Director - Software Development, Cell Therapy IT

Introduction to role:

Are you ready to build the digital backbone that delivers next‑generation cell therapies to patients at scale?In this role, you will build and deliver the software platforms that power end‑to‑end activities related to cell therapy across development, manufacturing, and supply. Your work will directly influence how quickly and safely therapies move from treatment sites to manufacturing lines and back to patients.

You will lead a global engineering organization to compose, build, and industrialize enterprise-grade systems—spanning a Cell Orchestration platform built on Salesforce, AWS- services, and agentic AI automation. Partnering closely with operational and technology leaders, you will define a modern, scalable stack and translate strategy into robust, compliant solutions that drive speed, quality, and reliability. Based in Chennai, India, you will be at the center of a high-impact mission with global reach. How will you scale intelligent automation to orchestrate one of the most complex supply chains in healthcare?

3. Accountabilities:

• Technology Planning and Architecture: Define and evolve a scalable technology strategy and reference architecture that underpins cell therapy operations from vein-to-vein, aligning platform choices with business outcomes.
• Platform Leadership: Lead the build and delivery of the Salesforce-based cellular coordination system, ensuring it is robust, scalable, secure, and fit for regulated environments.
• SDLC Ownership and DevSecOps: Own end-to-end software delivery from design to deployment and support, embedding DevSecOps, automation, and built-in quality to accelerate releases and reduce risk.
• Integration and Interoperability: Orchestrate integrations across Salesforce Service & Life Sciences -Cloud, MuleSoft, mobile-first apps, AWS services, and event streaming (e.g., Kafka) to enable seamless data and workflow continuity.
• Regulatory and Compliance Readiness: Bake compliance into every phase (GxP, HIPAA, FDA, GDPR), establishing traceability, validation, and auditability without slowing down delivery.
• Agentic AI Development or similar Automation experience is essential. Support advancing agentic AI to build autonomous software agents. They complete complex operational tasks and make decisions safely and at scale.
• Technical Roadmap: Life Sciences Cloud: Guide the industrialization of Agent-force Salesforce Life Sciences Cloud and the Advanced Therapy Module to enable next-generation cell therapy delivery.
• Engineering Excellence and GenAI-Enabled SDLC: Establish best- practices for full-stack engineering and leverage GenAI for code generation, testing, and SDLC automation to boost productivity and quality.
• Talent Leadership and Culture: Build and mentor a high-performing global-team of engineers and solution architects, cultivating innovation, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Vendor and Partner Management: Manage external partners to deliver quality, secure, and compliant solutions, optimizing for value and speed.
• Innovation and Future-Readiness: Stay ahead of LLMs, autonomous agents, and cloud-native advances; translate emerging tech into practical upgrades that modernize systems and unlock new capabilities.

4. Essential Skills/Experience:

• Bachelor's - degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• 12+ years of software development experience, including 5+ years in a leadership role within life sciences, biotech, or manufacturing IT environments.
• Experience managing sophisticated Salesforce environments and multi-cloud implementations.
• Experience in leading multiple Product Development teams globally with engineering and delivery ownership
• Experience building and deploying software solutions in regulated environments (GxP , HIPAA, FDA).
• Expertise in modern development tools and platforms: AWS, Azure, Python, Salesforce (Service Cloud and Life Sciences), MuleSoft, Confluent / Kafka.
• Expertise delivering digital solutions across patient engagement, R&D, and product commercialization.

5. Desirable Skills/Experience:

• Salesforce certifications (e.g., Salesforce Application Architect, System Architect, Platform Developer II).
• Familiarity with AI/ML features within Salesforce ecosystem (Einstein, predictive analytics).
• Understanding of GenAI use cases in software development and automated testing.

• Hands-on experience with Agentic AI tools and frameworks

• Solid background in system architecture, secure coding practices, and cloud-native design.

6. Why AstraZeneca:

Join a purpose-led team where advanced technology meets scientific ambition to change what’s possible for patients. Here, unexpected teams—engineers, data scientists, and operational leaders—get in the same room to tackle problems that matter, with the investment and freedom to experiment through hackathons, prototypes, and scaled delivery. You will help build the digital capabilities that accelerate medicines to those who need them, supported by a collaborative culture that values kindness alongside ambition, rigorous standards alongside creativity, and continuous learning at every step.

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.

7. Call to Action:

If you’re ready to lead the platforms and AI-powered systems that deliver cell therapies faster and more reliably, take charge from Chennai. Develop what comes next.

Date Posted

Closing Date

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.