Director, Real World Data Platform and Portfolio Lead

GSK•Upper Providence, PA

About The Position

The Director, Real World Data Platform and Portfolio Lead is accountable for strategically executing and coordinating GSK’s internal and external real-world data (RWD) platform partnerships to support R&D and CPO activities. The role delivers insights, models, and evidence, and demonstrates the scientific value of RWD as an input to decision-making, pipeline progress, and portfolio growth. It owns the operational execution of RWD investments and key capability partnerships aligned with GSK’s wider vision, with direct accountability for core data partnerships that span therapy areas and represent health systems across key regions. The role may also support internal integration and broader use of relevant datasets and provide operational leadership to the above-therapy-area portfolio. Reporting to the Executive Director and Head, RWD Strategy and Partnerships, the role coordinates RWD strategy and execution across internal and external stakeholders. It works closely with Translational and Development Sciences, Medical Affairs, data offices, engineering, programming, AI, DevOps, and regional and therapy-area leaders to improve data acquisition and access, maximize external data availability, and advance evidence generation. The role guides data and technology strategy, governance, partnership and portfolio management, and the use of RWD across R&D, Medical, and Commercial teams. For candidates based at the Stevenage site, the role will initially be based in Stevenage, UK, and is planned to move to Cambridge, UK, by early 2029, according to timelines set by the Company.

Requirements

Advanced degree (MSc or PhD) in life sciences or a quantitative field; Epidemiology, Biostatistics, HEOR, or data science are preferred fields.
Demonstrated track record of owning and executing data strategy in drug development within wide, complex cross-functional organizations.
Leadership skills to influence and mobilize stakeholders toward a common goal.
Experience and knowledge of RWD sources and partners across multiple geographies, including understanding country and regional health-data landscapes and critically assessing research opportunities.
Exceptional portfolio project-management and organizational skills, particularly in a complex, dynamic organization.
Ability to communicate with clarity, vision, and purpose.
Understanding of current regulatory and payer guidance on the use of Real World Evidence and Data in decision-making.
Knowledge of RWD data-strategy concepts, including FHIR, tokenization and linkage, synthetic control arms, Common Data Models (CDMs), and context-specific LLMs.

Nice To Haves

Strong knowledge and experience in observational research methodology, including study designs and the effect of data quality on research validity.
Hands-on programming and coding skills, with demonstrated experience using RWD.
Experience in data engineering and architecture, including working in or deploying trusted research environments.
Experience enabling AI/ML and deploying AI workflows.
Demonstrated experience developing strategic partnerships involving human patient-level data, including biomarkers, -omics, and other biological measures and samples linked to clinical or real-world outcome data.

Responsibilities

Lead and execute above-disease-area and above-tumour-type RWD partnerships, expand RWD capabilities, and identify opportunities to access population-level health datasets.
Where relevant, partner with Translational Sciences on RWD partnerships involving -omics, biobanks, and other translational cohorts.
Ensure partnerships provide scale for GSK’s RWE ambitions and oversee operational execution of evidence generation related to data access and analysis.
Partner with regional leaders to leverage population-level health data for research and position GSK as a leading partner in observational research and quantitative innovation.
Act as strategic lead for the internal RWD domain for GSK’s data offices, providing engineering, programming, and AI teams with input on wider data strategy plans.
Partner with the Real World Data Engineering team to guide pipeline strategy and the data product roadmap.
Represent RWD and Development Sciences in the cross-functional data governance forum and translate central expectations for good data governance into RWD-specific domain plans.
Inform data-linkage strategy across the RWD portfolio and prospective observational studies.
Partner with DevOps to support use of the RWD portfolio for clinical operations planning and execution.
Deliver and maintain the baseline inventory of RWD assets used for portfolio assessment and decision-making.
Facilitate partnerships that improve RWD usability and impact for R&D, Medical, and Commercial teams, acting as a strategic link between functions and combining needs where appropriate.
Work with therapy-area data strategy leads and internal data owners on common deliverables, upcoming governance decisions, and business cases and financial models for proposed investments.
Inform technology and infrastructure strategy to prioritize reusable infrastructure and efficient use of third-party vendors and partner-hosted trusted research environments.
Ensure platform and tools strategy uses RWD compliantly and keep internal networks informed about access opportunities, including agentic interfaces.
Prioritize and monitor resource management across active RWD initiatives according to enterprise value and wider data and analytics strategy.
Set and monitor partnership and data-value KPIs, and bring key delivery metrics into organizational execution.
Influence data governance and AI-readiness efforts to support high-quality, analysis-ready, FAIR data.