Senior Director, AI Risk and Compliance

Role Description

At Thermo Fisher’s PPD clinical research group (CRG), we’re using digital innovation, data science, and AI to reimagine how life-changing therapies reach patients. Our teams combine deep scientific expertise with advanced analytics, automation, and digital platforms to make research smarter, faster, and more connected.

About the Team:

CRG Digital AI is the engine that translates our digital strategy into scalable, production-ready AI capabilities that drive measurable business impact. Operating in close partnership with Product, Data, and Engineering, the team embeds AI across our digital portfolio to:

• Accelerate clinical trial execution
• Enhance data-driven decision-making
• Unlock differentiated value for our customers

About the Position:

Reporting to the VP, Head of Analytics and AI, the Senior Director, AI Risk and Compliance is a leadership position responsible for defining and enforcing CRG’s AI risk, regulatory compliance, and governance frameworks. This role operates as a peer to AI Engineering, Delivery, and AI Value Realization & Enablement (AVRE), providing independent oversight while partnering closely to embed governance-by-design into AI systems and delivery processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• AI Risk, Governance & Compliance (Enterprise Accountability)
  • Define and operationalize a CRG-wide AI risk and governance framework aligned with Thermo Fisher enterprise policies and regulatory expectations
  • Translate regulatory and enterprise risk requirements into scalable, reusable governance patterns, templates, and automated controls
  • Partner with AI Engineering & Platform to embed compliance into model lifecycle tooling, monitoring systems and audit and traceability infrastructure
  • Minimize reliance on manual review by enabling governance-by-design
  • Ensure all AI solutions are developed and deployed with governance-by-design, including model transparency and explainability, data privacy and security compliance, bias detection and mitigation, and auditability and traceability
  • Partner with Legal, Compliance, Privacy, InfoSec, and Quality teams to ensure alignment with global regulatory requirements and internal policies
  • Define and operationalize a risk-tiering framework for AI use cases: Low-risk (pre-approved patterns / fast path), Medium-risk (lightweight review), High-risk (formal governance and approval)
• Cross-Functional Leadership & Operating Model Integration
  • Operate as an independent control function within the AAI operating model, with clear authority on regulatory and compliance matters
  • Partner with AI Value Realization & Enablement (AVRE) to embed compliance into readiness frameworks and workflow design
  • AI Delivery & Governance to integrate risk controls into lifecycle stage gates
  • AI Engineering & Platform to ensure compliance is embedded into systems and tooling
  • Serve as the primary interface with Legal, Privacy, InfoSec, and Quality organizations

Measures of Success:

• Experience designing or implementing scalable governance frameworks in technology or AI contexts
• Ability to balance risk management with speed and innovation
• Experience embedding compliance into product or platform environments (not just policy)
• Establishment of a robust, scalable AI governance and risk framework
• Reduction in AI-related risk exposure (compliance, quality, reputational)
• Development of a differentiated external AI + workflow transformation offering

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred (e.g., business, computer science, digital strategy, or related field)
• 15 years of experience in digital, innovation, strategy, content/knowledge management, or customer-facing leadership roles within clinical research, healthcare, life sciences, or technology-enabled services
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex digital, data, and AI concepts into clear, compelling narratives for both technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience developing high-quality, customer-facing content to support commercial engagements, including bids, proposals, value demonstrations, and executive presentations
• Strong executive presence with the ability to engage credibly in high-stakes customer and leadership interactions
• Proven ability to influence outcomes in highly matrixed environments through alignment, credibility, and sound judgment, without reliance on formal authority

Requirements

• Strategic judgment and systems thinking; ability to synthesize market, customer, and execution signals into actionable insight
• Exceptional executive communication, narrative clarity, and storytelling capability (written, visual, and verbal)
• Strong content architecture, knowledge management, editorial, and governance skills (taxonomy, versioning, reuse, and quality control)
• Collaborative leadership style with high trust orientation and strong stakeholder management across Digital, Commercial, Operations, Marketing, and Executive leadership
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and high-stakes situations; high emotional intelligence and discretion in handling strategic information
• Ability to manage and scale work through partners and vendors to accelerate speed-to-market and improve quality without creating unnecessary process burden

Benefits

• A choice of national medical and dental plans, and a national vision plan, including health incentive programs
• Employee assistance and family support programs, including commuter benefits and tuition reimbursement
• At least 120 hours paid time off (PTO), 10 paid holidays annually, paid parental leave (3 weeks for bonding and 8 weeks for caregiver leave), accident and life insurance, and short- and long-term disability in accordance with company policy
• Retirement and savings programs, such as our competitive 401(k) U.S. retirement savings plan
• Employees’ Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) offers eligible colleagues the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount