【AstraZeneca】【JOPS】Associate Quality Director,External Quality
About this opportunity
Job Description
The incumbent is responsible for the Quality management of assigned External Suppliers within Procurement Quality AsiaPac teams. They are responsible for all Quality activities that directly support execution of Quality Management of Suppliers for assigned suppliers. This includes, but is not limited to, the Quality System oversight and/or performance of the following activities: change control, product quality complaint, S&L complaint and deviation investigations, quality issue management and escalation, Quality Agreements (establishment and maintenance) between AZ and External Suppliers and between EQ and AZ Operations Sites.
Within the External Quality (EQ) organization the job holder is responsible for the oversight and ownership of Quality System(s). They will support the Quality Professionals involved in Quality Supplier and Product Supply Chain Management within the assigned categories.
In addition, the preparation and submission of periodic Supplier Quality Assessments, Regulatory Agency interactions and serving as Quality leaders on NPI, new supplier introductions, In Licensing, strategic sourcing projects, process optimization and product transfer projects, as these relate to Quality Supplier management, are within the scope of this role. Regulatory Agency interaction includes preparation for, and management of, Regulatory Agency inspections at External Suppliers and AZ sites (when External Suppliers are assessed).
Skill-set Mandatory
•Strong demonstrated knowledge of cGMPs, Quality Systems and the pharmaceutical supply chain environment. Also strong understanding of industry standards such as Pharmacopeia, ISO standards, etc.
•Excellent oral and written communication skills [English and local language(s)]
•Demonstrated experience working cross-functionally and managing significant improvement initiatives (e.g. project management skills)
•Strong problem solving skills
•Strong negotiating/influencing skills
•Ability to work independently under his/her own initiative.
License Mandatory
Bachelor degree in a science / technical field such as Pharmacy, Biology, Chemistry or Engineering (Note: there may be specific additional requirements depending on the regulations in each country). Proven broad experience in either the pharmaceutical operations environment or pharmaceutical Quality Assurance role.
Experience Nice to have
•Experience working in a PCO/PET organization or Lean/Six Sigma training.
•Multi-site / multi-functional experience
•Proven experience in Quality Assurance or combination of Quality and Technical
•Masters Degree in Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs or other advanced scientific field
Languages Mandatory
•Japanese：N1 level
•English：TOEIC 800+
Others Mandatory
•Ability to travel nationally and internationally as required approximately 10% of their time.
Others Nice to have
•PCO members or equivalent team
•Category/Sub Category Team members
•Quality and other support groups within or across sites
•Regulatory Affairs (including GQO CMC RC)
•GQO
•Global Supply Managers/Directors
•Pharmaceutical, Technology and Development, and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Work Location
Osaka/Maihara/Tokyo
Date Posted
29-9月-2026
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.
Job details
How this role compares
Computed from every other active Quality role in our database, not just this employer's listings.
We currently track 102 comparable Director Quality roles across 34 biopharma companies.
Salary context
46 of 102 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)
Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.
Where these roles are based
Top locations among the 102 comparable roles
+ 13 more countries
Seniority mix
102 of 102 peers have a known seniority level
Therapeutic area mix
0 of 102 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden
No peers with a known therapeutic area yet.
Similar opportunities
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How we calculate "similar"
No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.
Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.
0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.