Director, Clinical Programming

About the role

AstraZeneca's BioPharmaceuticals Medical (BPM) is looking for a Director, Clinical Programming in Barcelona, working 3 days in the office and 2 days from home. The role is a senior subject matter expert and functional leader within the RWS&A RWD Office Clinical Programming, accountable for high-quality, efficient and fit-for-purpose clinical programming that supports the Statistics group and the broader evidence generation portfolio. It covers outsourced and in-house programming, and includes leading AI and automation initiatives.

Key responsibilities

• Set the direction for Clinical Programming, including operating model, priorities, standards and capabilities
• Act as the senior subject matter expert and escalation point for complex programming questions
• Oversight of outsourced programming: planning, technical direction, quality expectations, issue resolution and delivery accountability
• Lead in-house programming for the Statistics group, including analysis datasets, tables, listings, figures and validation
• Lead AI and automation initiatives, serve as SME on AI workstreams and advocate for validated AI-enabled tools
• Make autonomous, risk-based decisions on programming strategy, standards and tools, and ensure deliverables are audit-ready and compliant
• Build partnerships with Statistics, Data Management, Data Science, Epidemiology and Evidence Delivery, and influence senior stakeholders
• Mentor junior programmers and contribute to recruitment and onboarding

Required profile

• Degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences or another quantitative discipline, or equivalent experience
• Extensive clinical or statistical programming experience with leadership of complex deliverables
• Experience overseeing programming delivered by CROs or external partners and leading in-house programming
• Autonomous, risk-based decision-making and ability to lead cross-functional initiatives without direct authority
• Coaching, mentoring and people-development skills

Required skills

• Advanced SAS programming with high proficiency in SAS macros
• Creating or validating SDTM and ADaM datasets, tables, listings and figures
• Knowledge of clinical and real-world evidence generation and programming standards
• Desirable: experience with observational or real-world evidence studies, R, Python, SQL or XML, reusable programming frameworks, statistical modelling, SAS certification, and people-management experience