Analytical Data Science Lead (Director)

PDD Analytical Data Science is recognized as a leading hub for top industry talent, operating as an agile workforce to deliver regulatory commitments across the portfolio. We identify, influence, and adopt industry-leading digital and automation solutions, develop analytical approaches to support exploratory analyses, and align statistical programming practices across both early- and late-stage clinical development.

The Opportunity

Analytical Data Science is a core function within Product Development Data Sciences that provides strategic leadership and scientific rigor across clinical development. Our teams generate data-driven insights, identify opportunities for scale, and implement impactful solutions across our global portfolio.

In this role, you will serve as a senior leader, guiding both technical strategy and operational execution across multiple clinical programs or therapeutic areas. You will lead a high-performing team of skilled programmers and leaders to ensure the delivery of regulatory-compliant analytical outputs, exploratory analyses, dynamic visualizations, and AI-driven initiatives.

• Strategic Leadership: Oversee programming and analytical strategy across multiple molecules or disease areas, aligning with clinical, regulatory, and enterprise data goals.
• Team & People Leadership: Manage, mentor, and build a high-performing global team, defining your own leadership philosophy to foster technical excellence, continuous growth, and remote collaboration.
• Technical & R Innovation: Drive the adoption of advanced R workflows, open-source tools, Python, and scalable automation, serving as a champion for expanding modern data science practices across the team.
• AI & Advanced Analytics: Lead high-impact AI initiatives and exploratory visualization tools from problem definition to execution, driving measurable value for clinical development.
• Cross-Functional & Vendor Oversight: Act as a strategic partner to cross-functional stakeholders (such as Data Management) and manage external vendor delivery to ensure seamless pipeline integration.
• Regulatory & Industry Influence: Represent the data science function in global regulatory engagements and contribute to industry conferences or publications to advance programming standards.

Who You Are

You are an inspiring technical and people leader who thrives in navigating complexity, fostering innovation, and driving strategic data science functions forward.

• You have an advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Statistics, Biostatistics, Computer Science, Life Sciences, or a related quantitative field.
• You have 12+ years of experience in statistical and analytical programming within clinical development, with demonstrated impact across multiple programs or regulatory submissions.
• You have deep expertise in clinical trial data standards (e.g., CDISC SDTM/ADaM), along with advanced proficiency in R (developing custom workflows/tools) and SAS or Python.
• You have proven experience leading direct reports in a global, matrixed, or remote environment, with a track record of driving team adoption of new tools and methodologies.
• You have proven ability to lead impactful AI/digital initiatives and shape broader organizational data strategies.
• You have strong communication skills with experience presenting at industry conferences, contributing to publications, or engaging with health authorities.
• You bring deep expertise in clinical trial data standards (e.g., CDISC SDTM and ADaM), regulatory submission requirements, and end-to-end data workflows

Preferred Qualifications

• You have a proven track record of peer-reviewed publications and industry conference contributions.
• You have experience leading programming strategy for global regulatory submissions, including integrated summaries (ISS/ISE)
• You have familiarity with metadata-driven programming approaches or enterprise-level data standardization
• You have a proven ability to drive functional innovation through automation, process improvement, or adoption of emerging tools
• You have exposure to real-world data or digital health integration within clinical development
• You have participated in industry working groups, consortia, or recognized contributions to advancing programming standards or practices