Director, Commercial Data Science & AI

Key Skills

Apache Hadoop, C Programming, C++, Data science techniques, Java Programming, Machine learning techniques, MapReduce, Python Programming, PyTorch, R Programming, Scala Programming, SQL, TensorFlow

Job Description

About us:

The Oncology therapy area at AstraZeneca is unparalleled. We have created and strategically acquired one of the most promising Oncology pipelines in the industry. You will be among inspiring oncology industry leaders who will keep you engaged and empower you to be the best. We seek out opportunities to do varied meaningful work which means we won’t just follow the same course of action time and again if we can see potential in a different way of creating life changing medicine.

Our vision to tackle cancer is bold - we commit to pushing the boundaries of science to change the practice of medicine, transforming the lives of patients living with cancer, and ultimately eliminating cancer as a cause of death. We, at AstraZeneca, have reinvented ourselves and developed a unique, differentiated strategy to fundamentally shift the way cancer is treated.

Our chemical and biological research engines are amazingly productive. Our development agility and speed are record-setting. Our commercial growth is phenomenal. Our opportunities are endless. And our commitment for patients is boundless.

Our success would not be possible without the incredible team of professionals who work tirelessly to make it happen. Our diversity is our greatest strength. With teams made up of talented people from all walks of life – academia, industry, researchers, physicians, patients, etc. – we are able to harness their unique perspectives to think and act differently.

We enjoy the facilities of a large organization, like unparalleled research capabilities, state of the art technology spanning small molecules to biologics, and a footprint in every region in the world. However, our culture is that of a small venture. We have even created the Oncology Business Unit (OBU), focused on eight key markets, to ensure rapid decision making, laser-focused investments, and quick sharing of best practices. Thus, we keep the agility, and risk-taking culture than enable to lead the fast-moving oncology market.

No matter where our teams are based, we share a collective sense of urgency - to defeat cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients. Each and every one of us firmly believes that by delivering earlier stage interventions that have curative possibilities, and by championing the development of precision medicines, based on a deep expertise of biological pathways and target biomarkers, we can redefine cancer treatment and, one day, eliminate cancer as a cause of death.

Job Description:

Director, Commercial Data Sciences & AI is a key leader in the Commercial Data Science & AI team whose mission is to take a patient-centric, data-driven approach to personalize and transform healthcare delivery to the millions of patients along with a multi-disciplinary team of physicians who care for them. This responsibility involves working closely with cross-functional Science, Medical, and Business leaders to identify, prioritize, and develop DS & AI Products and solutions across AZ Oncology and Bio-pharma Business

The scope of this role is Global, serving all the markets where AstraZeneca’s life-changing medicines are approved to help Patients live longer and realize AZ’s bold ambition of eliminating Cancer as a cause of death.

Typical Accountabilities

• Recruiting and mentoring a global Data Science team
• Scouting, Identifying cutting-edge innovation in Data Science, AI and ML (Start-ups and Industry/Academic experts).
• Working with Start-ups and partners to integrate “Best in Class” technology for a given use case & Leading the development of new capabilities to add to AZ’s Commercial Data Science & AI platform
• Deep understanding of AZ’s priority disease areas, treatment guidelines across all Cancer types
• Deep understanding of real-world data sets like Claims, EMR, etc.
• Deep understanding of AZ internal sales, marketing data & scientific content
• Own and lead Data Science & AI products per Cancer tumor type and /or Biopharma disease area. Product features include
  • Development of ML Models & Classifiers for deeper understanding of the patient journey
  • Development of Predictive ML models around patient disease progression, Adverse events, and other outcomes
  • Own and lead development of ML models using unstructured notes, Scientific, Clinical documents, and Research publications
  • Own and lead development of Personalized ML models around the dissemination of Scientific, Medical content and messages across personal and non-personal channels
• These products include the application of specialized approaches in classification, regression, clustering, NLP, image analysis, deep learning, knowledge graphs, and/or other advanced techniques. 
• Using domain-specific understanding, translate unstructured, complex business problems into the appropriate data problem, models, and analytical solutions across multiple disease areas
• Develop effective relationships with commercial and medical leaders to ensure utilization and value of information resources
• Responsible for Evangelizing & Applying advanced data science capabilities across multiple cross-business teams, including Sales, Marketing, Medical, Market Access that drive value to AstraZeneca Commercial Business
• Lead and apply ongoing knowledge and awareness in trends, standard methodology, and new developments in data science to influence functional practices.
• Collaborate across the AstraZeneca Data and AI community to develop best practices and cross-functional opportunities that drive value
• Oversight of partnerships with multiple third parties, academic or outsourced partners to shape and drive project outcomes and knowledge building

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree (or equivalent numbers of years of experience) in mathematics, computer science, engineering, physics, statistics, economics, computational sciences, or a related quantitative discipline.
• Track record of Developing Data Science and AI products that have generated business value, impact across multiple Industries.
• In-depth experience with modern data science approaches, including unsupervised and supervised classification and regression algorithms such as k-means clustering, support vector machines, random forests, neural networks, and deep learning. May also have expertise in advanced statistical modeling or broader aspects of applied mathematics such as dynamical systems or optimization.
• Significant experience in the modeling of complex datasets in applied business and/or scientific application domains
• Advanced software development skills in at least two of the standard data science languages (such as R, Julia or Python) and familiarity with database systems (e.g. SQL, NoSQL, graph)
• In-depth experience of manipulating and analyzing large high dimensionality unstructured datasets, drawing conclusions, defining recommended actions, and reporting results across stakeholders
• Understanding of algorithm design, development, optimization, scaling, and applications
• Excellent written and verbal communication, business analysis, and consultancy skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master or Ph.D. degree in mathematics, computer science, engineering, physics, statistics, economics, or a related quantitative discipline.
• Comfortable working in high-performance computing or cloud environment
• Proven track record of publishing relevant predictive modeling results and tools in peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and other scientific proceedings.
• Experience in understanding biomedical data sets and real-world data sets relevant to life sciences and healthcare
• Experience in novel methods development and application
• Experience in a complex global organization
• Experience in recruiting, leading, and mentoring Data Science and Machine learning Engineers
• Experience in influencing and controlling budgets

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on nondiscrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.