Director, Data Solutions

Tempus AI•Chicago, IL

About The Position

Tempus is seeking a Director, Data Solutions – RWE & Insights to set the scientific strategy for partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. This scientist-first leadership role works directly with partner R&D, translational, and clinical development teams to address research questions through analyses and study concepts using Tempus’ multimodal real-world data. The Director is an individual contributor who codes and generates client insights while leading a team of scientists doing similar work across the portfolio. Approximately 75% of the role is scientific work, including designing analyses, scoping studies, reviewing methods, conducting proof-of-value analyses, and presenting results to internal and external partners. The remainder involves team leadership, product development, and partnership growth. The role requires staying hands-on with Tempus data and performing proof-of-value analyses for priority opportunities. Travel is approximately 20% of working time, domestically and internationally.

Requirements

PhD, MD, or equivalent advanced degree combining quantitative or computational training with biological or medical knowledge.
Deep expertise in oncology and in Real World Evidence, Translational Research / Computational Biology, or Drug Discovery methodologies, with working knowledge of the others.
Hands-on proficiency in R, including statistical and visualization tooling.
Experience with clinical trial design, real-world evidence study design, and integrative methods for multimodal clinical and omics data.
A track record of scientific output, such as publications, regulatory or HTA submissions, or partner-facing study results.
Ability to build deep, trusted relationships with pharmaceutical scientists and executives based on scientific credibility.
A collaborative and inclusive leadership approach that promotes creativity, innovation, and scientific excellence.
Proactive mindset that bridges ideas to implementable solutions and comfort working in agile environments with quick iterations.
10+ years of post-graduate experience, including 7+ years as a hands-on-keyboard scientist in a relevant discipline.
5+ years working at or with life sciences companies in R&D and/or real-world data.
3+ years leading or mentoring scientific teams; direct people management is preferred.
Travel approximately 20% of working time, domestically and internationally.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with AI/agentic tools in the current and continually expanding computational landscape.
Experience in a client-facing scientific role with revenue or quota responsibility.
Direct people-management experience.

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior scientific advisor to biopharma partners, translating pipeline, biomarker, and clinical development questions into feasible analyses using Tempus clinical, molecular, and imaging data.
Personally design and execute proof-of-value analyses and cohort feasibility assessments for high-priority or complex opportunities.
Define the scientific approach for real-world evidence and translational projects, including study design, endpoint selection, cohort definition, and statistical and computational methods.
Review and approve the scientific content of scopes, statements of work, and team deliverables, ensuring methodological rigor and accurate representation of the data.
Present findings to partner R&D and clinical teams and contribute to publications, posters, and conference presentations where appropriate.
Stay current on oncology drug development, real-world data methodology, regulatory use of real-world evidence, and AI and multimodal modeling.
Partner with product, data science, and abstraction teams to identify data gaps surfaced by partner needs and shape the roadmap for new data products.
Mentor and develop junior Data Solutions scientists, building their domain knowledge and client-facing skills.
Assign and flex team members across pharma, biotech, and innovation-economy accounts based on expertise and opportunity value.
Build standardized, scalable scientific workflows, including feasibility templates, analysis frameworks, and data proof-of-value approaches.
Act as the first point of escalation for complex or non-standard scientific requests and involve senior leadership early on enterprise-level opportunities.
Meet or exceed team revenue goals for the Data Solutions portfolio while delivering strategic objectives for key client accounts.
Build deep relationships with partner R&D, translational, and commercial executives, identifying new value-creation opportunities based on shared scientific understanding.
Identify and shape multi-year collaborations that position Tempus data as a foundational layer for broader partnerships across Tempus products.
Track progress against strategic objectives and revenue goals, and review progress and setbacks regularly with the broader Account Team and Tempus Leadership.
Partner with the Account Team, including Key Account Directors, Alliance Management, and Operations, to qualify opportunities and ensure success against the pipeline.
Communicate scientific and technical plans and outcomes to internal and external stakeholders, from bench scientists to executives.
Contribute partner feedback to development of the Life Sciences portfolio and maintain a solution-oriented mindset.
Travel approximately 20% of working time, domestically and internationally.
Perform other duties as assigned.