Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technology & Innovation Lead (Sr. Director)

3316 Takeda Development Center Americas • Boston, MA

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

This is a senior scientific, strategic, and technology leadership role within Pharmaceutical Sciences (PharmSci), R&D, accountable for shaping and advancing an integrated PharmSci technology and innovation strategy with particular emphasis on AI/ML, computational, and in silico-first approaches for CMC applications. The role identifies, prioritizes, and accelerates opportunities where advanced analytics, predictive modeling, AI/ML, and digital capabilities can improve CMC decision-making, development speed, robustness, scalability, and lifecycle outcomes across PharmSci. The role serves as a key PharmSci ambassador for external collaborations and strategic partnerships, representing PharmSci’s data, digital, and AI/ML priorities in joint steering committees, alliance governance forums, and scientific partnership engagements. Working closely with senior internal stakeholders and external collaborators, the role ensures that innovation strategies are grounded in strong CMC fundamentals, aligned to business priorities, and translated into scalable, compliant, and value-generating capabilities.

Requirements

• strong CMC background with deep understanding of end-to-end lifecycle considerations from development through manufacturing, quality, and regulatory.
• demonstrated expertise in applying AI/ML, computational, modeling, simulation, and/or in silico approaches to scientific, technical, or CMC-relevant problems.
• demonstrated ability to identify, shape, and translate data/digital or AI/ML opportunities into practical solutions with measurable business and scientific value.
• proven ability to represent an organization effectively in external collaborations, alliance governance, and/or joint steering committee environments.
• strong ability to bridge technical and scientific communities, including CMC experts, data scientists, digital teams, and external collaborators.
• Strong computational literacy and fluency with current AI/ML concepts, methods, and emerging technology trends, including ability to assess applicability and limitations in regulated environments.
• Demonstrated senior leadership experience in complex matrix organizations with strong stakeholder management, prioritization, and influence skills.
• Proven ability to build and sustain external partnership networks across industry, academia, and technology ecosystems.
• Strong business case framing and decision-making skills across value, risk, feasibility, compliance, readiness, and long-term scalability.
• Demonstrated change leadership and experience supporting adoption of new capabilities, tools, and ways of working at scale.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree 22 - 25+ years relevant industry experience
• Master's degree 19 - 21+ years relevant industry experience
• PhD and 13 - 15+ years relevant industry

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the integrated PharmSci technology and innovation strategy, with specific focus on AI/ML, data-driven, and in silico-first capabilities that enable CMC advancement across development, industrialization, manufacturing readiness, and lifecycle management.
• Identify and prioritize high-value use cases where AI/ML, predictive modeling, simulation, and computational approaches can improve CMC outcomes, including speed, robustness, control strategy, process understanding, risk reduction, and right-first-time execution.
• Serve as a senior scientific and strategic leader connecting CMC domain needs with digital, data science, and computational capabilities to ensure that innovation investments are grounded in practical business value and lifecycle applicability.
• Act as a primary PharmSci representative and ambassador in external collaborations, alliances, and partnership governance, including participation in joint steering committee (JSC) and related forums focused on data/digital, AI/ML, and in silico innovation.
• Build, manage, and grow a strong external ecosystem across biotech partners, technology companies, academia, consortia, and other collaborators to expand PharmSci access to emerging computational, AI/ML, and digital capabilities relevant to CMC.
• Translate external partnership opportunities into actionable internal strategies, pilots, and capabilities by connecting external innovation with PharmSci priorities, scientific needs, governance requirements, and implementation pathways.
• Partner across PharmSci technical functions, DD&T, data science, and other enterprise enabling teams to ensure AI/ML and digital solutions are scalable, compliant, sustainable, and aligned to enterprise architecture and operating models.
• Provide leadership for the evaluation, piloting, adoption, and scaling of digital and computational capabilities, ensuring they are supported by appropriate governance, data foundations, change management, and measurable value realization.
• Ensure that AI/ML and in silico-first approaches are applied with appropriate scientific rigor, CMC context, and regulatory/compliance awareness, supporting inspection readiness, lifecycle robustness, and operational feasibility.
• Drive performance management across the technology and innovation portfolio by defining success metrics, monitoring value realization, and communicating progress, risks, and opportunities to senior stakeholders.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision insurance
• a 401(k) plan and company match
• short-term and long-term disability coverage
• basic life insurance
• a tuition reimbursement program
• paid volunteer time off
• company holidays
• well-being benefits
• up to 80 hours of sick time, and new hires are eligible to accrue up to 120 hours of paid vacation

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree