Technical Director (Scientific Innovation), AI and Computational Sciences (AICS)

Key information

  • Publication date:02 December 2025
  • Workload:100%
  • Place of work:Basel (City)

Job summary

Novartis is driving a bold digital transformation strategy. Join us for a collaborative and innovative work environment.

Tasks

  • Lead a cross-functional team of AI and domain experts.
  • Ensure robust and effective AI model development.
  • Act as a liaison to promote AI solutions in drug discovery.

Skills

  • 10+ years in machine learning and drug development required.
  • Strong problem-solving and organizational skills needed.
  • Excellent communication and teamwork abilities essential.

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Summary

Novartis has embraced a bold strategy to drive a company-wide digital transformation. Our objective is to position Novartis as an industry leader by proactively adopting digital technologies that foster innovative approaches to hasten drug discovery and development. By utilizing both internal and external R&D data with the power of data science, predictive models, generative AI, and machine learning, our objective is to identify new targets, create more effective therapeutic molecules, better predict drug pharmacokinetics and safety risks, refine clinical trial design, and significantly shorten development cycles. The AICS team leads BR in exploring and applying advanced AI and ML methodologies to generate novel drug discovery insights, and to speed and improve drug discovery efficiency whilst focusing on patients’ needs.



AICS partners with drug discovery teams, raises the level of AI expertise across Biomedical Research (BR) and ensures that BR science keeps up with the rapidly evolving ecosystem of AI technologies by connecting with AI leaders in academia and industry.



This role within the Scientific Innovation group of AICS will be tasked with providing functional leadership of a cross-functional group of scientists including AI experts and for the BR priority projects. Additionally, the role would be expected to act as the SME liaison of AICS to BR Disease Areas (DAs) and Function Areas (FAs).

About the Role

Purpose of the role 

Scientific Innovation Technical Director: 

 

  • Lead a team of AI researchers and SME with core domain expertise in applying AI to multiomics, disambiguation of gene-regulatory networks and genetics 
  • Work with AI modelers to ensure models are robust and performant 
  • Work with Engineering and Product Development resources to ensure delivery of AI solutions 
  • Raise the awareness of AI applications to aid in answering key research questions across BR 
  • Help position AI-aided drug discovery contributions to deliver and support progress of BR’s portfolio, enable new kinds of therapeutic discoveries, shorten cycle times, and increase efficiency.  

Collaboration & partnership 

 

  • Act as liaison of AICS for identification of research questions, solution design, and evangelism of results and impacts of AI across BR 
  • Regularly communicate, engage, align with AICS teams, broader data science community, and senior scientists.  
  • Initiate and lead key high-value internal collaborations across BR. 
  • Help to design translatable metrics for AI models that will lead to tangible impact in collaboration with BR DAs and FAs. 

What you’ll bring to the role: 

  • 10+ years of significant experience in innovation, development, deployment and continuous support of Machine Learning data management and modeling 
  • Specialization in multi-omics, gene-regulatory networks, perturbation models and the like 
  • Expertise in bringing advanced analytics insights and actions to a large Research organization & deep understanding of Drug development 
  • Passion for understanding emerging technologies with pragmatic insight into where those technologies can be integrated into business solutions 
  • Ability to balance requirements, manage expectations, and drive effective results using a proactive attitude towards identifying and resolving issues 
  • Entrepreneurial spirit with can-do, pro-active attitude 
  • Strong organizational, problem-solving, and influencing skills and demonstrated track record of exceptional teamwork 
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills 
  • Ability to execute and prioritize well in a complex matrixed environment. 
  • Functional leadership 

 

 

Why Novartis: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together? https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture

Join our Novartis Network: Not the right Novartis role for you? Sign up to our talent community to stay connected and learn about suitable career opportunities as soon as they come up: https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/network(link is external)

Benefits and 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


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