Head of Information Architecture, R&D, Enterprise Information Architecture

Location: Barcelona

Our Enterprise Data Office (EDO) is a recently formed central IT function accountable for enterprise strategy and standards in Data. The organization works closely with data delivery teams across Business Technology Group (BTG – Business Unit) IT teams and data governance teams SET Area (Line of Business) Data Offices (SEDO), supporting the build of the AstraZeneca data products including Data Mesh, analytical solutions, and with a view to enterprise information architectures and thinking.

Our global Enterprise Information Architecture (EIA) Practice works within the EDO, specializing in Enterprise Information Architecture, Information Architecture, Data Modelling and Data Analysis. We design the key aspects of the data world for AstraZeneca across our global customer businesses, offering critical services focused upon the ingestion, extraction, processing, transformation, transport, storage and representation of knowledge, analysis and modelling of our essential data and facts. We use leading thinking, processes, and methods to achieve enduring outcomes for projects and business-as-usual working, and lead on enterprise-level, cross organizational information architecture, for example around the definition and delivery of Data Products and alignment with Data Mesh and Data Platforms and FAIR Data thinking across our businesses.

We have a critical role as our Head of Information Architecture, R&D, Enterprise Information Architecture (EIA). This is a leadership role which will support the development and structure of data frameworks, solutions and applications that are designed, and developed for specifically R&D, but also across the AstraZeneca Enterprise. This includes defining, leveraging and extending standard AstraZeneca reference architectures, data models and design patterns. 

Our R&D focused EIA team partners with the R&D functions for Target Identification and Validation, Lead Compound Generation and Optimization, Chemistry Manufacturing & Controls (CMC), Precision Medicine and Bio Sample Management, Pre-Clinical Development, Cell and Gene Therapy, Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Patient Safety, R&D Quality, Real World Evidence, R&D Project and Portfolio Management to deliver strategic value.  This partnership includes the R&D IT team(s) e.g. Heads of IT, Business Partners, Project Managers, Data Engineering and fellow members of IGNITE & EDO focused on R&D e.g. Enterprise and Solution Architecture, Data Office(s); as well as the business stakeholders themselves.

This work may include:

• Focus – Leading a team of Information Architects who are focused on the delivery of Information Architecture across R&D, ensuring that activities are appropriately resourced using internal or external consultants. This will include both delivery functions, supporting projects, and strategic activities which are setting the future direction for R&D data.
• Focus – leading and driving the definition of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data strategies for the R&D organization and connecting with a Data Mesh strategy.
• Focus – close collaboration with R&D Data Governance teams to ensure that both Information Architecture and Data Management activities are closely connected and embedded into our ways of working.
• Focus – close collaboration with the R&D Enterprise and Solution Architecture teams to ensure that Information Architecture is embedded within IT Architecture processes.
• Contributing to the definition and governance of enterprise Master and Reference Data Management architectures, strategies, designs, models by ensuring that R&D requirements are defined and embedded into Enterprise strategies for master data.
• Contributing to the definition of enterprise Data Strategies which may include information and data regulatory or technical governances and Data Mesh, data innovation, business and technology platforms and ecosystems, enterprise architectures, standards, frameworks, governance policies standards and procedures, architectures, metadata, strategies, designs, models, methods/methodologies, business architectures, architecture and other patterns and consolidating thinking and artefacts across one or more business units, one or more projects/programmes which may be global or local, tactical or strategic, in scale
• Supporting the definition of reporting and analytics, data science, digital, and operational business use cases
• Supporting the definition of common ingestion, curation, data design, and consumption patterns
• Support the definition of modeling data structures for conform and consumption layers in line with DataOps
• Support the definition of Information architecture, models, ontologies, taxonomies standards and reusable designs
• Support the application and definition of data and information governance appropriate to the scope of work and in alignment with the EDO Governance teans and their various policies, standards, procedures and frameworks.

The work will also include oversight of the R&D IT project portfolio, ensuring that architectural alignment tasks during the lifecycle of a project, including the alignment with Information Standards and Enterprise Models, are appropriately addressed in the Phase-end QA Checkpoints.

You will report to the Head of EIA, and work within the leadership team in EIA and broader into the wider EDO teams, to manage and progress our projects, finances, operations, reporting, and assist with activities and relationships with our customers in the business, suppliers and vendors.

Typical Accountabilities

Enterprise Information Architecture Accountabilities:

• Reporting to the Head of Enterprise Information Architecture, you will be an active member of the Enterprise Information Architecture Practice Leadership Team, supporting our practice and our team; developing our ways of working; working to ensure an integrated approach to information architecture across AstraZeneca
• Assist with leadership of, support, enable and grow our Enterprise Information Architecture Practice and develop our people
• Support the creation and delivery of the strategic EDO services and design across solutions, including:
  • EIA Strategic Vision
  • EIA Operating Model
  • EIA Governance
  • Master and Reference Data Strategy
  • Metadata Strategy
  • Learning and Development
  • Demand Management and Recharging
  • Enterprise level oversight of Data Models, Metadata, Linage, Taxonomies and Ontologies
  • Alignment with AstraZeneca’s Information Governance regulations and frameworks
  • Development and enforcement of standard enterprise data element names, abbreviations, characteristics, and domains during the lifecycle of a project
• Chair, when necessary, the Enterprise Information Architecture Review Board, enabling the alignment and governance of all Enterprise Information Architecture assets. Ensure all EIA designs and solutions adhere to current regulations, policies and standards and are aligned to agreed Enterprise Strategies.
• Responsible for undertaking and delivering coherent strategic and tactical architectural thinking across information and data architectures, master data management, data strategies, and information and data governances
• Responsible for working within the Enterprise Data Architecture Framework of defining, extending, managing, and benchmarking projects against best practices, models (logical, physical, semantic), standards, frameworks, and the overall Blueprint as owned by the Head of Enterprise Information Architecture and their delegate
• Be an active member of the leadership teams to which you contribute, integrating EIA with wider technical and process architectures and data / AI engineering delivery.
• Support the development and embedding of the EIA capability and operating model: resource forecasting, skills, tooling, processes, communication, stakeholder management, governance, and standards (for example)
• Evangelise what EIA is and the value and impact of good data architectural design and governance to both IT and the wider business teams: Develop clear, tailored communication and training plans.
• Maintain on-going professional development in leading enterprise information architectural practice and innovation.
• Establish strong working relationship with SEDO groups to develop an in-depth understanding of business priorities, data requirements and use as well as early insight into changing needs

Delivery Related Accountabilities:

• Lead delivery across your team of Information Architects, conceptual and logical models, for operational, master and data products including data models, information flows, master/reference data and metadata designs to meet one or more Business Capability requirements. 
• Work with business leaders to evolve IA designs to support business strategy.
• Be accountable for the IA designs of one or more Business capability level IA designs, especially major/complex Business Capability areas.
• Take on accountability for the IA of major change programmes impacting whole Business capability areas.
• Be accountable for assuring IT change projects in that Business Capability are aligned to IA through either delivering IA blueprint artefacts or assessing designs from Data Modellers/Solution Architects assigned to the project.
• Partner with the R&D Data Office to ensure data governance processes are enabled in all IA designs and provide assurance evidence through standardised metrics: e.g., Master data consumption, data classification metadata application to support access processes.
• Accountable for selecting or defining the correct data architectures and patterns to fulfil traditional reporting (management information, business intelligence) and analytics, data science, digital, and operational business use cases. This includes:
  • Providing project-level data architecture planning, design expertise and execution application on development projects, from technical designs and technology standards to Models and IA considerations.
  • Based on business requirements that determine the different types of data structure types needed for a project such as raw, conform, and consumption data layers. Leveraging the structure model types such as 3rd Normal Form, denormalized, and dimensionalized structures
  • Providing project level support of Data Models, Metadata, Linage, Taxonomies, Ontologies and Information Architecture Leading practice and design
  • Providing both strategic and tactical coherent architectural thinking in support of data and other strategies, enterprise data and information architectures and master data management
  • Support (or leadership) in the development of Data Integration architecture and overall Data Integration design of a project
  • Approves the various artifacts ensuring enforcement of standard enterprise data element names, abbreviations, characteristics, and domains during the lifecycle of a project
• Responsible for approving many of the project deliverables to ensure compliance and reuse within Architectural Standards as defined by the Head of Enterprise Information Architecture and Global Head of Enterprise Architecture.

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential

• Bachelors Degree or equivalent number of years of experience in a Computer Science or Data Management or Data Technology related field
• Experience of working in the Pharmaceutical industry and experience of at least one of the R&D lifecycle/functions, e.g. Target Identification and Validation, Lead Compound Generation and Optimization, Chemistry Manufacturing & Controls (CMC), Precision Medicine and Bio Sample Management, Pre-Clinical Development, Cell and Gene Therapy, Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Patient Safety, R&D Quality, Real World Evidence, R&D Project and Portfolio Management.
• Significant experience in framing and delivering enterprise data platform/master data management architectural thinking, and its practical application
• Significant experience in framing, developing and delivering information and data strategies and strategic thinking within a commercial or complex business environment
• Experience in defining and working with information and data regulatory governances
• The role holder will possess a blend of data/information architecture, analysis, and engineering skills
• Experience in planning, leading, collaborating and working as a member of a technical/architectural delivery team
• Significant experience of people management, coaching, and career development of high-performing individuals and teams
• Experience in known industry IT architectural patterns and IT architecture ways of working/methodologies, (e.g. FAIR data principles, Data Mesh).
• Experience in Agile data definition scrums
• Understands Data Platforms concepts and cloud-based containerization strategies for hybrid cloud environments
• Understanding the appropriate data structure and technology based on business use case and completely familiar with data lifecycles
• Experience in the use of data modeling tools/technologies

Desirable

• Post-graduate degree in MIS, Data Management or equivalent domain
• Significant IT architectural methods and methodology insights and experience
• Extensive experience in a senior information/data architecture role with practical examples of designing and providing end-to-end and point data architecture designs or blueprints that have been delivered and implemented for substantial real world use cases
• Experience of Information and Data Governance frameworks and their application in a commercial organisation.

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.