Senior Director, Head of Translational AI Science (CVRM)

About this role

Responsibilities

• The Head of Translational AI Science (CVRM) leads a small, high-impact team focused on advancing mechanistic understanding of cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases. The role operates at the intersection of biology, medicine and artificial intelligence, uncovering mechanism of disease (MoD), mechanism of action (MoA) and mechanism of resistance (MoR) with modern AI approaches in a way that significantly enhances and accelerates translational decision-making.
• You will work side-by-side with senior leaders in Translational Medicine, deeply understanding needs at all levels, creating opportunities, influencing priorities, and balancing trade-offs. Through rigorous prioritisation you will develop and guide innovative, resource-aware strategies that combine cutting-edge AI techniques with domain expertise to create value tightly aligned to the therapy area portfolio.
• You will manage a team of Translational AI Scientists and work in close partnership with the AI Center of Excellence to translate scientific questions into scalable AI solutions. Success will come from inclusive collaboration, scientific leadership, and an aptitude for people development.
• You will bring hands-on understanding of current and emerging frontier AI capabilities to guide data strategy and implementation, model selection and development, ensuring biological insight is embedded into foundation models, causal frameworks and simulation approaches. You will collaborate across therapy areas to ensure outputs are aligned, valid, scientifically robust and actionable for R&D.
• Why CVRM at AstraZeneca
• Cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases remain among the leading causes of mortality globally, representing a significant unmet medical need. At AstraZeneca, CVRM is a core strategic priority, with a strong portfolio, deep scientific expertise, and access to rich, multimodal data.
• This creates a unique environment to apply AI-first approaches to uncover new biological insights, accelerate decision-making, and ultimately deliver better outcomes for patients at scale.
• Essential for the role
• Expertise in translational science and mechanistic thinking (MoD, MoA, MoR), ideally within CVRM
• Demonstrated experience applying modern AI in biomedical or translational settings  (e.g. foundation models, causal inference, multimodal learning)
• Strong quantitative background in mathematical, statistical or computational methods
• Ability to translate scientific questions into implementable AI approaches
• Experience leading teams delivering AI-driven  capabilities across multiple projects or portfolios
• Track record of delivering impact within complex R&D environments
• Proven ability to deliver at pace, balancing scientific rigor with speed and impact
• Strong communication skills and ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Office Working Requirements
• 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.
• Apply now to lead at the frontier of AI and translational science and help shape how AstraZeneca transforms drug development through Enterprise AI.
• #EA
• Date Posted
• 04-maj-2026
• Closing Date
• 23-maj-2026
• Our 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.