Principal Data Scientist, Predictive AI

Roche • South San Francisco, CA

1d • $207,480 - $385,320 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal Data Scientist in Data, Analytics, and AI serves as a visionary technical leader and strategic thought partner, driving the innovation, development, and industrialization of next-generation enterprise AI/ML applications. This pivotal role requires deep expertise in building enterprise recommendation engines alongside advanced predictive modeling and forecasting solutions tailored specifically for the Commercial, Marketing, and Medical Affairs domains. Operating with a high degree of independence, the Principal Data Scientist translates ambiguous business challenges into rigorous analytical roadmaps, elevates team thinking, and provides the strategic technical insights necessary to shape organizational priorities. This position requires a rare blend of deep technical mastery—spanning applied statistics, deep learning, and forecasting—and the executive presence required to influence cross-functional strategy while maintaining compliance with Genentech’s standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree and 7+ years of hands-on experience in AI with a proven track record of technical leadership, innovation, and independent project execution.
• 3+ years of dedicated experience applying Recommender Systems (e.g., content-based/collaborative filtering) and predictive/forecasting models to enterprise-scale data to drive tangible business results.
• Deep proficiency in quantitative fields including Deep Learning (applied to recommendation engines or advanced forecasting), Causal Inference, and advanced statistical modeling.
• Strong experience working with large-scale, complex data environments utilizing big data platforms (Hadoop, Spark) and cloud-computing ecosystems (AWS).
• Advanced proficiency in Python and deep familiarity with open-source machine learning and agentic libraries/frameworks (e.g., LangChain, CrewAI, TensorFlow, PyTorch) to solve enterprise-level problems.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s or PhD in Data Science, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics or a related quantitative field
• Deep knowledge of highly regulated environments (healthcare, pharma, biotech) with specific experience utilizing Commercial, Medical Affairs, claims, marketing, and longitudinal patient data.
• A proven ability to successfully pivot and apply transferable artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques across diverse business domains and ambiguous use cases.
• Experience using industry-standard tools like Tableau, Qlik, or Data Studio to translate complex data into accessible, democratized insights.
• Strong communication, leadership, and time management skills, backed by a track record of open-source contributions, peer-reviewed publications, or patents.

Responsibilities

• Lead and guide the data science lifecycle for high-priority AI/ML projects, serving as the subject matter expert for advanced analytical methodologies across DDA.
• Drive the end-to-end development, scaling, and deployment of AI solutions to optimize marketing efficiency, medical affairs strategy, and customer experience.
• Act as a critical technical advisor to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders; leverage deep technical expertise and proactive research to influence long-term commercial and clinical business strategies.
• Apply ML, deep learning, and applied statistics to extract high-value insights from complex, disparate structured and unstructured data sources.
• Collaborate seamlessly with Data Science Product Owners, ML Engineers, and other teams to build production-grade, scalable applications. Openly share perspectives to elevate the team’s technical maturity and optimally weigh technical vs. business trade-offs.
• Translate highly complex algorithmic architectures and predictive insights into concise, compelling business narratives that inspire trust and drive immediate operational action among non-technical stakeholders.

Benefits

• Relocation benefits are not available for this posting.
• A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance.
• This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.

What This Job Offers

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