Associate Director - Data, Analytics & AI

Job Title: Associate Director - Data, Analytics & AI

Career Level - F

Introduction to role

Join our Data Analytics and AI (DA&AI) team within Operations IT to drive innovation in a leading pharmaceutical company. As the Principal Data Engineer, Operations IT - Data, Analytics & AI youll oversee the technical delivery of products/projects within Operation DA&AI, driving successful outcomes aligned with business goals. Youll leverage your expertise to lead and coordinate across technical workstreams (Data & Cloud Engineering, Software Engineering, AI) and collaborate with key stakeholders.

Accountabilities

- Bridge business needs with technical solutions by leading IT application design and implementation.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to define and deliver requirements, translating them into detailed specifications.
- Optimize performance and mitigate risks through improvements in design and processes.
- Advise on industry trends and best practices to enhance performance and business outcomes.
- Provide strategic direction and guidance to IT teams and business units.
- Contribute to Data & Software Engineering standards and best practices.
- Research new technologies to boost system performance and scalability.
- Lead and mentor technical teams (Data Engineering, Cloud Engineering, Software Engineering etc.) and work with AI/GenAI leads to foster collaboration and innovation.
- Lead technical teams in design, architecture, and innovation, resolving complex issues.
- Ensure platform stability, scalability, and simplicity.
- Foster continuous improvement and innovation.
- Oversee technical leadership throughout the software development lifecycle and provide hands-on support in development, technical delivery, review, and testing while collaborating with global teams.
- Utilize central Enterprise Data Platforms and guide DevOps, DataOps, and MLOps teams to ensure best practices.
- Ensure data solutions comply with FAIR principles and support end-to-end data science and machine learning.

Essential Skills/Experience

- 14+ years in software and data engineering.
- Strong problem-solving with a focus on high-quality solutions.
- Expertise in data engineering, cloud patterns (e.g., microservices, serverless), and software engineering principles.
- Proficiency in containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), databases (SQL, NoSQL), CI/CD pipelines, and automated deployment tools.
- Leadership experience in mentoring and team management.
- Fluency in Java and Python; knowledge of security and data protection.
- Familiarity with DevOps tools and Data Mesh concepts.

Desirable Skills/Experience

- Degree in Health Sciences, Life Sciences, Data Management, IT, or related field.
- Experience in the pharmaceutical industry or a similar multinational environment.
- AWS Cloud or relevant certifications.