Director, Fair by Design Team

Roche; Welwyn; On-site; GBP 136,000 - 209,000; Full time

Job summary

Roche is seeking a Data Connectivity Lead within the Data and Digital Catalyst CoE to drive FAIR, compliant data and governance across pRED and gRED. You will lead a world-class team of data modelers, architects, and governance experts, shaping data strategy and enabling data-driven decision making for drug development.

Basel-based, on-site leadership role with global impact. You will guide talent decisions, set priorities, and partner across departments to accelerate access to trustworthy data

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a scientific or technical field is required.
• 8+ years of experience in Pharma, Diagnostics or related R&D data environment.
• Experience leading complex data initiatives across stakeholders.
• Familiarity with data privacy, security, quality and compliance regulations.
• Knowledge of semantic technologies, data standards and data modeling.

Responsibilities

• Provide visionary leadership for Data Connectivity within Data capability leadership team.
• Develop strategy leveraging AI, automation to modernize data enrichment.
• Hire, develop and retain talent; grow team impact.
• Set OKRs and prioritise team objectives.
• Drive modernization of workflows for FAIR and compliant data assets.
• Oversee large-scale data insight initiatives and governance.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to align priorities for Pharma’s RED data landscape.

Skills

Data governance

Data architecture

Data modeling

Leadership

Regulatory compliance

Semantic technologies

JSON

SPARQL

Knowledge graphs

AWS Neptune

Education

Master’s degree in a scientific or technical field

Tools

SPARQL

JSON

Knowledge graph tech

AWS Neptune

Job description

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections, where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position

A healthier future. It’s what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That’s what makes us Roche.

Advances in AI, data, and computational sciences are transforming drug discovery and development. Roche’s Research and Early Development organisations at Genentech (gRED) and Pharma (pRED) have demonstrated how these technologies accelerate R&D, leveraging data and novel computational models to drive impact. Seamless data sharing and access to models across gRED and pRED are essential to maximising these opportunities. The new computational sciences Center of Excellence (CoE) is a strategic, unified group whose goal is to harness this transformative power of data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist our scientists in both pRED and gRED to deliver more innovative and transformative medicines for patients worldwide.

Within the CoE organisation, the Data and Digital Catalyst organisation drives the modernisation of our computational and data ecosystems and integration of digital technologies across Research and Early Development to enable our stakeholders, power data-driven science and accelerate decision-making.

The Opportunity

The Data Connectivity Lead for the Fair by Design team is a visionary leader who provides strategic leadership to the Data Capability, has outstanding collaboration capabilities, and can influence without authority. You will be part of the Data Capability leadership team and lead a world-class team of data modelers, architects and governance experts focusing on accelerating the use and access to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and compliant data.

This role involves team management, and close collaboration within the Data & Digital Catalyst department as well as with stakeholders across pRED and gRED to accelerate delivery of seamless access to FAIR and trustworthy data pan-RED.

This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the RED’s data landscape, leverage data as a strategic asset and accelerate drug portfolio decision making.

As Data Connectivity Lead, you will develop and implement the data FAIRification and compliance strategy, ensure adoption of data governance and policies and guide a team of experienced experts to guarantee effective management of RED’s data assets. You will make key decisions on talent, resourcing, strategic prioritization, technical roadmaps, business processes and solution development contributing to CS CoE overall success.

• Provide visionary leadership for Data Connectivity within the Data capability while serving as a key member of the Data capability Leadership Team
• Develop and execute a forward-looking strategy for leveraging AI, automation and advanced technologies to revolutionize data enrichment processes.
• Be responsible for hiring, developing, and retaining talent, fostering opportunities for team members to enhance their skills and impact
• Define objectives, priorities, Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) for the team
• Drive the modernization and harmonization of workflows and processes to guarantee the delivery of FAIR and Compliant by design AI-ready data assets
• Oversee large-scale strategic initiatives and data insight development projects, facilitating effective data lifecycle management
• Collaborate with the DDC Domains and capabilities leads as well as with other key stakeholders to align on strategic priorities and support Pharma’s ambition
• Foster strong internal and external partnerships and build a culture of 'data as an asset' in Research and Development

Who You Are

• You hold a Master’s degree in a scientific or technical field and bring 8+ years of experience in Pharma, Diagnostics or a related R&D data environment, with strong understanding of R&D processes
• You have hands‑on expertise in at least one core data domain, such as data stewardship, data standards, data architecture, FAIRification, data modeling, data quality, metadata or data management
• You have proven experience leading complex projects, initiatives or teams across multiple stakeholders, with the ability to influence without authority and deliver strong outcomes in a matrix environment. Experience as a group/team leader is a plus
• You are familiar with regulatory requirements and industry standards related to data privacy, security, quality and compliance
• Experience with semantic technologies, RDF vocabularies, biomedical ontologies, data standards and data modeling, JSON, SPARQL, federated search, relational databases, knowledge graph technologies, or AWS Neptune would be a strong advantage

Where pay transparency applies, details are provided based on the primary posting location. For this role, the primary location is Basel. If you are interested in additional locations where the role may be available, we will provide the relevant compensation details later in the hiring process.

Who we are

A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.

Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.