Senior Director, Discovery Data Sciences

Role Summary

Senior Director, Discovery Data Sciences – lead the new Discovery Data Sciences (DDS) group within the Data, Automation, and Predictive Sciences (DAPS) function to accelerate discovery of new medicines. Forge a unified, high-impact data science team supporting biologics, genomics, discovery biology, and more, delivering predictive models and platforms to maximize scientific impact and automate discovery.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary data science partner to research line leaders within RTech, embedding your team to directly support portfolio projects across all therapeutic modalities.
• Translate scientific challenges from the pipeline into actionable computational strategies and deliver solutions that accelerate decision-making and increase the probability of success.
• Ensure data and predictive insights are accessible and interpretable, enabling researchers to make timely, data-driven decisions within portfolio campaigns.
• Establish robust metrics to track the impact of predictive models and computational approaches on pipeline progression.
• Forge a unified organizational structure for the data science groups, creating a cohesive model based on core functions (e.g., Predictive Modeling, Generative Design, Data Platform Engineering, Bioinformatics).
• Develop and execute a long-term strategic roadmap positioning the group as the predictive engine within DAPS and the broader R&D organization.
• Co-develop robust, scalable scientific platforms (ML modeling environments, automated chemical design systems, in silico protein engineering) with Discovery Engineering Sciences.
• Ensure applications are scalable and maintainable within Onyx and QEL production environments in collaboration with RDDT.
• Design and enable data, modeling, and software components for priority technology builds and automated discovery systems (LIAL) with Discovery Integration Sciences and Automation.
• Drive strategy for high-value, proprietary data assets in collaboration with the Research Data Office, ensuring data adheres to FAIR principles and is ready for AI/ML use.
• Provide input on data governance, quality, and lifecycle management as a primary data generator/consumer.
• Cultivate a culture of pioneering AI/ML research (including generative AI and active learning) to address portfolio challenges.
• Establish research priorities and protected time for exploring novel computational methods to keep scientific support at the cutting edge.
• Lead, inspire, and develop a global team of computational scientists, data engineers, and bioinformaticians; attract and retain top talent through a collaborative, impact-driven environment.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry/Biology, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or related quantitative field.
• 12+ years in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, with at least 8 years in a leadership role managing multi-disciplinary computational science teams.
• Deep expertise in cheminformatics, computational biology, protein design, structural biology, bioinformatics, or genomics; broad understanding across several domains.
• Proven track record applying AI/ML to solve complex biological/chemical problems with tangible project impact.
• Preferred: transformational leadership experience, ability to build alliances across science, technology, and leadership; passion for translating computational innovation into medicines; strong AI/ML vision; experience with automated research frameworks; global leadership in matrixed organizations.

Skills

• Advanced AI/ML techniques, including generative models and active learning.
• Strategic leadership and organizational design for large, matrixed teams.
• Strong collaboration across research units, engineering, data governance, and data platforms.
• Experience in automated discovery frameworks and platform development for scalable scientific applications.
• Effective communication of complex scientific concepts to stakeholders and leadership.

Education

• Ph.D. in a relevant quantitative field (as listed in Basic Qualifications).