Job Title: Product Experience Associate Director, Release Coordination - Evinova
Location: Mississauga, ON
At AstraZeneca, we pride ourselves on crafting a collaborative culture that champions knowledge-sharing, ambitious thinking and innovation – ultimately providing employees with the opportunity to work across teams, functions and even the globe.
Recognizing the importance of individualized flexibility, our ways of working allow employees to balance personal and work commitments while ensuring we continue to create a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork by engaging face-to-face in our offices 3 days a week. Our head office and BlueSky Hub in downtown Toronto are purposely designed with collaboration in mind, providing space where teams can come together to strategize, brainstorm and connect on key projects.
Our dedication to sustainability is also central to our culture and part of what makes AstraZeneca a great place to work. We know the health of people, the planet and our business are interconnected which is why we’re taking ambitious action to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to access to healthcare and disease prevention.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience.
• Proven experience in release management, product management, or project management, preferably within the pharmaceutical or healthcare technology sectors.
• Strong understanding of the product development lifecycle and release management processes, with a focus on customer experience.
• Understanding of the drug development process and regulations related to clinical trials is a plus.
• Proven track record of leading cross-functional teams and delivering high-quality product releases that prioritize customer experience.
• Experience in global organizations, adept at navigating and collaborating effectively with geographically dispersed collaborators and teams.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, consult with collaborators, present ideas clearly, and influence decisions at all organizational levels.
• Excellent organizational and leadership skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Expertise in analytical and problem-solving techniques, applying data-driven insights to drive decision-making and process improvements.
• Passion for delivering outstanding customer experiences and a commitment to fostering a positive team culture.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Product Experience Associate Director, Release Coordination, reports to the Head of Product Experience and is responsible for overseeing the customer-focused release process of product updates within the Evinova suite. This role ensures that product releases are implemented seamlessly, providing an exceptional experience for our customers. You will coordinate cross-functional teams through the planning, pre-release, deployment, and post-release stages, ensuring that each release meets customer needs and contributes to a cohesive product experience. This role involves fostering a positive culture as part of the broader Evinova team globally.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Establish and document the release management workflow, including handoffs between teams, approval gates, and escalation procedures.
• Facilitate alignment across Product, Engineering, QA, Marketing, Commercial, Training, Delivery and Support teams to ensure smooth release execution.
• Oversee the preparation and dissemination of internal and external release communications, ensuring messaging is clear, informative, and customer-focused.
• Lead cross-functional coordination efforts, ensuring that each stage of the release process contributes to a seamless customer journey.
• Oversee the creation of customer-facing release notes, guides, and training materials to enable smooth adoption and implementation.
• Maintain detailed release documentation, including hot fixes, known bug reports and Release Impact Assessment (RIA) reports outlining GXP risks associated with each release.
• Collaborate with training teams to ensure the creation and update of training materials, including videos and documentation, to support team readiness prior to general availability (GA).
• Facilitate effective communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across functions to drive efficient and high-quality releases.
• Identify and resolve any cross-team dependencies, conflicts, or bottlenecks that may impact the release timeline or customer experience.
• Collaborate with customer success and implementation teams to gather feedback and address any experience gaps.
• Analyze release metrics, customer feedback, and post-mortem findings to find opportunities for process optimization and customer experience enhancements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to implement process improvements and standard methodologies for future releases.
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends and innovations in release management and customer experience to drive Evinova’s competitive edge.