Director, AI Automation and Integration

AskBio•Durham, NC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

AskBio Inc., a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is a gene therapy company focused on developing life-saving medicines. The company has a portfolio of clinical programs for various diseases and utilizes a proprietary cell line manufacturing process along with an extensive array of capsids and promoters. AskBio is committed to pioneering science and creating transformative molecular medicines. The Director, AI & Digital Innovation Delivery will serve as a strategic technology partner and product owner for AskBio’s AI & innovation portfolio. This role involves identifying, prioritizing, and delivering opportunities where digital capabilities, AI, automation, data, and emerging technologies can enhance business outcomes within a regulated gene therapy environment. The position owns the initial stages of the innovation lifecycle, from technology scouting and process improvement to shaping ideas into decision-ready use cases, building roadmaps, and driving proof-of-value efforts. This is a business-facing leadership role that includes managing a portfolio, influencing stakeholders, and leading a team. Success will be measured by the quality of the opportunity pipeline, stakeholder alignment, implementation progress, adoption, business outcomes, and the organization's ability to innovate safely and repeatably. This position reports to the VP, Head of Information Technology and is a hybrid role based in RTP, NC or Philadelphia, PA.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Life Sciences, Business, or a related field and 10+ years of progressive industry or related experience in technology, digital transformation, product management, business partnership, enterprise architecture, innovation, or portfolio leadership
5+ years of experience leading or shaping cross-functional technology initiatives with business stakeholders, including requirements discovery, roadmap development, prioritization, delivery partnership, and value realization
3+ years of direct people-management experience — hiring, coaching, developing, and leading a team
Experience managing or shaping work with specialized vendors, consultants, or external partners to extend internal capability, support delivery, and maintain clear ownership and governance
Demonstrated experience with AI, analytics, automation, data, digital products, or emerging technology initiatives, including the ability to translate business needs into use cases, product requirements, and measurable outcomes
Strong executive communication, facilitation, and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to influence without direct authority and translate complex technology concepts for non-technical audiences
Strong consulting mindset: structured problem solving, crisp written communication, disciplined follow-through, transparency, shared credit, and comfort operating in ambiguity

Nice To Haves

Experience working in or supporting a regulated environment where security, data privacy, compliance, governance, documentation, and controlled change are important to technology delivery
Life sciences industry experience (pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, CRO/CDMO); familiarity with GxP, CSV/CSA, 21 CFR Part 11 / Annex 11, and ALCOA+ data integrity
Experience operating as a Product Owner, Product Manager, Business Technology Partner, Innovation Lead, Digital Transformation Lead, or similar role for AI, automation, data, scientific, or enterprise technology products
Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and a track record of external technology scouting — continuously monitoring emerging capabilities, vendors, and best practices
Strong process-excellence orientation, including process mapping and workflow optimization as the basis for AI and automation value
Understanding of gene therapy, biologics, research, CMC, manufacturing, quality, clinical, regulatory, lab informatics, scientific data, or enterprise business processes
Experience with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Power Platform, Jira, SharePoint, enterprise architecture tools, portfolio-management tools, AI intake processes, or related collaboration/productivity platforms
Ability to facilitate workshops with scientists, business leaders, technical teams, Quality/Compliance, Cybersecurity, Legal, and vendors to shape feasible and valuable solutions
Experience building technology radars, opportunity briefs, decision-ready business cases, proof-of-concept plans, adoption plans, or value-realization dashboards
Proven ability to build structured frameworks, operating models, portfolio processes, decision criteria, or governance mechanisms that improve transparency, consistency, and business alignment

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted IT business partner and AI strategy thought partner to leaders and stakeholders across R&D, Technical Operations, Therapeutics, and enabling functions.
Facilitate discovery and shaping sessions to uncover business problems, scientific workflow pain points, and opportunities for technology-enabled improvement.
Translate business priorities into clear problem statements, digital opportunities, product-oriented roadmaps, and delivery plans aligned with organizational goals.
Help stakeholders understand the art of the possible with AI, automation, data, and emerging technologies while grounding recommendations in business value and readiness.
Build, lead, coach, and scale a team of AI/innovation delivery; set direction, prioritize workload, and develop capability in a highly visible, fast-moving area.
Hire, mentor, and grow team members; establish clear goals, feedback loops, and career development paths.
Model AskBio values and foster a culture of curiosity, accountability, transparency, and shared credit.
Serve as product owner for the enterprise AI & innovation portfolio, including product vision, roadmap, backlog shaping, user stories, acceptance criteria, stakeholder engagement, and implementation outcomes.
Convert raw ideas into well-defined, decision-ready use cases using structured value, readiness, feasibility, risk, and adoption criteria.
Maintain and prioritize the AI and innovation opportunity backlog in partnership with the AI Hub, IT PMO, enterprise architecture, and business stakeholders, coordinating the internal and external resources needed to deliver prioritized solutions.
Support intake, prioritization, governance, and implementation by building clear business cases, delivery plans, handoff materials, and accountability mechanisms for flex teams, platform teams, vendors, or project delivery teams.
Map and optimize underlying business and scientific processes as the foundation for high-value AI and automation.
Identify and escalate data quality, metadata, integration, and governance barriers that limit AI and digital-solution effectiveness.
Demonstrate intellectual curiosity and continuously scout emerging AI capabilities, vendors, and industry best practices; maintain a living technology radar for AI, automation, data, lab/scientific technology, and Copilot/M365 capabilities relevant to a gene therapy biotech.
Assess technology options for strategic fit, maturity, cost, adoption readiness, compliance considerations, and expected business impact.
Develop concise innovation briefs, opportunity assessments, proofs of concept, delivery recommendations, and implementation roadmaps for IT leadership, the AI Hub, portfolio governance forums, and business stakeholders.
Leverage the Bayer ecosystem, vendor landscape, industry trends, and internal lessons learned to identify reusable patterns and avoid duplicative investment.
Establish and continuously improve the innovation intake framework, evaluation gates, proof-of-value patterns, experimentation standards, and handoff criteria.
Partner with Quality, Compliance, Legal, Privacy, Security, and CSV/CSA stakeholders to ensure innovation practices align with GxP expectations, data integrity, privacy, security, AI governance, and responsible-use principles.
Define clear boundaries between exploratory/non-GxP experimentation and regulated use cases requiring additional controls, validation, documentation, or lifecycle oversight.
Promote transparency by maintaining shared documentation of use cases, scores, decisions, assumptions, value signals, and lessons learned.
Partner with AI Champions, Copilot advocates, training resources, delivery teams, and business sponsors to deploy and improve adoption of digital and AI capabilities.
Define success measures for pilots and products, including adoption, user feedback, cycle-time improvement, quality/risk reduction, productivity gains, and other business outcomes.
Monitor implementation progress, proof-of-value results, and post-launch outcomes; recommend continue, scale, pivot, or retire decisions based on evidence and stakeholder feedback.
Support executive storytelling and portfolio reporting by translating technical progress into business outcomes, risks, decisions, and next steps.
Work with vendors, consultants, Bayer teams, and external partners to evaluate capabilities, accelerate learning, augment internal capacity, and support delivery of fit-for-purpose solutions.
Shape vendor engagements around defined business outcomes, success criteria, compliance expectations, delivery milestones, and sustainable operating models.
Ensure partner-provided capabilities fit AskBio architecture, security, data, validation, and support models before broader adoption.