AstraZeneca · 3 hours ago
Senior Director, R&D Lab Operations
US - Gaithersburg - MD
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$186K/yr - $279K/yr
15+ years expAstraZeneca is a leading pharmaceutical company, and they are seeking a Senior Director, R&D Lab Operations to build a world-class lab ecosystem. This role involves leading a multidisciplinary team to optimize laboratory services and enhance operational efficiency, ultimately accelerating the delivery of life-changing medicines.
BiopharmaBiotechnologyHealth CareMedicalPharmaceuticalPrecision Medicine
Responsibilities
Establish Lab Operations vision and policy to ensure the team provides essential laboratory support services that enable scientists to focus on Research and Development activities which further the pipeline
Assemble an appropriate set of multidisciplinary specialized staff which integrates support of people, processes and technology to ensure safe and effective delivery of services
Mentor staff to develop high-performing work teams within their functional areas and to maintain good working relationships with internal and external enterprise functions
Integrate ways of working across departments and sites, and facilitate implementation of new initiatives
Lead strategic relationships with relevant service providers, collaborating with strategic supplier partners to drive business results
Monitor, audit and ensure service providers operate in accordance with approved management controls
Improve metrics & Key Performance Indicators to focus the various outside service providers on consistency, safety and responsiveness
Influence and promote deployment of new service offerings and improvements, including work in support of GxP activities when applicable
Define and drive to execution projects which improve capability and capacity
Manage the LabOps budget and indirectly, R&D budgets, for consumables and services, by working with service providers to optimize costs while improving service delivery
Actively solicit the necessary feedback from R&D to obtain insight into projected growth and new ways of working. Use this data to inform long term lab space requirements so as to directly contribute to Site Master Plan development
Partner with senior R&D and functional leaders to co-create site master plans and operational blueprints that translate strategic needs into executable roadmaps, proactively shaping upcoming initiatives and programs, and coordinating with Site Operations to deliver
Oversee implementation of services; set objectives and targets; establish roles and responsibilities for service programs; review, evaluate, and report on Lab Operations performance
Periodically assess R&D Lab Operations to identify problem areas, generate potential solutions and services, lead organizational changes and continuous improvements as required to support overall service offerings
Partner with other Lab Operation leaders to share standard methodologies and incorporate as required in spirit of continuous improvement
Streamline processes and create solutions which provide value and time savings across all LabOps’ service areas to decrease risk and increase compliance
Develop and maintain long-term business relationships with key service providers
Continuously manage customer expectations and monitor customer satisfaction levels of all applicable key collaborator groups for each service area
Create clarity and communicate proactively across boundaries to ensure shared purpose and clear accountabilities across internal/external organization
Ensure cross-functional leads set proactive, customer-facing deliverables so that LabOps can more effectively support the evolving needs of R&D
Contribute actively to ensure the overall successful delivery of the R&D sites’ operational strategy as part of the NA Site Operations leadership team
Integrate R&D Lab Operations Services with other Gaithersburg Site Operations strategic efforts, and with other sites as appropriate. Work closely with Site Leadership Team to implement key initiatives
Provide primary interface to R&D Site Leaders for all R&D Lab Operations service areas
Seek team member feedback from multiple levels of the R&D organization on matters concerning different functional areas to advise on new projects and initiatives
Apply knowledge and communication skills to influence or gain acceptance for sensitive situations that require change management
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in lab based biomedical, pharmaceutical, or biological science
15+ years of relevant (lab and/or operations) experience
demonstrated ability in a management position
Successful previous work in a matrix organization
Proven People Management capability – to Lead an inclusive, high‑performing organization by coaching managers, and fostering cross‑site collaboration, transparent communication, constructive challenge, and continuous learning to attract, retain critical talent
Interpersonal and problem-solving skills
Highly organized, efficient, and self-motivated
Strong aptitude for customer service
Financial Management: Budget ownership, forecasting, portfolio prioritization, and benefits realization
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Microsoft Office, database and data analysis software packages
Preferred
Master's degree highly preferred; MBA a plus
Strong critical and analytical problem solver
Strategy setting & execution skills
Benefits
Qualified retirement programs
Paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves)
Health, dental, and vision coverage
Company
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets prescription medicines. It is a sub-organization of Investor.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
AstraZeneca has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2021 (2)
2020 (11)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$5.26B2024-07-30Post Ipo Debt· $1.51B
2023-02-28Post Ipo Debt· $2.25B
2023-02-24Post Ipo Debt· $1.5B
Leadership Team
Pascal Soriot
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer
Aradhana Sarin
Group CFO and Executive Director
Recent News
Essential Business
2026-01-24
2026-01-23
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