Associate Director - Data Science

Location – Hyderabad  #LI Hybrid

Key Accountability :

• Lead the development and deployment of scalable AI solutions, focusing on advanced AI applications across various business units.
• Be prepared to engage in hands-on work when necessary to support the team and further our data science initiatives.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate AI-driven solutions across various platforms and services.
• Drive innovation by staying current with advancements in AI, particularly in generative models and LLM technologies.
• Champion the exploration and integration of cutting-edge AI technologies, particularly in the field generative AI.
• Act as a key liaison between the US commercial team and the India-based data science team.
• Lead the design and deployment of agentic AI systems, including autonomous agents, multi‑agent workflows, and orchestration frameworks (e.g., ReAct, AutoGPT‑style planners, tool‑using agents).
• Define standards and reusable blueprints for enterprise‑ready AI agents that support decision-making, workflow automation, and adaptive reasoning.
• Lead internal capability uplift by training teams on agent design patterns, orchestration flows, memory management, tool‑use, and safety layers.
• Stay abreast of state-of-the-art foundation models and other innovative trends in data science and leverage these insights to inform our strategies.
• Bring a “can-do” attitude and teamwork and inspire others on culture change.
• Acts as an AI role model, championing a culture that embraces cutting-edge AI technologies and encourages experimentation and adoption of best practices
• Drive collaboration with East Hanover and Hyderabad teams ensuring effective knowledge transfer and alignment on priorities.

Essential Requirements:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in data science, with 6-8 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry
• Build and deploy scalable machine learning models using cloud-based services such as AWS and Azure
• Strong understanding of deep learning algorithms, foundational/ LLM models, statistics, and recommendation system and Predictive Analytics
• Demonstrated experience in LLM implementation and scaling, including the development of reusable components, pipelines, and architecture to support enterprise-wide use cases
• Proven track record of LLM product ownership and execution, driving the full lifecycle from use-case definition and development to deployment, adoption, and continuous improvement
• Experience in Agentic AI concepts and design, including autonomous agents and orchestration frameworks to support dynamic decision-making across business processes
• Deep understanding of agentic AI concepts, including autonomous task execution, tool‑calling agents, planning/critic/executor patterns, and multi-agent collaboration frameworks.
• Hands‑on experience building or scaling LLM-powered agents for workflow automation, decision support, or enterprise knowledge retrieval.
• Experience with orchestration platforms such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Haystack, DSPy, or Azure/AWS agent frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to convert LLM and agent prototypes into reusable enterprise components, enabling application across multiple use cases.
• Ability to operate in a hands-on capacity when necessary.
• Proficient in programming languages such as Python, Spark, TensorFlow, and PyTorch
• Experience with digital channel selection for “next best action”
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to identify creative solutions to complex problems
• Strong ability to effectively communicate and work across different time zones
• Supports direct reports and also delivers own individual contribution

Education (minimum/desirable): 

• Bachelor's degree in related field is required; Master of Science and/or MBA strongly preferred 

Additional qualifications are as follows: 

• ·Minimum 10 years of experience in analytics, decision science, or related roles, preferably in the pharmaceutical or healthcare sector
• Ability to balance operational execution with high-level strategic thinking, supporting both day-to-day performance and long-term business goals
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams, including sales, data Operations , and product development and drive strategic initiatives

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/roadmap/people-and-culture 

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: 

Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse team’s representative of the patients and communities we serve. 

Values and Behaviors: Demonstrates and upholds Novartis values and behaviors in all aspects of work and collaboration. 

Location: Hyderabad NKC. Hybrid | 3 days a week in office is mandatory.