Insights and Forecasting Director

About The Role: 

The Insights and Forecasting Director provides strategic leadership across insights, analytics, forecasting, and AI-enabled decision support to help the business understand performance, find opportunities, and plan for future scenarios. The role integrates information from multiple sources and uses modern digital capabilities to generate clear, actionable recommendations that support both near-term execution and longer-term strategic choices. 

In addition to analytical and forecasting capabilities, the role requires excellent communication, collaborator management, and influencing skills, as well as strong digital fluency and sound judgment in the use of AI. The successful candidate will translate complex data into clear business implications, guide teams in adopting new tools and ways of working, and balance pace, innovation, and experimentation with appropriate governance, risk awareness, and business value. 

This position may manage external partners or project-based resources and is expected to continuously evaluate emerging analytical methods, digital tools, automation opportunities, AI capabilities, and data sources to improve decision support, operational efficiency, and interpersonal capability. The role also helps build adoption by embedding scalable, repeatable, and user-focused insight practices across the function. 

This role works closely with cross-functional partners across strategy, commercial, finance, operations, data and analytics, customer-facing teams, and other senior collaborators throughout the organization. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Lead the design and delivery of insight generation, analytics, forecasting, and AI-enabled decision support that support strategic and operational decision-making 

• Translate business questions into research, analysis, forecasting, and experimentation plans using relevant qualitative, quantitative, and digital approaches 

• Synthesize data from primary, secondary, internal, and external sources to generate actionable insights and identify trends, risks, and opportunities 

• Develop and maintain performance metrics, dashboards, and targets aligned to key business priorities and strategic goals, improving accessibility and self-service use of insights where appropriate 

• Build and refine forecasting models that incorporate key assumptions, scenarios, sensitivity analyses, and leading indicators to support planning and investment decisions 

• Drive adoption of digital and AI-enabled tools, methods, and workflows to enhance insight generation, forecasting speed, productivity, and decision support 

• Evaluate, test, and scale emerging tools and techniques that strengthen predictive accuracy, scenario planning, automation, and business readiness 

• Ensure analytical approaches, data usage, model assumptions, and outputs are objective, robust, clearly documented, and aligned with responsible AI and data governance expectations 

• Present findings, forecasts, and recommendations in a clear and compelling way for senior customers, translating technical concepts into business impact and decisions 

• Partner with cross-functional teams to align on priorities, assumptions, decision rights, and actions, driving shared accountability for outcomes 

• Support case development, planning for the future, and prioritization through forward-looking analysis, digital insight generation, and scenario-based thinking  

• Find opportunities to improve data quality, tooling, processes, operating rhythms, and analytical capabilities across the organization 

• Coach teams and customers on effective use of insights, digital tools, and AI-enabled outputs, building confidence, capability, and adoption 

• Manage external vendors or project partners where needed to deliver high-quality work on time, within scope, and in line with business and governance requirements 

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, evidence-based decision-making, responsible innovation, and ongoing learning in analytical practices 

Required Experience: 

• Bachelor's degree

• Minimum 7+ years of relevant experience

• Significant experience in insights, analytics, forecasting, market research, business analysis, or a related strategic decision-support function 

• Experience applying qualitative and quantitative methods to answer business questions and support decision-making 

• Strong experience building, interpreting, and communicating forecasts, scenarios, performance analyses, and decision-support outputs 

• Demonstrated experience evaluating, adopting, or scaling digital and AI-enabled tools, methods, or data sources to enhance insight generation, analytics, or forecasting capabilities 

• Good understanding of data governance, model risk, and responsible AI principles, with the ability to apply sound judgment in business contexts 

• Ability to synthesize complex information from multiple data sources into clear, actionable recommendations 

• Strong attention to business, critical thinking, systems thinking, and problem-solving capability 

• Experience influencing customers and working effectively across functions and levels of seniority, including supporting adoption of new tools or ways of working 

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment 

• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate technical topics clearly to non-technical audiences 

• Comfortable working in a matrixed organization, navigating ambiguity, and leading through change 

• Experience evaluating new tools, methods, or data sources to improve analytical output and team effectiveness is preferred 

• Occasional travel may be required 

Additional Success Factors: 

• Excellent communication, influencing, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage senior interested parties effectively 

• Strategic approach with the ability to connect detailed analysis, digital opportunities, and emerging technologies to broader business priorities 

• Strong project and customer management skills across multiple concurrent initiatives 

• Credibility in translating complex data, analytical outputs, and AI-enabled insights into practical recommendations and decisions 

• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to work across functions, teams, and external partners 

• Curiosity and learning agility, with a proactive approach to testing, adopting, and improving new methods, tools, and ways of working 

• Commitment to continuous improvement, capability building, high-quality execution, and responsible use of data and AI 

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to encourage 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.

Are you ready to bring new insights and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available, and we hope it’s yours. Apply today.

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 follow all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.