Associate Director

Job Summary:

This role supports IT operations for Apotex India and serves as a key point of contact for business leaders across Production, Engineering, Quality, and R&D. About 75% of the role is focused on coordinating day to-day operational activities across India, working with local teams, global support teams, and Canada based leadership to support service delivery, issue resolution, compliance, and execution of priorities. Team members in India report directly to leadership in Canada and work indirectly with this role for local coordination. The remaining 25% of the role is focused on managing business relationships with leaders in India, understanding business needs, and helping align those needs with IT services and solutions. This role serves as the key contact for business and IT communications and escalation of GIS activities at the local site level (projects, changes, incidents, and innovation/exploration topics).

Job Responsibilities:

• IT Operations (75% of the effort)

• Coordinate day-to-day IT operational activities across India, working with team members who report directly to leadership in Canada and indirectly to this role for local execution, prioritization, and issue resolution.
• Monitor service performance and support global leadership by providing monthly reports to India management, with a strong focus on adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and operational KPIs.
• Collaborate with global IT teams to align and execute the technology roadmap for India, including initiatives related to automation, digitalization, and Pharma 4.0.
• Partner with Quality and Manufacturing teams to ensure all GxP-relevant systems remain in a validated state, supporting compliance with regulatory requirements and audit readiness.
• Drive continuous improvement in IT operations by identifying opportunities to enhance system reliability, efficiency, and user experience.
• Coordinate effectively between local India resources, global support teams, and Canada based leadership to resolve issues, execute priorities, and reduce disruption to business operations.

Business Relationship Management (25% of the effort)

• Act as a key IT contact for business stakeholders across Production, Engineering, Quality, and R&D in India, ensuring regular engagement, clear communication, alignment on priorities, driving collaboration and trust.
• Build strong relationships with business stakeholders to understand operational needs and translate them into IT requirements.
• Collaborate with other Business Relationship Managers and IT teams to align cross functional needs and support delivery across India, proactively identifying opportunities for digital transformation, process improvement, and innovation across supported functions.
• Facilitate effective communication and alignment between local business units and global IT stakeholders to ensure seamless delivery of IT services and initiatives.
• Drive prioritization and coordination of IT demands, ensuring alignment with business objectives and global IT strategy.

Project Support

• Support prioritization of IT projects based on business value, risk, and strategic alignment.
• Collaborate closely with the PMO, adhering to established project management methodologies, governance frameworks, and guidelines to ensure timely delivery and high quality outcomes.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure effective planning, execution, and tracking of project milestones and deliverables.
• Partner with business stakeholders to support change management activities, including communication, training, and user adoption.
• Monitor project progress, identify risks, and dependencies, and ensure appropriate mitigation strategies are in place.
• Provide regular status updates to India and global leadership on progress, risks, dependencies, and key decisions.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Drive the adoption of new technologies and digital tools by promoting awareness, demonstrating value, and supporting user enablement.
• Capture and represent specific business needs from the ARPL team, ensuring they are considered, prioritized, and appropriately budgeted within global IT roadmaps and project portfolios.
• Facilitate regular stakeholder meetings and governance forums to ensure transparency, alignment, and effective decision-making.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. MBA or equivalent qualification is an asset.
• Experience in IT operations, service delivery, or business relationship management in a complex business environment.
• Experience supporting IT in a manufacturing environment; pharmaceutical or other regulated industry experience is preferred.
• Working knowledge of IT infrastructure, end-user support, enterprise applications, and service management practices.
• Experience working in a matrix environment and coordinating across teams without direct reporting authority.
• Good understanding of compliance requirements in validated or controlled environments is preferred.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, problem-solving, and organizational skills.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong coordination and execution skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities across local and global teams.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively with business and IT stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively in a matrix and global environment, while supporting local business needs.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with a practical and service-oriented approach.