Director, AI Automation and Integration

AskBio Inc., a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, is a fully integrated gene therapy company dedicated to developing life-saving medicines and changing lives. The company maintains a portfolio of clinical programs across a range of neuromuscular, central nervous system, cardiovascular, and metabolic disease indications with a clinical-stage pipeline that includes investigational therapeutics for congestive heart failure, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, multiple system atrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and Pompe disease. AskBio’s gene therapy platform includes Pro10™, an industry-leading proprietary cell line manufacturing process, and an extensive array of capsids and promoters. With global headquarters in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and European headquarters in Edinburgh, Scotland, the company has generated hundreds of proprietary capsids and promoters, several of which have entered pre-clinical and clinical testing.

Our vision: Pioneering science to create transformative molecular medicines.

Our mission: Lead innovative science and drive clinical outcomes to transform people's lives.

Our principles:

• Advance innovative science by pushing boundaries. 

• Bring transformative therapeutics to patients in need.  

• Provide an environment for employees to reach their fullest potential.  

Our values:

• Be a Pioneer. We are not afraid of the impossible and to innovate to make gene therapies accessible to those in need.

• Cultivate Collaboration. Strive to be the best teammate, actively listen, openly communicate, and embrace diverse points of view.

• Embrace Responsibility. We are humbled by the enormity of our mission.  We hold a relentless commitment to advance science and clinical outcomes for our patients, families, and caregivers.

• Raise the Bar. Continuously drive improvements and efficiencies. Seek and provide constructive feedback. Have a bias for learning and action.

• Act with Uncompromising Integrity. Be honest, transparent, and committed to doing what’s right in every situation. Make clear commitments and follow through.

Position Summary

The Director, AI & Digital Innovation Delivery  serves as a strategic technology partner and product owner for AskBio’s AI & innovation portfolio — the pipeline and ecosystem of opportunities where digital capabilities, artificial intelligence, automation, data, and emerging technologies can improve business outcomes in a regulated gene therapy environment. This role collaboratively leads the AI Hub and works across R&D, Technical Operations, Therapeutics, and enabling functions to identify, prioritize, and deliver high-value opportunities.

The position owns the front end of the innovation lifecycle and remains accountable for moving priority opportunities into implementation: scanning for relevant technologies, mapping and improving underlying processes, shaping raw ideas into decision-ready use cases, pressure-testing value and readiness, building product roadmaps, coordinating internal and external resources, and driving proof-of-value efforts through deployment, adoption, and value realization.

This is a business-facing leadership role. In addition to managing a portfolio and influencing stakeholders, the Director builds and leads a small team, partnering closely with the AI Hub, IT Leadership Team, Quality/Compliance, business stakeholders, vendors, and delivery teams. Success is measured by the quality of the opportunity pipeline, stakeholder alignment, implementation progress, adoption, business outcomes achieved, and the organization’s ability to innovate safely and repeatably.

This position reports to the VP, Head of Information Technology. This is a hybrid role based in RTP, NC or Philadelphia, PA.

Job Responsibilities

Business Partnership, AI Hub Leadership & Digital Transformation

• Serve as a trusted IT business partner and AI strategy thought partner to leaders and stakeholders across R&D, Technical Operations, Therapeutics, and enabling functions.

• Facilitate discovery and shaping sessions to uncover business problems, scientific workflow pain points, and opportunities for technology-enabled improvement.

• Translate business priorities into clear problem statements, digital opportunities, product-oriented roadmaps, and delivery plans aligned with organizational goals.

• Help stakeholders understand the art of the possible with AI, automation, data, and emerging technologies while grounding recommendations in business value and readiness.

Team Leadership & People Development

• Build, lead, coach, and scale a team of AI/innovation delivery; set direction, prioritize workload, and develop capability in a highly visible, fast-moving area.

• Hire, mentor, and grow team members; establish clear goals, feedback loops, and career development paths.

• Model AskBio values and foster a culture of curiosity, accountability, transparency, and shared credit.

AI Product Ownership, Delivery & Implementation

• Serve as product owner for the enterprise AI & innovation portfolio, including product vision, roadmap, backlog shaping, user stories, acceptance criteria, stakeholder engagement, and implementation outcomes.

• Convert raw ideas into well-defined, decision-ready use cases using structured value, readiness, feasibility, risk, and adoption criteria.

• Maintain and prioritize the AI and innovation opportunity backlog in partnership with the AI Hub, IT PMO, enterprise architecture, and business stakeholders, coordinating the internal and external resources needed to deliver prioritized solutions.

• Support intake, prioritization, governance, and implementation by building clear business cases, delivery plans, handoff materials, and accountability mechanisms for flex teams, platform teams, vendors, or project delivery teams.

Process Excellence & Data Readiness

• Map and optimize underlying business and scientific processes as the foundation for high-value AI and automation — real value starts with improving the process, not just applying AI.

• Identify and escalate data quality, metadata, integration, and governance barriers that limit AI and digital-solution effectiveness.

Innovation Strategy & Emerging Technology Scanning

• Demonstrate intellectual curiosity and continuously scout emerging AI capabilities, vendors, and industry best practices; maintain a living technology radar for AI, automation, data, lab/scientific technology, and Copilot/M365 capabilities relevant to a gene therapy biotech.

• Assess technology options for strategic fit, maturity, cost, adoption readiness, compliance considerations, and expected business impact.

• Develop concise innovation briefs, opportunity assessments, proofs of concept, delivery recommendations, and implementation roadmaps for IT leadership, the AI Hub, portfolio governance forums, and business stakeholders.

• Leverage the Bayer ecosystem, vendor landscape, industry trends, and internal lessons learned to identify reusable patterns and avoid duplicative investment.

Frameworks, Governance & Safe Experimentation

• Establish and continuously improve the innovation intake framework, evaluation gates, proof-of-value patterns, experimentation standards, and handoff criteria.

• Partner with Quality, Compliance, Legal, Privacy, Security, and CSV/CSA stakeholders to ensure innovation practices align with GxP expectations, data integrity, privacy, security, AI governance, and responsible-use principles.

• Define clear boundaries between exploratory/non-GxP experimentation and regulated use cases requiring additional controls, validation, documentation, or lifecycle oversight.

• Promote transparency by maintaining shared documentation of use cases, scores, decisions, assumptions, value signals, and lessons learned.

Delivery, Adoption, Value Realization & Change Enablement

• Partner with AI Champions, Copilot advocates, training resources, delivery teams, and business sponsors to deploy and improve adoption of digital and AI capabilities.

• Define success measures for pilots and products, including adoption, user feedback, cycle-time improvement, quality/risk reduction, productivity gains, and other business outcomes.

• Monitor implementation progress, proof-of-value results, and post-launch outcomes; recommend continue, scale, pivot, or retire decisions based on evidence and stakeholder feedback.

• Support executive storytelling and portfolio reporting by translating technical progress into business outcomes, risks, decisions, and next steps.

External Partner & Vendor Collaboration

• Work with vendors, consultants, Bayer teams, and external partners to evaluate capabilities, accelerate learning, augment internal capacity, and support delivery of fit-for-purpose solutions.

• Shape vendor engagements around defined business outcomes, success criteria, compliance expectations, delivery milestones, and sustainable operating models.

• Ensure partner-provided capabilities fit AskBio architecture, security, data, validation, and support models before broader adoption.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Life Sciences, Business, or a related field and 10+ years of progressive industry or related experience in technology, digital transformation, product management, business partnership, enterprise architecture, innovation, or portfolio leadership

• 5+ years of experience leading or shaping cross-functional technology initiatives with business stakeholders, including requirements discovery, roadmap development, prioritization, delivery partnership, and value realization

• 3+ years of direct people-management experience — hiring, coaching, developing, and leading a team

• Experience managing or shaping work with specialized vendors, consultants, or external partners to extend internal capability, support delivery, and maintain clear ownership and governance

• Demonstrated experience with AI, analytics, automation, data, digital products, or emerging technology initiatives, including the ability to translate business needs into use cases, product requirements, and measurable outcomes

• Strong executive communication, facilitation, and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to influence without direct authority and translate complex technology concepts for non-technical audiences

• Strong consulting mindset: structured problem solving, crisp written communication, disciplined follow-through, transparency, shared credit, and comfort operating in ambiguity

• Familiarity with AI product management concepts such as user stories, acceptance criteria, backlog management, evaluation metrics, human-in-the-loop design, model governance, prompt/RAG patterns, responsible AI, and adoption measurement

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills

• Experience working in or supporting a regulated environment where security, data privacy, compliance, governance, documentation, and controlled change are important to technology delivery

• Life sciences industry experience (pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, CRO/CDMO); familiarity with GxP, CSV/CSA, 21 CFR Part 11 / Annex 11, and ALCOA+ data integrity

• Experience operating as a Product Owner, Product Manager, Business Technology Partner, Innovation Lead, Digital Transformation Lead, or similar role for AI, automation, data, scientific, or enterprise technology products

• Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and a track record of external technology scouting — continuously monitoring emerging capabilities, vendors, and best practices

• Strong process-excellence orientation, including process mapping and workflow optimization as the basis for AI and automation value

• Understanding of gene therapy, biologics, research, CMC, manufacturing, quality, clinical, regulatory, lab informatics, scientific data, or enterprise business processes

• Experience with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Power Platform, Jira, SharePoint, enterprise architecture tools, portfolio-management tools, AI intake processes, or related collaboration/productivity platforms

• Ability to facilitate workshops with scientists, business leaders, technical teams, Quality/Compliance, Cybersecurity, Legal, and vendors to shape feasible and valuable solutions

• Experience building technology radars, opportunity briefs, decision-ready business cases, proof-of-concept plans, adoption plans, or value-realization dashboards

• Proven ability to build structured frameworks, operating models, portfolio processes, decision criteria, or governance mechanisms that improve transparency, consistency, and business alignment

AskBio Inc. (AskBio) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected status prohibited under Federal, State or local laws. All employment decisions are based on valid job‐related requirements. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our website, you may request a reasonable accommodation to express interest in a specific opening by calling us at (919) 561-6210 or sending us an email at careers@askbio.com.

Agencies:  Please do not contact any employee at AskBio about this requisition.  Any resume submitted by a recruitment agency to any employee at AskBio, through any medium, will be deemed the sole property of AskBio unless the agency was engaged by AskBio Talent Acquisition team to recruit for that position.  All agencies must have a prior executed service agreement with AskBio prior to any search engagement.  If a candidate who was submitted outside of the AskBio agency process is hired by AskBio, no fee or payment of any kind will be paid to the agency.