Head of PPA, External Data and AI Workflows

Sanofi • Cambridge, MA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Join Sanofi's R&D Data & AI Products and Platforms Team as a Product Line Owner, playing a vital part in the company's digital transformation. Sanofi is committed to next-gen healthcare, leveraging data insights and AI to enhance R&D, manufacturing, and commercial outcomes, ultimately delivering better medicines and vaccines faster. This role is pivotal in building data foundations and AI solutions to democratize R&D data and scale advanced analytics. The Product Line Owner will lead two high-impact domains: Project & Pipeline Analytics (PPA) and Portfolio Management, enabling data-driven portfolio decisions, enhanced pipeline visibility, and optimized R&D investment through platforms like Planisware, Enrich, and Veeva Vault RIM. Additionally, the role involves leading External Data Sharing Solutions, supporting secure, compliant, and scalable data exchange with partners using privacy-preserving AI, federated learning, and real-world evidence environments. This position defines the strategy, roadmap, and delivery of products ensuring harmonized, trusted, analytics-ready R&D data, collaborating with scientific, regulatory, clinical, and digital teams to shape portfolio decisions, optimize pipeline investments, and expand Sanofi’s external data ecosystem through innovative and secure data-sharing capabilities. Sanofi is an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company focused on improving lives and delivering growth by inventing medicines and vaccines.

Requirements

• Bachelors required
• 8+ years of product leadership experience, including 5+ years in life sciences or clinical research portfolios.
• Proven track record building and developing high‑performing product teams, including AI/ML specialists.
• Exceptional communication and executive stakeholder management experience.
• Deep expertise with Planisware, Enrich, Veeva Vault RIM, stage‑gate tracking, and valuation platforms.
• Experience translating complex pipeline data into dashboards and KPIs supporting executive decisions.
• Strong understanding of drug development (IND → post‑market) and its data requirements.
• Experience unifying diverse R&D data sources to support portfolio review committees and decision‑support analytics.
• Hands‑on experience designing and managing external data sharing platforms, DUAs, and partner governance.
• Proven experience partnering with academic, CRO, health system, and government stakeholders.
• Expertise with TREs, secure enclaves, controlled‑access platforms, and patient‑level data sharing frameworks.
• Knowledge of de‑identification, tokenization, audit trails, and API‑based self‑service data portals.
• Familiarity with international data transfer regulations (ICH E17, GDPR Article 46).
• Experience developing and deploying ML models in regulated pharma environments.
• Hands‑on experience with AI‑powered portfolio optimization or predictive modeling.
• Strong understanding of MLOps, model validation, drift detection, explainability (SHAP, LIME), and AI governance.
• Familiarity with Databricks, MLflow, Kubeflow, SageMaker, Azure ML, TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit‑learn.
• Knowledge of federated learning and privacy‑preserving AI.
• Understanding of the regulatory AI landscape (FDA guidance, EU AI Act).
• Strong foundation in Agile/Scrum, CI/CD, and iterative product delivery for data and AI products.
• Familiarity with GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, GDPR, and ICH E17.
• Knowledge of data standards (CDISC, OMOP, FAIR), metadata management, and lineage.
• Experience with cloud‑native ecosystems (AWS, Snowflake, Databricks), API platforms, and AI deployment technologies (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Proficiency with product tools such as Jira, Confluence, and Miro.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s or Ph.D strongly preferred

Responsibilities

• Own the strategy and vision for both PPA and External Data domains, ensuring high‑quality, harmonized, AI‑ready data throughout the portfolio lifecycle.
• Align product strategy with R&D leadership priorities, portfolio review processes, and investment decision bodies.
• Lead development of executive‑level dashboards and insights leveraging Planisware, Enrich, and Veeva Vault RIM.
• Drive integration of AI‑powered portfolio optimization, predictive modeling, and real‑time competitive intelligence.
• Define and monitor KPIs related to pipeline health, attrition, progression, and portfolio value, incorporating AI‑generated predictive risk metrics.
• Lead quarterly/annual planning and prioritization based on scientific value, business impact, and AI/ML maturity.
• Oversee delivery and continuous improvement of PPA systems including pipeline tracking, stage‑gate milestones, asset valuation/NPV modeling, and portfolio simulation tools.
• Integrate data across R&D systems (clinical, regulatory, competitive intelligence) into unified portfolio views.
• Lead development of ML models for drug discovery prediction, PTS scoring, clinical outcome prediction, and indication prioritization.
• Champion data standards and interoperability frameworks (CDISC, OMOP, FAIR).
• Drive adoption of automated data quality monitoring, anomaly detection, and NLP tools for literature and regulatory document mining.
• Own the end‑to‑end lifecycle of external data sharing platforms from ingestion and transformation to partner provisioning and governance.
• Operationalize and enforce DUAs, access controls, and compliance policies in partnership with legal, privacy, and compliance teams.
• Manage relationships with academic institutions, CROs, health systems, and government agencies, ensuring SLA adherence and data quality.
• Oversee secure data enclaves, TREs, and controlled‑access environments aligned with industry frameworks (YODA, CSDR, Project Data Sphere).
• Drive adoption of federated learning, de‑identification pipelines, tokenization, and full auditability.
• Ensure global regulatory compliance (ICH E17, GDPR Article 46).
• Expand Sanofi’s external data ecosystem through consortium partnerships (IMI, OHDSI, FDA Sentinel).
• Lead a team of Data and AI Product Owners delivering PPA and external data products, including AI/ML‑powered capabilities.
• Manage cross‑product dependencies to ensure governance alignment, interoperability, and high data quality.
• Ensure adherence to FAIR data principles, CI/CD, MLOps, and audit‑ready development practices.
• Build shared services across teams including reusable data assets, metadata catalogs, and shared ML model repositories.
• Own AI model lifecycle management including versioning, monitoring, drift detection, and continuous retraining.
• Measure product impact across business KPIs, AI model performance, pipeline metrics, and end‑user satisfaction.
• Build, mentor, and scale a high‑performing team of Product Owners and analysts, including AI/ML specialists.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, agility, and responsible AI.
• Establish success metrics, conduct performance reviews, and develop team capabilities across product, data, and AI disciplines.

Benefits

• Endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally.
• Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact.
• Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave.

What This Job Offers

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