Associate Director, Data & AI Policy, Assurance, and Monitoring

Here, the answers aren’t always available. So, you’ll need to bring a fearless, self-starter mindset to navigate uncharted territories. You’ll harness your ceaseless energy to discover and make the necessary connections with colleagues to shape the future and achieve maximum impact., Are you ready to turn Data and AI principles into trusted, repeatable ways of working that accelerate science to patients? In this role, you will translate approved policies, standards and controls into practical guidance, templates and monitoring routines that teams can use every day. Your work will help ensure that innovation moves quickly and responsibly, backed by clear evidence and strong governance.

You will partner across data, technology and enterprise control functions to drive consistent adoption at global scale. From clarifying requirements to testing controls and preparing decision-ready insights, you will turn intent into measurable outcomes. How would you bring clarity to complex requirements and help diverse teams move from uncertainty to confident execution?

Accountabilities

• Policy into Practice: Apply approved Data & AI policies, standards and controls to real-world scenarios, developing clear guidance, templates, process steps and adoption materials that teams can use consistently.
• Standards Adoption: Support the implementation and ongoing operation of approved standards and controls under the stewardship of accountable owners, ensuring sustainable uptake across the enterprise.
• Workstream Delivery: Lead assigned implementation and adoption workstreams across Data Offices, Data Owners, business domains and technology teams, tracking milestones, dependencies, risks, evidence and actions through to completion.
• Traceability and Evidence: Maintain documentation and evidence that link regulatory expectations, enterprise risks, approved requirements, controls, assurance activities and adoption for audit-ready traceability.
• Insights and Reporting: Gather implementation evidence, control metrics and stakeholder feedback; analyze results, identify gaps and themes, and produce concise, decision-ready reporting for Director-level review.
• Control Testing and Monitoring: Execute defined control testing and monitoring using agreed methods, document outcomes, track remediation actions and escalate material findings to the right forums.
• Judgement and Escalation: Resolve routine implementation questions and escalate significant interpretation matters, exceptions and material risks to the appropriate accountable owner.
• Cross-Functional Facilitation: Organize and facilitate working sessions with Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Cyber Security, Enterprise Risk Management, Enterprise Data Enablement, Enterprise AI, Data Offices and other stakeholders to drive alignment and decisions.
• Governance Materials: Prepare analysis, evidence, metrics and governance materials that set out risks, dependencies, decisions required and recommended next steps with clarity.
• Change Enablement: Deliver communications, training and practical guidance that enable agreed change and adoption plans across functions and geographies.
• Relationships and Expertise: Build trusted relationships and maintain current subject-matter knowledge of Data & AI standards, controls and regulatory expectations to guide teams with confidence., Here, science, data and technology meet at pace and scale to make a real difference for patients. You will join a collaborative community where specialists from privacy to cyber security to AI sit in the same room, exchange ideas and unleash bold thinking grounded in high ethical standards. Expect to work with modern data and AI practices, learn from leading experts, and see your fingerprints on how responsible innovation is delivered across the enterprise. We balance ambition with support, valuing clarity, kindness and accountability so you can grow your craft while shaping how data and AI drive outcomes that matter., Your wellbeing means a lot to us, and we’re here to support you through all of life’s ups and downs. That’s why we offer an unpaid leave policy, annual leave, reduced-hours timetables and a host of benefits, including a retirement plan, long service award, and health and travel insurance.

Ready to make an impact in your career? If you’re passionate, growth-orientated and a true team player, we’ll help you succeed. Here are some of the skills and capabilities we look for., Seize ownership and excel with autonomy to enjoy the constant rush of ground-breaking discovery. Your ability to anticipate sudden shifts and adapt swiftly will prove critical as you make your mark in an environment that rewards initiative and resilience., * Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Information or Data Science, Informatics, Computer Science, Economics or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.

• Practical experience in Data & AI governance, data governance, risk, compliance, controls, assurance or a related discipline.
• Working knowledge of relevant Data & AI regulatory and compliance requirements, such as GxP, GDPR, the EU AI Act and NIS2, with the ability to apply approved requirements in a business setting.
• Experience implementing or supporting the adoption of policies, standards or controls across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Experience managing defined workstreams through to completion, including actions, risks, dependencies, evidence and delivery milestones.
• Strong analytical capability to execute defined testing or monitoring, assess evidence, identify gaps and produce accurate reporting.
• High attention to detail in documentation, evidence capture and reporting, supporting assurance and audit activities.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including the ability to explain requirements in practical language to business and technology stakeholders. Effective collaboration, facilitation and stakeholder coordination skills, with sound judgement on when to resolve or escalate issues.
• Ability to simplify guidance and processes so they are practical and usable in complex implementation environments.
• Commitment to the responsible, compliant and value-focused use of data and AI.

Desirable Skills/Experience

• Master’s or postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline.
• Experience in life sciences, healthcare or another regulated industry, including knowledge of pharmaceutical processes and regulated data environments.
• Exposure to control automation or control-by-design approaches.
• Awareness of ISO/IEC 42001 and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework. Relevant education or certification in Data & AI governance, risk, compliance, audit or data management.
• Applied experience with data management, data science, AI development, or governance, risk and compliance tooling.
• Experience supporting control testing, assurance, monitoring, evidence collection or remediation for Data & AI risks and controls.
• Active engagement in professional communities related to Data & AI governance, risk or compliance.

AstraZeneca Spain is a rising force in our global business. With headquarters in Madrid and our global hub in Barcelona, we’ve become an important international centre of excellence in the fight against critical disease. Boasting vibrant universities and business schools, the Barcelona ecosystem is a place where scientists can thrive. We attract a diverse workforce from across the globe, shining a beacon for innovation in a country that’s committed to clinical development.

We invite you to bring your talents to Barcelona where our respiratory medicine R&D and Global Marketing centre offers opportunities in R&D, IT, Commercial and HR. Or join us in Madrid and shape our growth in our BUs (Respiratory, Oncology & CVRM ), and a range of Corporate functions. Additionally, you can find sales roles throughout the country. Together, we’re contributing to a world-leading pipeline of therapeutics and delivering life-changing medicines to patients.

Who do we look for?

Calling all tech innovators, ownership takers, challenge seekers and proactive collaborators. At AstraZeneca Spain, breakthroughs born in the lab become transformative medicine for the world’s most complex diseases. Alongside technical expertise, colleagues have the resilience, energy and collaborative mindset to change lanes, work with different teams and start projects from scratch.

Here, diverse minds and bold disruptors can meaningfully impact the future of healthcare using cutting-edge technology. Whether you join us in Madrid or Barcelona, you can make a tangible impact within a global biopharmaceutical company that invests in your future. Join a talented global team that’s powering AstraZeneca to better serve patients every day., There are many things I enjoy when working at AstraZeneca, mainly the Speak up culture, the great colleagues that are in my teams, the great products that AstraZeneca provides to our patients and the challenging conversations I have around our medicines. Sales Representative Oslo, Norway

There are many things I enjoy when working at AstraZeneca, mainly the Speak up culture, the great colleagues that are in my teams, the great products that AstraZeneca provides to our patients and the challenging conversations I have around our medicines.

Christine Recchio

Working at AstraZeneca has impacted my life in such a positive way. I now have an improved work-life balance through creating my own schedule and time management, I feel a balance that I didn’t have before. Sales Representative California, United States

Working at AstraZeneca has impacted my life in such a positive way. I now have an improved work-life balance through creating my own schedule and time management, I feel a balance that I didn’t have before.

Stephanie Ling

There are a lot of reasons why I enjoy working in AstraZeneca, my colleagues being one of them. My team members and the managers have provided a great deal of guidance in helping me to be more confident in my daily work. Sales Representative Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

There are a lot of reasons why I enjoy working in AstraZeneca, my colleagues being one of them. My team members and the managers have provided a great deal of guidance in helping me to be more confident in my daily work.

What we offer

We’re driven by our shared values of serving people, society and the planet. Our people make this possible, which is why we prioritise diversity, inclusivity, balance and sustainability. Discover what a career at AstraZeneca could mean for you., Diversity and inclusion are embedded in everything we do, and our different views, experiences and strengths enrich our culture. There’s no salary gap at AstraZeneca, and the number of female employees has increased by four per cent over the last three years. We’ve also made all positions fully accessible., We’re committed to harnessing the power of science to become a more sustainable business. We’ve reduced our carbon footprint by over 9,000 kg of CO2 over the last two years, and we lead the European GoGreen Project, which aims to introduce environmentally friendly options in our fleet of corporate vehicles.