Associate Director/Director, Strategy & Operations – AI Initiatives

Role Summary

Associate Director/Director, Strategy & Operations – AI Initiatives. This role drives delivery and adoption of AI-enabled solutions across R&D, G&A, and Commercial, scoping high-ROI use cases, prototyping, and scaled deployment; partners cross-functionally to remove bottlenecks and establish governance, measurement, and change management to make AI a durable capability.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning and Execution
  • Work with senior leaders to set the company‚Äôs strategic vision on AI and identify high-impact projects
  • Define and run lightweight operating mechanisms (intake/triage, sprint cadences, stage gates, risk reviews, release and enablement plans)
• Program Delivery and Cross-functional Partnership
  • Lead end-to-end delivery of high-priority AI initiatives: problem framing, rapid prototyping/POC, validation, pilot, and scaled deployment with clear criteria
  • Collaborate with IT, People Team, and functional stakeholders; remove blockers and manage risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies
• Stakeholder Communication
  • Develop executive-level materials synthesizing technical and business content for leadership and cross-functional teams
  • Translate between scientific, clinical, technical, and business stakeholders; report impact metrics and lessons learned
  • Create playbooks and enablement assets to support adoption and change management
  • Act as an AI evangelist to empower teams to embrace AI as a growth driver
• External Landscape Mapping and Vendor Strategy
  • Maintain view of AI landscape and adopt best practices from leading companies
  • Evaluate platforms/vendors; negotiate scope and timelines; provide Buy vs. Build recommendations

Qualifications

• Bachelor‚Äôs degree in Life Sciences or Computer Science
• MS, MBA, MD, PhD, or related preferred
• 3‚Äì5+ years in strategy & operations, product operations, transformation initiatives, or consulting
• Biopharma experience helpful but not required
• Proven track record delivering AI/ML or GenAI initiatives from POC to scaled adoption with measurable impact
• Strong passion for applying AI in biopharma to accelerate medicines
• Knowledge of technical developments and industry trends with a broad network in biotech/tech
• Ability to translate between scientific, technical, and business audiences
• Commitment to helping patients and accelerating development of medicines

Skills

• Strategic planning and program management
• Cross-functional collaboration and governance
• Change management and storytelling for leadership
• AI/ML project lifecycle from POC to deployment
• Vendor evaluation and negotiation

Education

• As listed in Qualifications

Additional Requirements

• In-person work required in San Francisco or Palo Alto; some travel to conferences and vendors