Senior Principal Data Scientist

Novartis • San Diego, CA

15h • Onsite

About The Position

At Novartis, we are reimagining medicine through data, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and digital innovation. As a Senior Principal Data Scientist, you will play a critical leadership role in transforming complex scientific and business challenges into actionable insights that accelerate innovation and improve patient outcomes. Join the Biologics Research Center (BRC) as part of the Data Management & Software Engineering group. BRC develops innovative therapies and advances technologies that enable them across a broad range of disease areas, including complex biologics and genetic medicines such as siRNA, and cell and gene therapies. You will serve as the US-based strategic partner to scientific and digital stakeholders across the BRC organization and play a key role in strengthening collaboration, alignment, and knowledge sharing across global research teams. You will help drive the adoption of the Biomedical Research (BR) Data Strategy, advance scientific data governance, and enable consistent implementation of data and digital initiatives across research sites. Working within a highly matrixed environment, you will translate scientific and business needs into actionable strategies, foster stakeholder alignment, and accelerate the realization of value from scientific data, digital platforms, analytics, and AI-enabled research capabilities. This role combines strong communication skills with strategic leadership, enabling Novartis to unlock the full value of enterprise data and accelerate breakthrough discoveries for patients worldwide.

Requirements

• Advanced degree (Ph.D. or M.Sc.) in Life Sciences, Data Science, Bioinformatics, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience within pharmaceutical or biotechnology R&D, including experience working across scientific, data, and digital functions.
• Strong understanding of scientific data management, data governance, and research data ecosystems.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, project management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Demonstrated ability to translate business challenges into solutions that deliver measurable impact and drive strategic outcomes.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and influencing skills with the ability to communicate effectively at all organizational levels.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with scientific data platforms, data products, and research data ecosystems.
• Working knowledge of coding languages commonly used in scientific data workflows (e.g., SQL, Python, R) and familiarity with AI-assisted development, automation, and agent-based solutions.
• Advanced expertise in FAIR principles, metadata standards, and enterprise data platforms
• Knowledge of data governance frameworks, metadata management, and data quality practices within a pharmaceutical R&D environment.
• Experience leading teams or large enterprise initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted partnerships with scientific, operational, and digital stakeholders across the global research organization.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to US stakeholders, helping shape data and digital opportunities in alignment with business objectives and strategic priorities.
• Drive adoption, stakeholder alignment, and successful implementation of the BR Data Strategy, associated governance frameworks, and supporting data and digital capabilities in alignment with the Complex Modalities Data Domain.
• Lead business analysis, requirements gathering, and discovery activities for scientific data and digital initiatives by translating scientific workflows, business requirements, and strategic objectives into scalable solutions.
• Drive adoption of enterprise platforms, data products, and digital capabilities, with a focus on enabling efficient data capture, data visualization, and automated data flows.
• Lead and co-lead cross-functional and global initiatives through matrix leadership and stakeholder influence, without direct managerial authority.

Benefits

• health, life, and disability coverage
• a 401(k) with company contributions and matching
• a broad range of additional benefits
• a generous time-off package including vacation, personal days, holidays, and other leave programs

What This Job Offers

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