Senior Director – IT Business Partner, Legal & Compliance

AstraZeneca · United Kingdom

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We are seeking a senior, enterprise-level technology leader to partner with the Legal and Compliance leadership teams and lead AI and technology-driven transformation of how AstraZeneca protects, governs and advises the business at global scale and in a highly regulated environment. 

This role sits at the intersection of legal and regulatory strategy, technology innovation and executive leadership. You will be a trusted advisor to the General Counsel organisation and the Chief Compliance Officer organisation, shaping how AI, agents, data and modern platforms transform legal operations, contract and matter management, e-discovery, governance, risk and compliance, and ethics and assurance. 

This is not a traditional IT delivery role. It is a business-embedded, outcome-led leadership position for someone who can influence at the top table, translate legal and compliance priorities into action, and scale AI and digital transformation with pace, discipline and trust; building and leading a high-calibre, product-centric Legal & Compliance IT team that orchestrates a world-class partner ecosystem, and proving in partnership with the business on how technology value is unlocked. 

You will bring deep legal technology expertise and a genuine AI-first mindset: someone who starts from what AI makes possible rather than from today’s process, thinks innovatively about how the function can be fundamentally transformed, and earns influence through domain credibility with lawyers, compliance professionals and technologists alike. 

Key Responsibilities:

Executive Partnership & Influence 

• Serve as the primary technology and transformation partner to the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and their leadership teams. 

• Act as a credible thought partner at executive level, shaping priorities and influencing investment decisions. 

• Translate complex legal, regulatory and risk challenges into clear, outcome-driven technology strategies and multi-year roadmaps. 

AI-First Transformation & Innovation 

• Champion an AI-first mindset across Legal and Compliance and IT: default to AI-enabled and agentic approaches when redesigning work, and challenge teams to reimagine processes rather than digitise existing ones. 

• Bring innovative, original thinking to how the function operates from AI-assisted lawyering and autonomous compliance monitoring to intelligent self-service for the business and turn ideas into pilots, products and scaled capabilities. 

• Use domain expertise to influence and inspire Legal and Compliance leaders, earning credibility by speaking their language, understanding professional, ethical and regulatory constraints, and showing what is practically possible. 

• Track the legal tech and AI market, including start-ups, incumbents and emerging regulation, and translate it into differentiated advantage for AstraZeneca. 

AI & Technology Transformation at Scale 

• Lead enterprise-grade AI and digital initiatives across Legal and Compliance from experimentation to sustained value, driving the shift from proof of concept to proof of value with measurable outcomes. 

• Identify and scale high-impact AI, agentic automation and analytics use cases; for example contract analysis and generation, legal research, matter and spend intelligence, regulatory change monitoring, continuous controls monitoring and investigations support. 

• Redesign legal and compliance processes around AI-enabled ways of working, so that expert time moves from administration to judgement, advice and insight. 

Legal Tech & Platform Strategy 

• Set the strategy and evolution path for the Legal and Compliance technology estate including GRC, e-discovery, contract lifecycle, matter and document management, policy, ethics and case management platforms; balancing innovation with simplification and value for money. 

• Apply deep legal tech knowledge including AI-native contract, research, e-discovery and GRC solutions, and the build-versus-buy and partner landscape to make sound, differentiated platform and vendor decisions. 

• Scout, pilot and scale next-generation capabilities, ensuring they integrate with enterprise platforms and are fit for regulated, privileged and highly confidential use. 

• Ensure a connected, data-driven view of risk, compliance and legal activity across the enterprise. 

Responsible AI, Data Governance, Security & Regulatory Compliance 

• Ensure responsible, ethical and compliant use of AI, with clear guardrails, human oversight and auditability appropriate to legal privilege, confidentiality and regulatory expectations. 

• Own the integrity, privacy and security of legal and compliance data, including data residency, retention, legal hold and cross-border requirements. 

• Partner with Legal and Compliance as both customer and advisor on emerging AI and technology regulation, helping to shape AstraZeneca’s own governance model. 

• Maintain audit-ready, validated and well-governed systems and controls. 

Reshaping Legal & Compliance IT Talent & Product-Centric Operating Model 

• Reshape the Legal & Compliance IT workforce into a high-calibre, high-performing team: driven, strategic thinkers and recognised thought leaders who challenge the status quo and set the standard for business-embedded technology leadership. 

• Lead the move from project and run-based delivery to a product-centric operating model, with persistent, empowered product teams aligned to value streams (e.g. legal operations, e-discovery and investigations, contracts, governance risk and compliance, ethics and assurance) and accountable for outcomes, adoption and continuous improvement. 

• Define the skills, personas and career paths the future team needs - product ownership, AI and agent engineering, data and analytics, platform architecture, value management & partner orchestration and closing gaps through targeted hiring, reskilling and succession planning. 

• Set a high-performance culture: clear outcome ownership, fast learning cycles, curiosity about emerging technology, and visible external presence through forums, communities and peer networks. 

• Orchestrate the in-house team and strategic partners as one integrated product organisation, with the in-house core focused on strategy, architecture, product leadership and value, and partners on scaled delivery and run. 

Demonstrating IT Value in Partnership with Legal & Compliance 

• Co-own with Legal and Compliance leadership a clear, shared view of how IT value is unlocked - linking every investment and product to outcomes such as risk reduction, cost avoidance, cycle-time reduction, reduced external legal spend, productivity and better decisions. 

• Establish transparent value measurement: baselines, outcome KPIs and benefits tracking agreed with the business and Finance, reported regularly and independently of delivery milestones. 

• Showcase value to leadership and the wider enterprise through regular demonstrations, data-led storytelling and case studies that make the impact of AI and technology tangible and credible. 

• Hold joint accountability with the business for adoption, change and benefits realisation; retiring low-value spend and reinvesting in what demonstrably works. 

Investment, Portfolio & Value Management 

• Own and govern the Legal & Compliance technology investment portfolio, ensuring delivery of value, alignment to strategic objectives and optimal use of resources. 

• Build investment-grade business cases with clear outcomes and mobilise high-value investments. 

• Manage delivery through outcome-based metrics, tracking benefits realisation and adoption - not just milestones. 

Leadership & Ecosystem Management 

• Lead and develop a high-performing, business-embedded product-centric team, role-modelling the standard of leadership expected of the future EUIT. 

• Manage strategic partnerships with vendors, outsourcing and managed-service providers, legal technology specialists and system integrators, holding them accountable for outcomes, quality and innovation. 

• Champion change management and digital upskilling within Legal, Compliance and IT to maximise adoption and impact. 

• Cultivate a culture of innovation, operational excellence and continuous learning, bringing external market insight into the organisation. 

Key Experience:

• 15+ years of senior technology leadership in large, complex, global organisations. 

• Proven executive partnership with Legal, Compliance, Risk or other control / enabling functions, delivering AI- and analytics-enabled solutions. 

• Demonstrated success delivering large-scale AI and technology transformation in a regulated environment. 

• Proven record of applying an AI-first approach to genuinely transform a function, with innovative solutions that delivered measurable outcomes. 

• Recognised domain expertise in legal technology and the ability to influence Legal and Compliance leaders through that credibility. 

• Experience with legal and compliance technology such as GRC, e-discovery, contract lifecycle and matter management platforms, alongside enterprise platforms such as ServiceNow, SAP and automation tools. 

• Experience owning significant investment portfolios, benefit cases and transformation roadmaps in a matrixed environment. 

• Experience transitioning technology teams to product-centric operating models and reshaping talent profiles and capabilities at scale. 

• Track record of demonstrating and communicating technology value to business executives, with outcome and benefits evidence. 

• Deep experience managing strategic vendors, outsourced service partners and consulting firms. 

• Track record of motivational, achievement-oriented leadership of cross-functional teams. 

Capabilities & Expertise 

• Deep legal tech knowledge: contract lifecycle management, e-discovery, matter and spend management, GRC, regulatory intelligence, legal research and knowledge tools, and the fast-moving AI-native vendor landscape. 

• Strong understanding of legal operations and compliance processes, including contracting, litigation and investigations support, e-discovery, policy and ethics management, risk and controls, and regulatory change. 

• Strong grasp of AI, generative and agentic AI, automation, natural language processing and advanced analytics as applied to legal and compliance work. 

• Deep knowledge of data governance, privacy, security, legal privilege and regulatory requirements, and of emerging AI regulation. 

• Ability to build technology strategy in alignment with business strategy. 

Leadership Profile 

• Executive presence with the ability to influence, challenge and align senior stakeholders, including the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer organisations. 

• AI-first mindset with strong innovative thinking; inspires others to reimagine how legal and compliance work is done. 

• Influences through domain expertise and credibility, complementing the legal and compliance professionals they partner with. 

• Strategic, commercial and outcome-driven mindset; strategic and analytical thinker with sound judgement on risk. 

• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and leading complex, global, multicultural change. 

• Proven people leader able to build and inspire diverse, high-performing teams. 

• Recognised business and technology thought leader who attracts, grows and retains thought leaders and strategic thinkers. 

Education & Preferred Assets 

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, Law or a related field (Master’s or MBA preferred). 

• Prior technology leadership for Legal, Compliance or other regulated control functions in a large organisation. 

• Evidence of external engagement in digital transformation, legal tech or compliance forums, or AI communities. 

Why This Role 

• Shape how AI and technology transform legal and compliance in a global science-led company. 

• Apply your legal tech expertise and AI-first thinking to truly transform a function, not just support it. 

• Direct exposure to senior executive leadership and strategic decision-making. 

• Build a team of high-calibre technology talent and define the future of Legal & Compliance technology as part of a transforming, product-centric, AI-enabled EUIT. 

• Be the face of how technology value is delivered and proven in partnership with Legal and Compliance. 

• A role with real scope, influence and legacy impact. 

Next Steps? 

Are you ready to step up and take ownership of your work, solutions for the business and your personal career development? Apply now and join us in our mission to bring life-changing medicines to people! 

Where can I find out more? 

Our Social Media, 

Follow AstraZeneca on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/1603/ 

Follow AstraZeneca on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/astrazenecacareers/ 

Follow AstraZeneca on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/astrazeneca_careers/?hl=en 

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. 

#LI-HYBRID 

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