cloud, and Data Cloud integrations. 

• Lead the identification, evaluation, and engineering of AI-powered solutions – including generative AI, predictive models, and intelligent automation – that enhance patient support, access decision-making, and program operations. 

• Partner with Commercial AI, Data Science, and Enterprise Architecture teams to ensure AI solutions are robust, explainable, compliant, and production-ready. 

• Define and govern the technical architecture for patient services platforms, ensuring scalability, security, and integration with enterprise systems (ERP, MDM, specialty pharmacy feeds, hub vendor platforms). 

Agile Delivery & Execution 

• Drive a delivery-first culture: own the end-to-end delivery of technology solutions from discovery through production, holding yourself and your team accountable to committed outcomes, not just activities. 

• Lead agile ceremonies (sprint planning, backlog refinement, retrospectives) and ensure agile ways of working are applied consistently and effectively across the portfolio. 

• Establish clear KPIs and delivery metrics; report progress transparently to stakeholders at all levels, escalating risks early and resolving blockers decisively. 

• Manage and prioritise a complex programme of concurrent initiatives, balancing strategic build with tactical BAU needs. 

Stakeholder Engagement & Business Partnership 

• Build trusted relationships across the full stakeholder spectrum – from Executive and VP-level business sponsors to programme managers, operations leads, and third-party hub and specialty pharmacy vendors. 

• Ensure technology strategy is co-created with business leaders rather than handed down. 

• Partner with Global Commercial IT, Enterprise Architecture, Legal, Compliance, and Privacy teams to ensure solutions meet all regulatory and GxP requirements. 

• Mentor and develop a team of Business Analysts, fostering deep domain knowledge and a delivery mindset; share best practice across relevant communities of practice. 

Quality, Compliance & Continuous Improvement 

• Ensure all solutions adhere to AstraZeneca’s quality, compliance, and data governance standards, including applicable GxP requirements. 

• Drive continuous improvement in process, tooling, and team capability – regularly reviewing what is working and acting on findings. 

Essential Skills & Experience:

Technical and Educational Expertise:

• Bachelor's Degree

• Minimum 7+ years of relevant experience

• Deep hands-on experience with Salesforce Life Sciences Cloud (Health Cloud, Service Cloud, Experience Cloud, Data Cloud). Ability to architect solutions, guide technical teams, and engage credibly with Salesforce partners and other technology vendors.  

• Demonstrable experience designing and delivering AI-powered solutions – including use of large language models, predictive analytics, or intelligent automation – in a commercial or patient services context. Familiarity with AI development tools, prompt engineering, RAG architectures, and responsible AI frameworks.  

• Deep experience working with complex integrated technology environments, including API design, data pipelines, and third-party platform integrations (specialty pharmacy, hub service providers, EHR/EMR, MDM).   

US Healthcare & Patient Services Domain Knowledge 

• Extensive knowledge of the US patient services ecosystem: hub services, patient support programs (PSPs and PAPs), specialty pharmacy operations, prior authorisation workflows, copay and free-drug affordability programs, and patient safety/pharmacovigilance reporting obligations. 

• Current, informed understanding of the US healthcare access environment, including payer dynamics, PBM landscape, federal and state affordability policy, and the competitive context for pharmaceutical patient services. 

• Ability to translate external healthcare trends into actionable technology strategy and to position this perspective confidently with senior business and technology leaders. 

Delivery & Agile 

• Proven track record of delivering complex technology programmes on time and to agreed outcomes in a large, matrixed organisation. 

• Strong command of agile delivery methodologies (Scrum, SAFe, or equivalent); experience as a senior practitioner, not just a process follower. 

• Highly organised with the discipline to manage multiple concurrent workstreams without losing sight of individual delivery commitments. 

Stakeholder Management & Leadership 

• Exceptional ability to engage, influence, and build credibility with stakeholders at all levels – from senior executives to operational teams – adjusting communication style and depth accordingly. 

• Strong executive presence with excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to present complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical audiences. 

• Demonstrated experience in IT business partnership, technology product management, or equivalent roles, with significant tenure in pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare. 

Desirable Skills & Experience 

• Advanced degree or relevant professional certifications (Salesforce, SAFe, cloud architecture) advantageous.

• Experience delivering GxP-validated systems in a regulated pharmaceutical environment. 

• Hands-on experience with AI/ML platforms (e.g., AWS SageMaker, Azure OpenAI, Salesforce Einstein, Agentforce) and the practical realities of taking AI models to production. 

• Familiarity with US HIPAA, state privacy laws, and their implications for patient data and program technology. 

• Experience managing third-party technology vendors and system integrators, including contract and performance management. 

• Experience of virtual-first, globally distributed team collaboration. 

• Coaching, mentoring, or people leadership experience. 

Why This Role 

AstraZeneca is on a journey to become a digital and data-led enterprise, and Patient Services is one of the areas where that ambition is most tangible – where the right technology decision directly affects whether a patient can access and stay on a life-changing medicine. This role offers rare scope: the technical depth of owning a Salesforce Life Sciences Cloud and AI platform, the strategic reach of advising senior business leaders, and the satisfaction of shipping things that matter. 

We offer a culture of genuine innovation, psychological safety to challenge the status quo, and significant investment in personal development. If you are a delivery-focused technologist with deep domain knowledge, strong opinions, and the credibility to bring others along with you, we want to hear from you.