Associate Director, Agentic AI PoC Lead

Role Description

Reporting to the Executive Director, AI Architecture & Lab Lead, the Associate Director, Agentic AI PoC Lead is responsible for leading the rapid design, development, and validation of proof-of-concepts that demonstrate the value of agentic AI across the enterprise. This role partners with business, product, architecture, and engineering teams to transform emerging AI capabilities into validated solutions that can be industrialized by the Agentic Factory.

This position can be based remotely anywhere in the U.S. (there may be some restrictions based on legal entity). Please note that this role would not provide relocation as a result. The expectation of working hours and travel (domestic and/or international) will be defined by the hiring manager. This position will require 10% travel.

There are two positions available.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of high-impact agentic AI proof-of-concepts from ideation through technical validation.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify opportunities where autonomous AI agents can create measurable value.
• Design and implement prototype solutions using LLMs, multi-agent frameworks, RAG, orchestration platforms, and modern AI tooling.
• Collaborate closely with AI Architecture, Product, and Engineering teams to transition successful PoCs into production roadmaps.
• Establish repeatable methodologies, evaluation criteria, and technical documentation for AI experimentation.
• Assess emerging AI technologies and recommend new capabilities for inclusion in the enterprise AI roadmap.
• Mentor AI engineers and foster a culture of experimentation, rapid learning, and innovation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering, Data Science, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience building AI, machine learning, or software engineering solutions, including hands-on development of generative AI applications.
• Experience with LLMs, agent frameworks, RAG, vector databases, Python, APIs, cloud platforms, and AI orchestration technologies.
• Strong prototyping and software engineering skills with the ability to rapidly build and validate new concepts.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to translate technical innovation into business value.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience developing enterprise AI platforms or agentic AI solutions in large organizations.
• Experience in pharmaceutical, healthcare, or other highly regulated industries.

Benefits

• The salary for this position is expected to range between $176,400 and $327,600 per year.
• Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards.
• US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits.
• Employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.

EEO Statement

The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodations

The Novartis Group of Companies are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to View email address on us.fitly.work or call View phone number on us.fitly.work and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.

Skills Desired

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Biostatistics
• Business Value Creation
• Change Management
• Curious Mindset
• Data Governance
• Data Literacy
• Data Quality
• Data Science
• Data Visualization
• Deep Learning
• Graph Algorithms
• Learning Agility
• Machine Learning (ML)
• Machine Learning Algorithms
• Python (Programming Language)
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Statistical Analysis
• Time Series Analysis