Business & Strategy & Portfolio Senior Specialist

Location: Winchester Place, Durham, North Carolina, United States Working model: Hybrid, with an average minimum of three days per week in the officeIntroduction to role:Are you ready to turn analysis into action and see your influence accelerate medicines to patients? Do you want to sit at the point where strategy, data, and executive decision-making converge?Based in Winchester Place, Durham, North Carolina, this role partners with Clinical Operations leaders to frame the questions that steer our portfolio, translate complex data into clear, executive-ready choices, and drive decisions that improve speed and certainty across development. Reporting to the Strategic Analytics and Enablement Lead, you will shape how senior leaders see the business and where they focus next—ensuring the right insights arrive at the right moment to move our pipeline forward.You will thrive here if you combine the structured thinking of a strategist with the analytical fluency of a data professional and the credibility to influence at VP level and above. How would you shorten time from question to answer, sharpen confidence behind our choices, and raise the bar for decision-making across Clinical Operations?Accountabilities:Strategic Decision Support: Partner with senior business stakeholders to frame high-impact questions, define success metrics, and structure the decisions that most influence portfolio outcomes.Executive-Ready Analytical Translation: Turn complex, cross-functional clinical operations data into concise narratives, clear options, and defensible recommendations that leaders can act on with confidence.Stakeholder Engagement and Influence: Communicate trade-offs, challenge assumptions, and align delivery with strategic priorities; influence roadmaps and shape thinking at the VP level and above.AI-Enabled Decision Support: Apply modern analytics and responsible AI methods—including LLM-based tools and agentic workflows where appropriate—to accelerate scenario planning, risk/benefit trade-offs, and portfolio prioritization.BI Product Delivery: Design and iterate scalable Power BI products, partnering with technical teams to ensure robust semantic models and intuitive UX that enable confident self-service across the business.Portfolio Insight Scaling: Standardize effective solutions and scale them across use cases, reducing duplication and accelerating value realization across Clinical Operations.Quality, Ethics, and Reproducibility: Balance speed-to-insight with rigor, auditability, and governance; uphold responsible data and model practices.Adoption and Change Enablement: Champion adoption, coordinate training, and track realized value; iterate based on stakeholder feedback to continuously sharpen decision-support products.Essential Skills/Experience:Bachelor's degree in Business, Analytics, Data Science, Life Sciences, Economics, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.3+ years of relevant experience in strategy, consulting, business analytics, portfolio management, or decision-support analytics.Proven experience partnering with senior stakeholders to co-create and deliver analyses that inform strategic and business decisions.Strong structured problem-solving skills, with the ability to frame ambiguous business questions and drive them to clear recommendations.Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain trade-offs, limitations, and recommendations clearly and credibly to executive audiences.Working proficiency in Power BI, with the ability to design intuitive dashboards and partner effectively with technical teams on semantic modeling, DAX, and performance.Demonstrated ability to balance speed-to-insight with rigor, quality, and reproducibility.Comfort applying analytics tools, including AI-enabled approaches where appropriate, with sound judgment around quality, ethics, and governance.Desirable Skills/Experience:Experience in management consulting, ideally within a life sciences or healthcare practice.Experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or clinical operations strategy, analytics, or portfolio functions.Prior experience presenting recommendations to VP-level stakeholders and above.Master's degree (MBA, MS in Analytics, or related) preferred.Familiarity with SQL, ETL pipelines, cloud environments, Agile delivery, BI/AI governance, responsible AI practices, model monitoring, and change management.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.Why AstraZeneca:Here, ambitious science meets the power of data and modern technology to solve problems that matter to patients. You will work alongside clinicians, strategists, engineers, and data scientists who experiment with new tools, learn fast, and scale what works—so your ideas move from prototype to enterprise impact. We pair bold goals with a supportive, collaborative culture, valuing kindness alongside ambition, and we invest in the platforms, skills, and partnerships needed to become a truly data-led enterprise. Expect to contribute to decisions that shape our pipeline while stretching your craft in a dynamic, highly cross-functional environment where unexpected teams in the same room unleash bold thinking.Step into a high-impact role in Durham and help turn critical questions into decisive actions that get medicines to patients faster.Date Posted31-jul-2026Closing Date13-ago-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.SummaryLocation: US - Durham - NCType: Full time