Do you want to be part of an inclusive team that works to develop innovative therapies for patients? Every day, we are driven to develop and deliver innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians. If you want to be part of this exciting work, you belong at Astellas!

Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients and their families. Keeping our focus on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting our business with ethics and integrity enables us to improve the health of people throughout the world. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.com .

Purpose:

As a Data Business Solutions Partner, you will perform a critical role within the Commercia Insights Data Strategy team with assumed accountability to oversee a balanced strategic evolution and seamless operational orchestration of multiple business applications/sites/portals that make up the Commercial Insights SharePoint Ecosystem. This also includes necessary cross-platforms/technology integrations with other enterprise and non-enterprise solutions which requires you to build effective partnerships with business (Commercial, Medical Affairs, Finance, Legal, Procurement, Corp. Communications, Ethics & Compliance, HR, etc.) and technical stakeholders (Information Systems/DigitalX, external vendors/suppliers). With your keen focus in ensuring these business applications are fit for business, it is highly essential for your role to foster trusted collaboration, communication, and strategic alignment with the mentioned groups to further mature and elevate this Ecosystem.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• In collaboration with the Head of Data Strategy, the Data Business Solutions Partner will be the business product owner of several business applications, sites, and portals currently built in Microsoft SharePoint Online.

• Responsible for the strategic progression of the Commercial Insights SharePoint Ecosystem in alignment with IS/DX organization’s technology roadmap.

• Accountable for managing a team of technical SharePoint resources (e.g. developers, testers, designer, architect, project manager, business analyst). This technical team is responsible for the operational upkeep (“keeping the lights on” or BAU = business as usual) of the Commercial SharePoint Ecosystem.

• Management of the above technical team includes (but not limited to) the following: ensuring the applications in Production are stable with backlog of enhancements/changes are seamlessly managed, delivery of change requests and projects follow the enterprise standards (PM/SDLC methodologies), vendor contracts timeline and accurately executed, specific projects are highly monitored and in alignment with the business objectives, etc.

• The incumbent will also be a co-Captain of the Business Process Management Solutions (BPMS) Value Team (VT) within the Growth X Hub – a joint collaborative group across Commercial, Medical Affairs, and IS/DX. They will partner with the Medical Affairs (MA) Value Team Captain in leading and evolving this new VT especially in identifying synergies between Commercial and MA’s business application Ecosystems. The VT Captains are expected to work with other business stakeholder groups, other Hubs in the IS/DX organization, and technical vendors in ensuring “business as usual” as well as combined efforts in shaping the evolution of both Ecosystems. Both are expected to also partner with other Value Teams within and outside of GrowthX Hub especially as the business applications become more integrated with other platforms/systems and in their upscaling irrespective of tools and technologies.

• Engage with and support the Data Sourcing, Data Stewardship, and Data Platforms pillars within the Commercial Insights Data Strategy group as well as with their corresponding GrowthX Hub Value Teams across Global Commercial and Global Medical Affairs. Some of which are the owners of specific SharePoint applications/sites/portals.

• Engage with and support the other groups within Commercial Insights such as (but not limited to): Business Insights, Commercial Analytics, Forecasting, New Product Planning, etc. Some of which are the owners of specific SharePoint applications/sites/portals.

• Engage with other Commercial (e.g. CCO Office, OmniChannel Strategy and Operations, etc.) and non-Commercial stakeholders (e.g. Medical Affairs, Finance, Procurement, Corporate Communications, etc.) in various business strategic programs and in support coordination of business change management.

• Partner with the Information Systems (DigitalX) organization and external suppliers/vendors in support of activities and projects that may involve, impact, and/or have dependency on these business applications.

• Effectively support the triage, coordination, and prioritization of new demands/requirements/change requests and project initiatives involving and/or dependent on the Ecosystem.

• Champion the adoption of Agile methodology in both project delivery and continuous integrations and continuous delivery (CI/CD) of efficient and scalable data management and integrations, reporting, and analytics solutions.

• Keep a keen eye on industry best business applications and technology solutions without losing sight of how they should be complimentary to and for the advancement of the business (the business should drive the technical solutions, and not the other way around). Engage with internal (Astellas) technologists and change agents as well as with external industry leaders and visionaries in the area of cloud/web-hosted business applications and data integrations.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer or Information/Data Science, Information Systems, or STEM field.

• Minimum 7 years solid experience as a business Product Owner of several web-based applications/sites/portals with accountability in operations management and strategic advancement.

• Knowledge and experience with Microsoft SharePoint (preferably Online/365) and other Microsoft products.

• Familiarity with and exposure to some of the technologies and capabilities in web-based application designs and integrations such as: SharePoint Framework, JavaScript, APIs (Application Programming Interface), Artificial Intelligence (AI), etc.

• Familiarity with Data Warehousing concepts such as data transformations and integrations, data quality and integrity standards, etc.

• Familiarity with some of the following enterprise solutions and Business Intelligence tools: SAP, Qlik, Tableau, or equivalent.

• Excellent organizational, project planning, and business change management skills with strong attention to detail. Ability to effectively manage cross-functional projects utilizing project/program management tools such as (but not limited to): MS Azure DevOps, JIRA, MS Project, or equivalent.

• Adept in System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and Agile project management methodologies.

• Demonstrated ability to understand business requirements/scope and translating them into functional/technical specifications.

• Proven experience in data and applications mapping and problem-solving skills with demonstrated ability to proactively evaluate existing strategies and processes and recommend best-fit solutions when appropriate. 

• Strong communication, facilitation, presentation, and influencing skills to effectively interact with a diverse audience and gain impact with senior-level decision makers.

• Proven experience in stakeholder management, vendor management, and team building.

• Ability to work effectively in a team environment (cross-functional), collaborating with diverse groups of stakeholders, including business and technical colleagues from various areas and in various roles within the company, across multiple cultures and regions, facilitating effective collaboration in diverse environments.

• Self-directed with strong attention to detail and must be able to multi-task in a fast-paced environment with flexibility to adapt to changing requirements, technologies, and shifting priorities.

Qualifications Preferred:

• Master’s Degree in Computer or Information/Data Science, Information Systems, or STEM field

• Certifications in appropriate area(s) such as PMP, MS SharePoint, etc.

• Strong knowledge of Agile methodologies and frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, etc. Adept in project management delivery tools such as: MS Azure DevOps, MS Project, or equivalent.

• Subject Matter Expertise: possess a strong understanding of and experience with SDLC (software development life cycle), business applications and operations management, data architecture/engineering/operations/reporting within Life Sciences/ Pharma industry specifically across Commercial, Medical Affairs, and Finance.

• Pharmaceutical or BioPharma experience with good understanding of enterprise and secondary/external Commercial data sources commonly used (e.g., script level, patient longitudinal, promotional, omnichannel data, etc.)

Working Environment:

• This position is hybrid and is based in Ontario Providence. Candidates must be willing to come into our Markham, ON office two days a week.

• At Astellas we recognize the importance of work/life balance, and we are proud to offer a hybrid working solution allowing time to connect with colleagues at the office with the flexibility to also work from home. We believe this will optimize the most productive work environment for all employees to succeed and deliver. Hybrid work from certain locations may be permitted in accordance with Astellas’ Responsible Flexibility Guidelines.

Benefits:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

• Generous Paid Time Off options, including Vacation and Sick time, plus national holidays including year-end shut down

• 401(k) match and annual company contribution

• Company paid life insurance

• Annual Corporate Bonus and Quarterly Sales Incentive for eligible positions

• Long Term Incentive Plan for eligible positions

• Referral bonus program

Category Commercial Insights

Astellas is committed to equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment.

EOE including Disability/Protected Veterans