Head of Innovation Accelerator Data Science SF, CA

ESRhealthcare • San Francisco, CA

4d

About The Position

Head of Innovation Accelerator Data Science SF, CA is responsible for driving technical excellence across design, data and data science innovation programs for Roche Product Development. This role combines deep subject matter expertise in data science and software development with people leadership and portfolio oversight. The Head of IA Data Science ensures strong technical execution, guides architectural decisions, and aligns technical capacity with strategic goals. As a direct report to the Function Head, this position plays a critical role in shaping the innovation roadmap, scaling capabilities, and growing high-performing technical teams. You provide technical leadership across early exploration and productization phases of innovation projects, ensuring alignment with departmental goals and enterprise direction You act as subject matter expert and single point of escalation/problem resolution for applied data science and software engineering within the innovation portfolio You influence PDD data, design and data science (3D) strategy and in-silico strategy & roadmap(s) through strategic technical leadership/expertise You make architectural decisions independently and ensure adherence to best practices for scalability, performance, reliability, and compliance You oversee execution quality, technical risk management, and project velocity across multiple high-impact workstreams and domains You establish and enforce technical standards, enabling reuse, modularity, and robust design across solution development You lead technical capacity planning and resource deployment within the team, prioritizing based on departmental strategy and portfolio needs You collaborate with cross-functional and enterprise partners to translate innovation opportunities into feasible, impactful, and technically sound solutions You drive the Innovation Accelerator portfolio through contribution to governance, resource planning, and progress reviews You identify and integrate new technologies and platforms, applying functional expertise and organizational context to maximize department performance You ensure traceability, reproducibility, and risk mitigation through robust documentation and engineering practices across all technical deliveries You manage a multidisciplinary team of specialists and junior leaders (e.g., data scientists, software engineers), ensuring accountability for delivery, performance, and development You oversee hiring, onboarding, workforce planning, and succession management aligned to departmental capabilities and strategic growth areas You coach and mentor team members to enhance their individual performance and long-term potential, developing future technical leaders across roles and backgrounds You foster a high-performance, inclusive culture focused on collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement You set development goals, conduct performance evaluations, and guide career progression based on business priorities and professional aspirations You manage team deployment and resource allocation across a complex portfolio of innovation projects, balancing individual growth with business needs You execute short-term department plans by managing priorities, budget, and capacity in coordination with function leadership You influence senior stakeholders and functional leadership to secure alignment, resources, and sponsorship for technical priorities

Requirements

• Advanced degree (Masters 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, including causal inference methods for observational real world data (RWD) or real world evidence (RWE) Bayesian statistics Decision theory, including multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA), utility elicitation, decision simulation models, or Value of Information Clinical outcomes research using data from electronic health records (EHR) Discovery mechanisms and evidence generation pathways for novel biomarkers and risk scores Interpretable machine learning Methods to incorporate knowledge graphs, ontologies, or other forms of structured information Probabilistic programming languages Complex or innovative clinical trial designs, including adaptive stopping, seamless Phase 2/Phase 3 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
• Passion for 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, and agility that extends beyond technical domain
• Demonstrate respect for cultural differences when interacting with colleagues in the global workplace
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, specifically in the areas of presentation and writing, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts in clear language

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

• Driving technical excellence across design, data and data science innovation programs
• Ensuring strong technical execution
• Guiding architectural decisions
• Aligning technical capacity with strategic goals
• Shaping the innovation roadmap
• Scaling capabilities
• Growing high-performing technical teams
• Providing technical leadership across early exploration and productization phases of innovation projects
• Acting as subject matter expert and single point of escalation/problem resolution for applied data science and software engineering within the innovation portfolio
• Influencing PDD data, design and data science (3D) strategy and in-silico strategy & roadmap(s) through strategic technical leadership/expertise
• Making architectural decisions independently and ensure adherence to best practices for scalability, performance, reliability, and compliance
• Overseeing execution quality, technical risk management, and project velocity across multiple high-impact workstreams and domains
• Establishing and enforcing technical standards, enabling reuse, modularity, and robust design across solution development
• Leading technical capacity planning and resource deployment within the team, prioritizing based on departmental strategy and portfolio needs
• Collaborating with cross-functional and enterprise partners to translate innovation opportunities into feasible, impactful, and technically sound solutions
• Driving the Innovation Accelerator portfolio through contribution to governance, resource planning, and progress reviews
• Identifying and integrating new technologies and platforms, applying functional expertise and organizational context to maximize department performance
• Ensuring traceability, reproducibility, and risk mitigation through robust documentation and engineering practices across all technical deliveries
• Managing a multidisciplinary team of specialists and junior leaders (e.g., data scientists, software engineers), ensuring accountability for delivery, performance, and development
• Overseeing hiring, onboarding, workforce planning, and succession management aligned to departmental capabilities and strategic growth areas
• Coaching and mentoring team members to enhance their individual performance and long-term potential, developing future technical leaders across roles and backgrounds
• Fostering a high-performance, inclusive culture focused on collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement
• Setting development goals, conduct performance evaluations, and guide career progression based on business priorities and professional aspirations
• Managing team deployment and resource allocation across a complex portfolio of innovation projects, balancing individual growth with business needs
• Executing short-term department plans by managing priorities, budget, and capacity in coordination with function leadership
• Influencing senior stakeholders and functional leadership to secure alignment, resources, and sponsorship for technical priorities

What This Job Offers

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