Finance Associate Director, ABACUS

Finance Associate Director, ABACUS

Location: Warsaw

Hybrid Model: 3 days per week from office

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. We are more than one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person.

Finance continues to drive AstraZeneca’s Bold Ambition and driving the delivery of the company’s strategic priorities. Providing valuable data, analytics and insights will not only support growth but enable the science to make effective decisions and identify market opportunities. Our mission is ambitious and it takes the skills of a collaborative team to really deliver on what science can do and to always put patients first.

This role is set within global R&D Finance team supporting global Science Units and development of new medicines.

Role will give detailed exposure to our core business & provide an incredible learning ground and experience.

About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Finance Associate Director to lead our clinical trials cost management platform (ABACUS) across its rollout and stabilization. You will act as the deputy system owner and lead a high-performing team to deliver service excellence, ensure business continuity and drive a multi‑year roadmap of enhancements and deployments. Partnering closely with R&D Finance, IS and integrated system owners, you will align strategy and execution, enable robust reporting and analytics, and realize measurable value from investments. This role blends systems leadership, finance acumen, stakeholder management and change delivery in a truly global context.

What you’ll do

• System leadership: Act as the deputy system owner for ABACUS, setting standards, controls and ways of working.
• Strategic partnership: Orchestrate stakeholders across R&D Finance, IS, Clinical GFS and integrated platforms to align strategic, tactical and operational goals.
• Roadmap and deployments: Lead ABACUS deployment planning and execution for new functions, M&A integrations and new system interfaces including S/4HANA; oversee design choices, reporting enablement, readiness and cutover.
• Service continuity: Safeguard critical processes, including month‑end close, through transitions and changes.
• Expert guidance and change leadership: Provide decision support on design trade‑offs, impact assessments and phasing for major programs.
• Value and governance: Build business cases, secure approvals and track benefits to documented value realization.
• Continuous improvement: Prioritize and deliver an enhancement backlog to improve efficiency, simplify processes and reduce total cost and risk, leveraging third‑party partners as appropriate.
• Artificial Intelligence:  Identify opportunities for the use of AI to leverage ABACUS data, and drive its implementation. 
• Data and reporting enablement: Ensure reporting design, reconciliations and data flows meet performance and financial reporting needs and align with S/4HANA data and process standards.
• People leadership: Manage and develop a team of 4–10 specialists across process, system and data ownership; build capability in stakeholder management and system excellence.
• Post‑implementation optimization: Conduct PIRs, track KPIs, gather feedback and convert insights into a prioritized backlog for ongoing optimization.
• Customer focus: Maintain strong feedback loops with internal users and external partners; benchmark and translate insights into action.

Essential skills and experience

• Qualified finance professional (or equivalent).
• Experience working with and supporting information systems in a global environment.
• Proven track record of high‑quality service delivery and leading change initiatives.
• Strong change management, stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills; exceptional written and spoken English.
• Strategic mindset with demonstrable understanding of global and corporate context.
• Proactive, self‑directed, resilient and able to work under pressure and to tight timelines.
• Experience working in multi‑disciplinary, matrixed teams and interacting at all organizational levels.
• General people and management experience

Desirable

• Strong technical expertise in ABACUS and adjacent finance tools (e.g., Hyperion, SAP, Power BI, SmartView, Coupa, Planit, BW/BI, SharePoint, SNOW, Power Query/Power Pivot, MS Access).
• Advanced financial modelling, budgeting and forecasting; strong Excel proficiency and knowledge of GAAP.
• Experience operating within regulatory frameworks.
• Experience and interest in use of emerging AI technologies
• Empathy, collaboration and the ability to cultivate trusted relationships.

What we offer:

Welcome to Warsaw Site, one of over 400 sites here at AstraZeneca, providing a collaborative environment where everyone feels comfortable and able to be themselves is at the core of AstraZeneca’s priorities, it’s important to us that you bring your full self to work every day.

To help you maintain your best self, here’s a sneak peek into some of the things this site provides for you:

• The best team to support you,
• Multisport card,
• Pension plan,
• Life insurance,
• after-work events,
• private medical care
• lunch card,
• bright and spacious environment,
• sustainable office working environment.

Please note that we are working in a hybrid model of 3 days per week from the office in Warsaw

Date Posted

28-lis-2025

Closing Date

05-gru-2025

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

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