Director Product Sustainability (Value Chain Product Sustainability - Development/Launched Portfolio)
Introduction to role:
Are you keen to develop a career in environmental sustainability, helping to minimise the environmental impact of our products and deliver life-changing medicines to patients across the globe?
We have an opportunity for the right candidate to take on an exciting and varied role as a Director within our Global SHE (Safety Health and Environment) and Sustainability function. Your contribution will be pivotal in ensuring that our product portfolio, both current and future, is as environmentally sustainable as possible, meeting current and emerging legislative requirements as well as ambitious commitments as part of our Climate and Nature Action strategies.
Tailored training and induction will be given to complement your skills and experiences, and so a commitment to continued learning and development is essential.
Accountabilities:
Provide leadership to establish an overarching strategic framework that ensures the development of new manufacturing processes aligns with AstraZeneca’s climate and nature action ambitions.
Collaborate with development teams on our synthetic and biologics pipeline to enhance business processes for Safety, Health, and Environmental management, focusing on environmental sustainability across the value chain for future commercial manufacturing.
Partner with AstraZeneca’s product development functions to deepen our understanding of the environmental risks and opportunities. As a key member of the Product Sustainability Index Programme, you will drive improvements across our existing product portfolio and growing pipeline.
Maintain oversight of launched and development portfolio in partnership with development functions and assess impact on future environmental performance metrics.
Support internal and external reporting of product sustainability metrics including assurance activities.
Influence development functions’ leadership teams and sustainability networks to ensure functional scorecards and strategy align with overall company sustainability strategy and targets.
Lead foresight activities to monitor developments and escalate risks for relevant areas of environmental legislation which may impact AZ products in the future and work with partner functions to ensure requirements are embedded in business processes.
Contribute to the strategic development and implementation of AZ’s Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) program to ensure it is flexible and aligns with current and future needs (e.g., to support corporate scope 3 reporting), driving innovation (e.g., tool development) and business support (e.g., supporting payer requests for data).
Represent AstraZeneca on relevant cross-pharma industry groups and collaborations (e.g., American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute Pharmaceutical Roundtable, Pharma LCA Consortium, Innovative Medicines Initiative PharmEco, Biophorum, EFPIA) to share best practice, define consistent approaches, and advocate at sector level on emerging legislation concerning product environmental sustainability.
Support team development and take a lead role in recruitment and mentoring of early career talent (e.g., secondees, global graduates, apprentices).
Actively contribute to the development and enhancement of the cross-functional AZ Green Chemistry and Sustainable Engineering (GCaSE) Network to share best practice in the area of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) environmental sustainability.
Essential Skills/Experience:
A degree or equivalent in a scientific, environmental sustainability or engineering discipline.
A strong understanding of synthetic chemistry and/or bioprocessing within the pharmaceutical sector, in particular, knowledge of the drug development process and manufacturing value chains and relevant environmental legislation that could have an impact.
Experience in a Chemical Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) aligned role on pharmaceutical product development projects.
Demonstrated delivery against environmental sustainability targets, initiatives, and/or compliance requirements across the product development process.
Experience with measuring and reporting environmental performance of products (e.g., lifecycle assessment, process mass intensity).
Excellent communication and influence skills with experience of influencing stakeholders across all levels from senior leadership teams to project scientists and engineers.
Experience of successful collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, across discipline interfaces, different organisational cultures, and with external collaborators.
Ability to interpret complex situations and information in order to provide strategy steers with clarity.
Experience in managing budgets, projects, and/or deliverables to tight timelines.
Good analytical skills and ability to interpret complex data sets.
Desirable Skills/Experience:
Recruitment and people management.
A comprehensive understanding of the theories and practical application of LCA methodology and an appreciation of its benefits and limitations.
Experience of using process data libraries (e.g., Ecoinvent) and LCA software applications (e.g., SimaPro) to model complex processes.
Familiarity with relevant LCA standards e.g., ISO14040/14044/PAS2090 (draft) and the GHG Protocol Product Standard.
When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace, and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.
At AstraZeneca, we are committed to making a positive impact on society through our sustainability goals. Our dedication extends beyond patients as we pioneer efforts towards achieving Zero Carbon by 2025 and becoming carbon negative across our entire value chain by 2030. Here, everyone has the opportunity to contribute towards a collective legacy that benefits people, the environment, and society.
Ready to make a difference? Apply now to join us on this exciting journey!
Date Posted
17-Jun-2025Closing Date
01-Jul-2025Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form. ]]>We’ll keep you up to date
