Associate Group Director, Quantitative Safety Sciences

Roche • South San Francisco, CA

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

At Roche, our Global Product Development Safety & Risk Management (PDS) department aims to enhance healthcare for patients by elucidating and communicating the safety profile of Roche medicines to optimise their benefit-risk profile.

The Associate Group Director (AGD) for Quantitative Safety Sciences (QSS) provides line leadership to a multidisciplinary team spanning Data Science (including AI/ML), Pharmacoepidemiology, and Pharmacovigilance (PV) Literature. Supporting assets across all Roche lifecycles, the AGD guides the team in establishing data-driven analysis strategies, model-based insights, and literature evidence. These efforts support regulatory deliverables (such as PBRER, DSUR, and SAC) and enhance the characterisation of molecule risk profiles for Clinical Safety, PSI, and other PDS partners.

Combining deep technical expertise in quantitative data science with broad knowledge of disease area strategies, the jobholder drives cross-functional collaboration with groups like PD Data Science, pRED/gRED, and PDMA. The AGD balances team resources, recruits and develops talent, and fosters an agile, high-quality delivery culture. Additionally, the role advances innovative analytical approaches to anticipate, manage, and characterise risk across Roche’s portfolio.

Requirements

• Hold a university degree—preferably an MSc or PhD—in computer science, quantitative science (e.g., Data Science, Statistics, Pharmacoepidemiology), or natural sciences with a specialisation in statistical data analysis.
• Extensive data science experience in a scientific and medical context, combining applied working knowledge of relational databases with expert command of modelling techniques.
• Excellent leadership, coaching, and project management skills, with a proven ability to direct technical experts (data scientists, pharmacoepidemiologists, literature scientists) and delegate effectively in global line or matrix settings.
• Deep familiarity with drug safety data (including FAERS, clinical trials, biomarkers, and Real-World Data), data structures, and the relevant business processes.
• Highly developed influencing skills and a track record of driving decisions without authority, building effective collaborations across business units, and strengthening relationships with internal and external partners.

Nice To Haves

• Strategic and analytical thinking in ambiguous situations, translating complex scientific questions into data reporting and analysis strategies, and communicating them clearly both in writing and in presentations.

Responsibilities

• Role models Roche Values and Leadership Commitments while providing effective leadership to an experienced global team of Quantitative Safety Scientists across multiple locations; sets team direction in terms of remit, emphasis, style, behaviours, and culture while driving, embedding, and supporting staff to adhere to agreed organisational models, mindsets, and new ways of working.
• Leads self and others to deliver impactful outcomes, supports team members’ delivery, and brings critical thinking to shape current issues and opportunities into meaningful, deliverable actions while anticipating potential risks and opportunities in the context of the role.
• Focuses on implementing process improvements and adapting the team’s ways of working to achieve continually improving quality and efficiency; sets team and individual goals aligned with the Roche Safety Strategy, holding Quantitative Safety Scientists accountable for their behaviours and actions to encourage optimal mindsets for success.
• Responsible for overseeing the delivery of Quantitative Safety Science—ensuring adherence to defined quality-bound processes and the highest scientific standards—utilising deliverables based on advanced data science, pharmacoepidemiology methodologies, and literature queries across Real World Data, Clinical Trial data, and literature databases while staying abreast of state-of-the-art methodologies and strategies.
• Provides leadership for scientific projects supported by the Quantitative Safety Science team, offering input on strategic and context information for fit-for-purpose solutions and consulting on best methodologies to leverage available data sources for smarter quantitative evidence generation in support of pharmacovigilance and safety risk management.
• Establishes an internal and external connected network to anticipate future opportunities, understand stakeholder needs/ideas, and promote collaborative projects (e.g., PSI, Clinical Safety, PD Data Science, pRED/gRED) while leading/contributing to global cross-functional initiatives and PDS strategic projects to define and implement SAR and PVSD priorities.
• Assumes responsibility for resource allocation and prioritisation to projects and requests according to individual capabilities, development needs, and project priorities; proactively recruits team members in line with the agreed SAR strategy while ensuring effective onboarding activities and training.
• Responsible for ensuring direct reports have effective line and performance management, being coached, trained, and developed to maximise their personal potential, wellbeing, and contribution to the business; ensures suitable training and education material is available for team members and customers while leading knowledge-sharing activities within the group.
• May deputise for the Group Director, Safety Analytics and Reporting.

Benefits

• Pay transparency details are provided based on the primary posting location. For this role, the primary location is Basel. If you are interested in additional locations where the role may be available, we will provide the relevant compensation details later in the hiring process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior