Senior Manager, AI and Data Scientist

Job Summary The Senior Manager Artificial Intelligence and Data Scientist will focus on building robust scalable AI solutions and applications across R&D and corporate functions. This role will be accountable for architecting, developing, and maintaining scalable AI and Gen AI solutions. To do so, the role will leverage the foundational AI platform and engineering solution to focus on implementation of AI and Gen AI use cases from rapid prototypes to qualified or validated production application. The ideal candidate would have deep expertise and successful hands on experience in foundations of AI/ML in an Industry setting, understand AI/ML technologies, and possess a strong grasp of the pharmaceutical R&D processes, drug development, R&D and Enterprise data, and its lifecycle management. The Senior Manager AI and Data Scientist is a strategic leader who identifies and develops AI-driven solutions to complex industry challenges, from drug discovery to clinical trials. This role requires a unique blend of deep domain knowledge in life sciences, deep technical proficiency in AI and data science, and proven product management expertise. Beyond technical and product skills, they must possess exceptional communication, leadership, and problem-solving abilities to align diverse teams, navigate ambiguity, and deliver innovative solutions that provide tangible business and scientific value. Job Description Develop, implement, and deliver AI/ML, and Gen AI applications to provide insights, support decisions, and operational efficiencies across R&D functions Create product vision, set roadmap, and manage end-to-end AI product lifecycle while ensuring regulatory compliance. Effectively translate complex AI concepts for non-technical stakeholders, guide cross‑functional teams of data scientists and engineers, and drive the adoption of new technologies. Provide technical expertise on responsible and ethical AI use for projects and develop best practices, standards, and documentation to consistently enable responsible AI solutions; ensure that these principle AI and Gen AI components such as RAG, agentic architectures, and other forms of data analytics ranging from traditional to newer technologies. Provide technical inputs on the AI ecosystem and architecture including platform evolution, and new capability development. Guide developers and other extended team members or vendor resources to provide oversight on architecture, solution, AI/ML model development, testing, and its validation. Collaborate with stakeholders to understand their processes, AI needs, and convert them to prioritized AI portfolio in the domain of responsibility. Design and oversee enterprise Data Science and AI solutions that support analytics, AI, and GenAI solutions, ensuring structures are scalable, secure, and aligned with responsible and ethical AI use, and governance policies. Demonstrate a proactive approach to identifying and resolving potential AI system issues both during development and production support of data analytics and AI applications. Ensure development of reusable data and AI components and promote their use across the data and AI ecosystem, business functions (e.g., clinical operations, asset management, clinical development, quality, safety, regulatory, Enterprise functions, etc.) and promote innovative, scalable data and AI engineering approaches to accelerate data science and AI work. Leverage deep understanding of variety of R&D data (Clinical trials, Textual data, Clinical data, safety, etc.) to develop pragmatic operational AI use cases; these may include analytics, traditional AI/ML, or Gen AI. Participate in design and architecture reviews for Data Science and AI solutions where requested. Collaborate with internal data and AI engineers, other AI scientist, IT, cloud architects to ensure that data infrastructure and technical solutions are aligned with enterprise architecture, compliance needs, and organizational priorities. AI and Gen AI Implementation Lead the industrialization of AI, Gen AI, and data science applications, moving from prototypes and proofs‑of‑concept to full production systems. Develop and implement scalable engineering solutions, data repositories, data representations, and knowledge engineering to support the data and AI strategy execution and enable efficient model training, validation, and deployment of AI/ML models. Collaborate with data scientists, AI, and machine learning scientists to build robust engineering frameworks that enable Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG), Agentic architectures, and other Gen AI workflows in R&D. Introduce new AI/ML and Gen AI technologies into existing drug development processes, identifying opportunities for innovation and automation. Ensure that all data and AI solutions comply with pharmaceutical industry regulations, including HIPAA, GxP, and other relevant standards. Drive awareness of AI/ML applications and the importance of strong Data and AI engineering foundation across the organization. Provide AI support for Data and Information Governance, quality, and FAIR data. Team and Organizational Leadership Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and accountability within and across team. Collaborate with Legal and Compliance teams to embed auditability and traceability into AI and Gen AI workflows. Serve as AI and Data engineering expert for internal portfolio as well as organization wide initiatives, reviews, and AI committees. Cross‑functional Collaboration Build strong, trusted relationships with key stakeholders across R&D, Scientific and Operations AI Data Science teams, other DnA pillars, IT, and external partners. Partner with R&D teams to translate complex scientific challenges into clear, executable data and AI projects. Communicate strategy, progress, and outcomes to diverse stakeholders, including technical teams and executive leadership. Qualifications / Required Masters degree in Data Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Statistics, Information Systems, or a related discipline with focus on advanced and modern Data Science, including the use of AI and machine learning. PhD is preferred. Experience in software/product engineering. Experience with data science enabling technology, such as Dataiku Data Science Studio, AWS SageMaker, or other data science platforms. Strong proficiency in SQL and programming languages like Python or R. Experience in architecting, building and maintaining large‑scale data and AI solutions in a scientific, regulated, or research‑heavy environment. Strong experience working within the pharmaceutical, biotech, or life sciences industry, particularly within R&D, is highly desirable. Proven track record of implementing and deploying Gen AI and large language model (LLM) applications in production environments. Preferred Qualifications Expertise in real‑world data assets and using them to generate scientific evidence and guide operational effectiveness and efficiencies. Deep expertise across data engineering, representation, Gen AI, AI and machine learning techniques and experience in architecting and delivering AI/ML use cases. Highly self‑motivated to deliver both independently and with strong team collaboration. Strong internal and cross‑functional collaboration, project management skills with a focus on delivering impactful initiatives. Competencies Accountability for Results - Stay focused on key strategic objectives, be accountable for high standards of performance, and take an active role in leading change. Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving - Make decisions considering the long‑term impact to customers, patients, employees, and the business. Patient & Customer Centricity - Maintain an ongoing focus on the needs of our customers and/or key stakeholders. Impactful Communication - Communicate with logic, clarity, and respect. Influence at all levels to achieve the best results for Otsuka. Respectful Collaboration - Seek and value others' perspectives and strive for diverse partnerships to enhance work toward common goals. Empowered Development - Play an active role in professional development as a business imperative. Salary Minimum $150,034.00 – Maximum $224,250.00, plus incentive opportunity: The range shown represents a typical pay range or starting pay for individuals who are hired in the role to perform in the United States. Other elements may be used to determine actual pay such as the candidate's job experience, specific skills, and comparison to internal incumbents currently in the role. Typically, actual pay will be positioned within the established range, rather than at its minimum or maximum. This information is provided to applicants in accordance with states and local laws. Company Benefits Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, company provided basic life, accidental death & dismemberment, short‑term and long‑term disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, student loan assistance, a generous 401(k) match, flexible time off, paid holidays, and paid leave programs as well as other company provided benefits. EEO Statement Otsuka is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will be given consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, national origin, veteran status, marital status or any other legally protected characteristic. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation, if you are unable or limited in your ability to apply to this job opening as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting Accommodation Request. #J-18808-Ljbffr