Head, Innovation Accelerator Data Science

Roche • Boston, MA

65d • $254,400 - $472,400

About The Position

A healthier future. It’s what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That’s what makes us Roche. This role is based in the Innovation Accelerator (IA) team, the innovation engine and connective tissue for Design, Data and Data Science innovation strategy within Product Development Data Sciences (PDD). We translate our long-term PDD vision into actionable strategy, shaping and prioritizing innovative cross-functional use cases that span PDD, PD, and Pharma. As both integrators and incubators, we explore, prototype, and help productize solutions to deliver impact in close partnership with internal Roche teams and external collaborators. With a mindset rooted in openness, value creation, and adaptability, we navigate the innovation ecosystem to drive transformative impact and future readiness across the organization.

Requirements

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 15+ years of hands-on experience in software engineering, data science, or technical innovation, ideally within R&D or regulated environments.
• 4+ years in a leadership role managing multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Proven experience driving technology delivery from prototyping to scaled implementation.
• Deep expertise in modern data and software development technologies and architectural practices.
• Proficient with Python or R, and ML libraries such as scikit-learn, XGBoost, TensorFlow, or PyTorch.
• Strong understanding of supervised/unsupervised learning, statistical modeling, and experimental design.
• Familiar with software development practices including version control, testing, and collaborative coding.
• Experience running simulations or analyses in a high-performing computing environment.
• Knowledge of and experience with four or more of the following: Epidemiology, Bayesian statistics, Decision theory, Clinical outcomes research, Discovery mechanisms for novel biomarkers, Interpretable machine learning, Probabilistic programming languages, Complex clinical trial designs.
• Strong track record in managing resources, planning capacity, and balancing competing priorities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Fluent in agile delivery, DevOps, or other modern ways of working.
• Passion for continuous learning and mentoring colleagues of all backgrounds.
• Capacity for independent thinking and ability to make decisions based upon sound principles.
• Excellent strategic agility including problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in pharma, life sciences, or healthtech sectors.
• Familiarity with regulated environments and compliance-driven product development.
• Exposure to innovation frameworks (e.g., lean startup, dual-track agile).
• Demonstrated ability to assess and integrate emerging technologies (e.g., GenAI, ML Ops, cloud platforms).

Responsibilities

• Drive technical excellence across design, data and data science innovation programs for Roche Product Development.
• Provide technical leadership across early exploration and productization phases of innovation projects.
• Act as subject matter expert and single point of escalation/problem resolution for applied data science and software engineering within the innovation portfolio.
• Influence PDD data, design and data science (3D) strategy and in-silico strategy & roadmap(s).
• Make architectural decisions independently and ensure adherence to best practices for scalability, performance, reliability, and compliance.
• Oversee execution quality, technical risk management, and project velocity across multiple high-impact workstreams and domains.
• Establish and enforce technical standards, enabling reuse, modularity, and robust design across solution development.
• Lead technical capacity planning and resource deployment within the team, prioritizing based on departmental strategy and portfolio needs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional and enterprise partners to translate innovation opportunities into feasible, impactful, and technically sound solutions.
• Drive the Innovation Accelerator portfolio through contribution to governance, resource planning, and progress reviews.
• Identify and integrate new technologies and platforms, applying functional expertise and organizational context to maximize department performance.
• Ensure traceability, reproducibility, and risk mitigation through robust documentation and engineering practices across all technical deliveries.
• Manage a multidisciplinary team of specialists and junior leaders (e.g., data scientists, software engineers), ensuring accountability for delivery, performance, and development.
• Oversee hiring, onboarding, workforce planning, and succession management aligned to departmental capabilities and strategic growth areas.
• Coach and mentor team members to enhance their individual performance and long-term potential, developing future technical leaders across roles and backgrounds.
• Foster a high-performance, inclusive culture focused on collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Set development goals, conduct performance evaluations, and guide career progression based on business priorities and professional aspirations.
• Manage team deployment and resource allocation across a complex portfolio of innovation projects, balancing individual growth with business needs.
• Execute short-term department plans by managing priorities, budget, and capacity in coordination with function leadership.
• Influence senior stakeholders and functional leadership to secure alignment, resources, and sponsorship for technical priorities.

Benefits

• Discretionary annual bonus based on individual and Company performance.
• Comprehensive benefits package.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees