Director Data Science & Agentic AI

Job Description Summary

Independently lead agentic AI initiatives within the SPPO Data Science and AI Strategy in Global Drug Development, directly contributing to faster delivery of transformative medicines to patients.

Role model a culture of AI-augmented, data-driven decision-making across GDD functions — spanning clinical development, translational research, and regulatory.

Deep technical expert with accountability for agentic AI systems that reduce time to insight and time to patient across global development programs.

Shape the agentic AI direction for your organizational domain, grounded in the broader GDD strategy set by leadership.

Where managing a team: empower, guide, and coach data scientists and AI engineers to deliver at the frontier of applied AI in drug development.

 

Job Description

Internal job title: Director

Position Location: Hybrid working arrangement, Barcelona, Spain (position can also be based out Dublin--please search for job REQ-10075844) #LI-Hybrid 

This is a senior AI leader role within Novartis Global Drug Development (GDD), responsible for leading the design, build, and productionization of agentic AI systems — think multi-agent architectures, tool-using LLMs, and autonomous workflow orchestration — to accelerate drug development timelines and time-to-patient. The role sits at the intersection of deep technical expertise (agentic frameworks, RAG, governance, data foundations) and strategic influence, shaping the agentic AI direction for its domain while collaborating across clinical development, translational research, and regulatory functions.

Beyond hands-on design and delivery, the position carries accountability for agent evaluation frameworks (reliability, hallucination risk, auditability), agentic governance, stakeholder coordination across globally dispersed teams, and external visibility through publications and conference presentations. Where a team is in scope, the leader is expected to coach and develop data scientists and AI engineers at the frontier of applied AI in pharma. It requires 10+ years of production AI/ML experience with specific fluency in agentic design patterns and responsible-AI practices.

 Major Accountabilities:

• Develop and execute a roadmap for agentic AI systems — including multi-agent architectures, tool-using LLMs, and autonomous workflow orchestration — across multiple business verticals

• Architect, prototype, and productionize agentic pipelines: agent orchestration, memory and context management, tool integration, and human-in-the-loop governance frameworks

• Define agent evaluation frameworks covering reliability, hallucination risk, task completion rate, and regulatory-grade auditability

• Design and implement the data foundations (master data, governance, quality) that agentic systems depend on for grounded, trustworthy decision-making

• Identify and integrate internal/external data sources, APIs, and knowledge bases as agent-accessible tools with appropriate access controls and governance

• Strategically coordinate and prioritize team resources across initiatives; proactively manage risks, stakeholder expectations, and competing priorities

• Collaborate with globally dispersed stakeholders, external partners, and cross-functional teams to translate business problems into agentic AI solutions

• Proactively evaluate the evolving agentic AI landscape (e.g., reasoning models, agent frameworks, MCP, RAG) and guide technology selection

• Provide agile consulting and guidance on unplanned, high-priority analytical and AI challenges

• Publish and present at conferences and academic institutions; serve as a Novartis ambassador for agentic and applied AI

• Coach and develop junior data scientists and AI engineers in agentic design patterns and responsible AI practices

Key Performance Indicators:

• Agentic system deployment rate and measurable business impact per vertical

• Agent reliability and task-completion metrics vs. baseline

• Governance and compliance endorsement at program tollgates

• Successful implementation against enterprise data and AI program objectives

Minimum Requirement: Work Experience:

• Advanced degree in related field preferred. 10+ years in Data Science or AI, with demonstrable experience building and deploying production AI/ML systems

• Hands-on experience with agentic frameworks (e.g., LangGraph, AutoGen, CrewAI, or equivalent)

Skills:

• Agentic AI system design and orchestration

• LLM tool-use, RAG, and multi-agent coordination patterns

• AI governance and responsible AI (EU AI Act awareness a plus)

• Machine learning, deep learning, NLP and GenAI

• Data governance, quality, and strategy

• Statistical analysis and data visualization

• Change management and organizational awareness

• Stakeholder engagement and business value creation

• Mentorship and learning agility

Language:

• English

Benefits & Rewards:

Read our handbook to learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally: https://www.novartis.com/careers/benefits-rewards

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:  

Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.

 

Skills Desired

Agile (Programming Methodology), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Value Creation, Change Management, Curious Mindset, Data Governance, Data Literacy, Data Quality, Data Science, Data Strategy, Data Visualization, Deep Learning, Learning Agility, Machine Learning (ML), Machine Learning Algorithms, Mentorship, Nlp (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) And Genai, Organization Awareness, Stakeholder Engagement, Statistical Analysis, Time Series Analysis, Vision, Visualization