Director, AI Program Acceleration Cell Therapy Clinical Operations

Location: Barcelona - Spain (3 days working from the office and 2 days working from home)

Introduction to the role

Cell Therapy Clinical Operations (CTCO) drives the delivery of cell therapy trials across Oncology, BioPharma, and Rare Diseases, partnering across R&D, Medical, and Commercial to bring breakthrough therapies to patients faster and more equitably. 

The AI Program Acceleration lead plays a critical role in shaping and advancing AstraZeneca’s cell therapy clinical operations strategy across therapeutic areas. This dynamic and highly collaborative position is instrumental in pioneering innovation initiatives to bring cell therapy to more patients, impacting various cell therapy aspects from site profiles and analytics to patient diagnosis, trial awareness, trial implementation, recruitment, and monitoring to successful commercialization in community settings. The role is responsible furthering AI innovation projects, partnerships in cell therapy clinical trials and beyond. This role will be an office position with a strong emphasis on AI project execution end to end. 

Typical Accountabilities 

1. Cell Therapy Clinical Operations AI Strategy & Roadmap Development 

• Work with global AZ AI team to define and lead the AI transformation strategy for cell therapy clinical trial operations (CTCO), in alignment with corporate R&D and digital health priorities. 

• Identify high-value use cases for AI to accelerate site selection, patient identification, recruitment, and operational efficiency, as required 

• Maintain a rolling 12–24-month innovation roadmap with measurable impact milestones. 

• Act as a champion for AI adoption across clinical and operational teams, addressing resistance and clarifying benefits. 

2. Cross-Functional AI Project Implementation 

• Partner with clinical operations, SMM, Site Partnerships, study and program management, data science, quality, supply chain, patient operations and medical teams to integrate AI solutions into trial processes. 

• Collaborate with IT, digital platforms, and external vendors to ensure AI tools are deployed securely and compliantly. 

• Facilitate pilot projects to validate AI-enabled workflows before broader rollout. 

• Oversee integration of AI platforms with existing trial management systems (CTMS, EDC, ePRO, eConsent). 

          3. Project Execution & Delivery 

• Manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders, ensuring timely delivery, budget adherence, and measurable outcomes. 

• Develop and maintain detailed project documentation, including business cases, risk registers, communication plans, and resource allocation models. 

• Monitor, track, and report project progress to senior leadership and Business Reviews.Oversee ongoing vendor/ supplier collaborations, including orchestration of contracts, relationship management, vendor accountability  

4. Clinical Ops AI-Driven Innovation :  

• Identify, evaluate, and lead partnerships with AI and digital health organizations to reduce site burden and increase eligible patient identification and recruitment for CAR-T  

• Assess the applicability of AI tools to improve diagnosis, trial awareness, and monitoring across the CAR-T patient journey  

3.Understanding of CART-T Strategic Site Needs:  

• Serve as the primary point of contact for cell therapy site partnership team to drive innovation projects aligned with clinical and commercial priorities   

• Identify and address key barriers to CAR-T delivery – such as in community and autoimmune care settings or as requested– by creating scalable, turn-key solutions with sites using innovative technology 

• Build trusted relationships with site leadership, investigators, and key opinion leaders through regular engagement with the aim of piloting novel AI solutions during the clinical trial stage 

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience 

Essential

• BS/MS in Life Sciences, Data Science, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Cell or Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences, Nursing, Healthcare Management, or a related team. 

• ~4-5+ years of experience within a Cell Therapy organization, biotechnology industry, or relevant consulting. 

• Clear track record of leading and facilitating the implementation of complex programs, including project strategic/ tactical execution, operations, project management.  

• Advanced understanding of healthcare information systems, including Electronic Medical Records (EMR/EHR), Clinical Trial Management Systems (CTMS), Electronic Data Capture (EDC) platforms, Remote Patient/ Therapeutic Monitoring / Chronic Care Management (RPM/ RTM/ CCM) platforms 

• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills 

• Ability to rapidly solve problems, ready to take decisions and deal with organizational complexity. 

• Ability to prioritize and complete work with sense of urgency based on criticality. 

• Knowledge of applicable regulations and standards 

• Experience in managing internal and external stakeholders  

• Experience in a regulated environment either hospital or pharmaceutical/biotech. 

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex concepts into clear, actionable narratives for varied audiences, including senior leaders 

• Natural problem solver with entrepreneurial mindset, integrity, and a strong drive to innovate in the service of better patient outcomes. 

• Proficiency in English 

• Highly effective in working in a global environment, to accommodate different time zone as needed. 

• Excellent command of MS PowerPoint, Word, and Excel 

Desirable

• Experience in designing or managing AI/ML models or collaborating closely with data scientists on algorithm development. 

• Experience working in Cell Therapy companies or Cell Therapy Apheresis, Cellular Therapy or Stem Cell Transplant programs. 

• Prior customer facing role in pharmaceutical/biotech industry. 

• Experience working with patient advocacy groups, hospitals, research coordinators.  

• Fluent in other languages a plus .

Date Posted

12-feb-2026

Closing Date

06-mar-2026

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.