IRT System Owner (IRT SO), Global Clinical Solutions (GCS)

Location: Durham, NC

Hybrid Policy: 3 Days onsite/week

At AstraZeneca, we pride ourselves on crafting a collaborative culture that champions knowledge-sharing, ambitious thinking and innovation – ultimately providing employees with the opportunity to work across teams, functions and even the globe.

Our dedication to sustainability is also central to our culture and part of what makes AstraZeneca a great place to work. We know the health of people, the planet and our business are interconnected which is why we’re taking ambitious action to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to access to healthcare and disease prevention.

Global Clinical Solutions (GCS) drives the delivery of Technology and associated processes for the BioPharmaceuticals R&D organisation, owning and providing industry leading technology and services on behalf of Development Operations and its internal and external Partnerships.      

IRT System Owner (IRT SO) is a member of Global Clinical Solutions Technologies (GCS Tech) department and is end-to-end accountable for the leadership, lifecycle management and continuous improvement of Clinical systems as assigned. The System Owner can cover one or more systems in the Clinical space.  

The System Owner works closely with vendor(s) if applicable, R&D IT (Information Technology), Functional Process Owners, Business Process Management Office (BPMO), internal and external customers and stakeholders to ensure customer needs are met and to enable optimal end-to-end delivery of clinical studies. Responsible for the identification, definition and delivery of improvements in end-to-end clinical study delivery, utilising tools and techniques to deliver continuous improvement and value creation (i.e. Lean Six Sigma).  

The SO ensures that the System meets ICH/GxP requirements and aligns with industry direction, standards, and protocols.   

The System Owner represents the business interests in strategy discussions and provides strategic advice to the Governance team in securing long-term business success of their assigned system(s). Reviews and approves (if acceptable) identified system risks and mitigations. Controls and prioritizes all business requests, such as those for feature enhancements. Accountable for communication to key stakeholders and the business regarding the system (major incidents, new releases, etc.) All System Owners will lead and manage improvement projects as needed, and will contribute to functional, regional and or global initiatives. 

Typical Accountabilities

• Accountable for the design, development, implementation, maintenance, continuous improvement and ongoing customer support for the allocated area 

• Accountable for lifecycle management of all procedural or system documents within the allocated area, and for ensuring compliance with applicable industry regulations and AstraZeneca Global and Local Policies 

• Plans and prioritizes product feature backlog and development for the product 

• Defines system vision, road-map and growth opportunities 

• Researches and analyses the business context, the users, and the roadmap for the assigned system 

• Accountable for the effective and timely communication of information, and for the development and delivery of high-quality training materials for the allocated area 

• Engage and influence internal and external key stakeholders to drive the strategy, development and continuous improvement within the given area. 

• Ensure customer requirements are understood, critically evaluated, prioritised and addressed within the given area. Work with GCS Leadership and Development Operations Leadership to prioritise the needs and resources needed to deliver these requirements, and supply feedback and clear rationale for any areas that will not be addressed.

• Responsible for monitoring performance of the assign system. Define, track and monitor key performance indicators and use these data to inform choice of process and system improvements and input to cross-functional improvements, working in collaboration with GCS Leadership 

• Support audit and regulatory inspection planning, preparation and conduct. Responsible for the delivery of Corrective and Preventive Actions to time and quality, and for acting on data or trends identified through the Quality & Risk Management process. Escalate risks and issues to GCS Leadership as needed.  

• Understands the processes, technology and services the study team relies on, their needs and pain points. Uses this knowledge to supply advice and guidance, removes barriers, supplies solutions and finds opportunities for improvement. 

• Ensures the effective resolution of process, technology and service risks and issues that impede the Study Teams progress and effective delivery. Identifies and engages with the right process, technology and service experts, and expertly utilises critical issue routes and governance bodies to gain traction and deliver rapid solutions 

• Supplies guidance and expertise in the planning and delivery of system validation activities (core system and study specific validation), including production and archiving of all computer system validation documentation.  

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential

• Deep understanding of the clinical development business processes, technology (especially IRT), clinical trial information management, regulations and guidelines impacting the drug development process

• Extensive experience in Drug Development within a pharmaceutical or clinical background

• Extensive experience in Validation of computerised systems in a regulated environment, preferably the Pharmaceutical industry, including familiarity with documentation such as Validation Plans, Reports, Test scripts etc. and knowledge of regulatory (GxP, SOX (Sarbanes Oxley) etc.) requirements for computerised systems and infrastructure

• Vendor Management - experience in working successfully and collaboratively with external partners delivering mutual benefit

• Bachelor of Science (BSc) in a suitable field or equivalent experience

Desirable

• Understanding  of IT infrastructure

• Experience of using standard process improvement methodologies (e.g. Lean Six Sigma) to find root causes of process issues and find areas of process improvement.

• Extensive knowledge of ICH/GCP

• Recognised AGILE certification (e.g. SAFe)

• Extensive experience of Quality Systems and Quality Management, including process definition and process improvement, ideally within an Information Systems environment

• Project Management certification and Project Management software (e.g. Jira) familiarity

• Service Management experience. Incident, Problem, Change and Release Management (ITIL)

• Experience in the development and management of Business Process to deliver business performance

Are you interested in working at AZ, apply today!

AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion and providing a workplace that is free from discrimination. AstraZeneca is committed to accommodating persons with disabilities. Such accommodation is available on request in respect of all aspects of the recruitment, assessment and selection process and may be requested by emailing [email protected].

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Date Posted

13-Feb-2026

Closing Date

21-Feb-2026Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.