Director, R&D AI, Insights & Analytics
Acadia Pharmaceuticals
August 18, 2026
Remote friendly (South San Francisco, CA)
United States
IT
Position Summary
The Director, R&D AI, Insights & Analytics will lead strategy and execution of data, analytics, artificial intelligence, and insights capabilities across the R&D organization.
Primary Responsibilities
- Define and execute the R&D insights, analytics, AI, and data capability roadmap.
- Lead R&D data governance (ownership, stewardship, ontology, metadata, lineage, business glossary, data quality, FAIR principles, semantic consistency).
- Establish consistent definitions, metrics, semantic standards, and data quality expectations.
- Partner with Enterprise IT and data engineering on modern R&D data platforms (data lake/lakehouse/cloud).
- Provide leadership for architecture, platform, technology, and vendor evaluations (scalability, security, interoperability).
- Build clinical development benchmarking (start-up, enrollment, site performance, cycle times, data quality).
- Develop dashboards, predictive analytics, and decision support for enrollment, site selection, trial execution, portfolio oversight.
- Identify and implement AI/ML and intelligent automation opportunities to accelerate trials.
- Translate R&D use cases into scalable products with success metrics and drive adoption.
- Lead assessments, process/capability mapping, gap analyses, and future-state roadmaps.
- Collaborate across R&D functions to identify high-value data/analytics opportunities.
- Manage external partners/vendors within approved budgets.
- Present strategies and outcomes to senior leadership; monitor emerging technologies.
Education/Experience/Skills
- Bachelor’s degree required (Data Science, CS, Engineering, Life Sciences or related); advanced degree preferred.
- 10+ years in R&D analytics/data strategy/clinical development analytics/AI-enabled solutions/digital transformation.
- Pharmaceutical/life sciences industry experience.
- Drug development lifecycle knowledge and R&D functions.
- Data governance leadership (FAIR, metadata/lineage, quality standards).
- Experience with data lake/lakehouse/data fabric/cloud strategies.
- Working knowledge: Databricks, Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, AWS, Azure, semantic layer, metadata/catalog tools.
- Clinical performance metrics/benchmarking and operational dashboards.
- AI/ML, predictive analytics, intelligent automation.
- Process mapping, capability assessments, gap analyses, roadmap development.
- Regulated environments/clinical standards: GxP, CDISC, SDTM, ADaM, FHIR.
- Ability/willingness to travel domestically/internationally.
Benefits (US-based Employees)
- Competitive base, bonus, and new hire/ongoing equity packages.
- Medical, dental, vision; employer-paid life, disability, business travel, and EAP.
- 401(k) match 1:1 up to 5%; Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
- 15+ vacation days; 13–15 paid holidays; 10 days paid sick time; paid parental leave; tuition assistance.
The Director, R&D AI, Insights & Analytics will lead strategy and execution of data, analytics, artificial intelligence, and insights capabilities across the R&D organization.
Primary Responsibilities
- Define and execute the R&D insights, analytics, AI, and data capability roadmap.
- Lead R&D data governance (ownership, stewardship, ontology, metadata, lineage, business glossary, data quality, FAIR principles, semantic consistency).
- Establish consistent definitions, metrics, semantic standards, and data quality expectations.
- Partner with Enterprise IT and data engineering on modern R&D data platforms (data lake/lakehouse/cloud).
- Provide leadership for architecture, platform, technology, and vendor evaluations (scalability, security, interoperability).
- Build clinical development benchmarking (start-up, enrollment, site performance, cycle times, data quality).
- Develop dashboards, predictive analytics, and decision support for enrollment, site selection, trial execution, portfolio oversight.
- Identify and implement AI/ML and intelligent automation opportunities to accelerate trials.
- Translate R&D use cases into scalable products with success metrics and drive adoption.
- Lead assessments, process/capability mapping, gap analyses, and future-state roadmaps.
- Collaborate across R&D functions to identify high-value data/analytics opportunities.
- Manage external partners/vendors within approved budgets.
- Present strategies and outcomes to senior leadership; monitor emerging technologies.
Education/Experience/Skills
- Bachelor’s degree required (Data Science, CS, Engineering, Life Sciences or related); advanced degree preferred.
- 10+ years in R&D analytics/data strategy/clinical development analytics/AI-enabled solutions/digital transformation.
- Pharmaceutical/life sciences industry experience.
- Drug development lifecycle knowledge and R&D functions.
- Data governance leadership (FAIR, metadata/lineage, quality standards).
- Experience with data lake/lakehouse/data fabric/cloud strategies.
- Working knowledge: Databricks, Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, AWS, Azure, semantic layer, metadata/catalog tools.
- Clinical performance metrics/benchmarking and operational dashboards.
- AI/ML, predictive analytics, intelligent automation.
- Process mapping, capability assessments, gap analyses, roadmap development.
- Regulated environments/clinical standards: GxP, CDISC, SDTM, ADaM, FHIR.
- Ability/willingness to travel domestically/internationally.
Benefits (US-based Employees)
- Competitive base, bonus, and new hire/ongoing equity packages.
- Medical, dental, vision; employer-paid life, disability, business travel, and EAP.
- 401(k) match 1:1 up to 5%; Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
- 15+ vacation days; 13–15 paid holidays; 10 days paid sick time; paid parental leave; tuition assistance.