Senior Remote Pharmaceutical Data Scientist - AI/ML

Placements24; Klerksdorp; Hybrid; ZAR 1,995,000 - 2,992,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first work culture

Health insurance

Paid time off

Retirement plan

Home office stipend

Professional development

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Senior Remote Pharmaceutical Data Scientist to lead AI/ML efforts in drug discovery, clinical development, and patient outcomes. The role is remote-first, allowing collaboration with a global team of scientists, engineers, and clinicians from home.

The ideal candidate has a PhD or Master’s in a quantitative field and 5-7 years of pharma/biotech experience, with expertise in Python/R and cloud platforms. Strong communication and data visualization skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master’s in a quantitative field required.
• 5-7 years of hands-on data science experience in pharma/biotech.
• Proficient in Python or R with ML libraries.
• Experience with Spark/Hadoop and cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Strong communication and collaboration in remote settings.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy AI/ML models for pharmaceutical data (omics, clinical trials, real-world data).
• Identify data sources, build robust data pipelines, ensure data quality and integrity.
• Collaborate with SMEs in drug discovery and clinical development to translate business needs into analytics solutions.
• Develop predictive models for efficacy, toxicity, and patient stratification.
• Utilize advanced statistics and ML methods to uncover insights.
• Deploy AI/ML models into production with scalability and reliability.
• Communicate findings clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Stay updated on AI/ML advances in pharma and contribute to best practices.
• Mentor junior data scientists and contribute to the data science community.

Skills

Python

R

scikit-learn

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Keras

Big data

Spark

Hadoop

AWS

Azure

GCP

Statistical modeling

Machine learning

Data visualization

Omics data

Clinical trial data

Remote collaboration

Communication

Education

Ph.D. in Data Science or related field

Master's in a quantitative field

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

About the Role Our client, a visionary pharmaceutical company at the forefront of digital transformation, is actively seeking a Senior Remote Pharmaceutical Data Scientist specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. This fully remote position offers an exceptional opportunity to leverage vast datasets to drive innovation in drug discovery, clinical development, and patient outcomes. You will be instrumental in developing and deploying advanced AI/ML models that extract meaningful insights from complex biological, chemical, and clinical data. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in data science, machine learning, statistical modeling, and a passion for applying these skills to solve critical challenges in the pharmaceutical industry. Working from the comfort of your home, you will collaborate with a globally distributed team of scientists, engineers, and clinicians. This is a remote-first role, emphasizing flexibility and impactful contributions regardless of location.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement sophisticated machine learning models and algorithms to analyze large-scale pharmaceutical data (genomics, proteomics, clinical trials, real-world data).
• Identify key data sources, build robust data pipelines, and ensure data quality and integrity for analytical purposes.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts (SMEs) in drug discovery, clinical development, and manufacturing to define analytical problems and translate business needs into data science solutions.
• Develop predictive models for drug efficacy, toxicity, patient stratification, and treatment response.
• Utilize advanced statistical techniques and AI/ML methodologies to uncover hidden patterns and generate actionable insights.
• Deploy AI/ML models into production environments, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance.
• Communicate complex analytical findings and recommendations clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical stakeholders through visualizations and presentations.
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements in AI/ML, data science, and their applications within the pharmaceutical domain.
• Contribute to the development of best practices and standards for data science within the organization.
• Mentor junior data scientists and contribute to the growth of the data science community.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a related quantitative field.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of hands-on experience as a Data Scientist, with a significant focus on applying AI/ML techniques in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
• Proven expertise in programming languages such as Python or R, and relevant libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras).
• Strong experience with big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Deep understanding of statistical modeling, machine learning algorithms (supervised and unsupervised), deep learning, and predictive analytics.
• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Matplotlib).
• Familiarity with pharmaceutical data types (e.g., omics data, clinical trial data, EHR data, drug discovery data).
• Excellent problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a remote, asynchronous environment.
• Published research in peer-reviewed journals or presented at scientific conferences is a plus.

Benefits

• Highly competitive remote salary package and potential for performance bonuses.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
• Generous paid time off and flexible work schedule.
• 401(k) or equivalent retirement plan with company matching.
• Dedicated budget for home office setup and professional development.
• Opportunity to work on groundbreaking projects impacting global health.
• Collaborative and innovative remote work culture.