Senior Principal Data Scientist, Data and Statistical Science AI/ML (m/f/x)

Join Daiichi Sankyo: Innovate with Compassion

With over 120 years of excellence and more than 17,000 dedicated employees in over 20 countries, Daiichi Sankyo is committed to discovering, developing, and delivering cutting-edge care standards that enrich the quality of life globally.

Our European focus spans two critical areas: protecting people from cardiovascular diseases—the leading cause of death in Europe—and helping patients enjoy every precious moment of life. In Oncology, we aim to become a global pharma innovator by creating novel therapies for cancer patients.

Our European headquarters are in Munich, Germany, with affiliates in 13 European countries and Canada.

We are currently seeking a Senior Principal Data Scientist, Data and Statistical Science AI/ML (m/f/x) to join our team either in our Munich headquarters or at one of our European affiliates.

Position Overview: Senior Principal Data Scientist

The Senior Principal Data Scientist will autonomously manage the end-to-end delivery of AI/ML projects, ensuring top-quality deliverables on time and within budget. The role requires collaboration with internal and external stakeholders and vendors to optimize AI/ML technologies, processes, and standards. This individual must possess robust technical skills working with clinical data, as well as strong project management, continuous improvement, change management, and risk management abilities.

Roles & Responsibilities

AI/ML Project Management:

• Manage and implement AI/ML projects, from business understanding to dissemination.
• Identify innovative ways to enhance efficiency, quality, and productivity in AI/ML activities.
• Raise awareness of best practices for reproducible data science, adhering to global regulatory requirements and internal guidelines.
• Ensure timely and accurate completion of AI/ML deliverables.
• Contribute to regulatory or pricing authority submissions with minimal supervision.
• Proactively identify and manage project risks.

Vendor Oversight:

• Provide direction and oversee vendor delivery to ensure compliance with protocols and standards.
• Engage in vendor selection and contracting, including budget and timeline negotiations.
• Oversee budget management throughout project duration.
• Participate in meetings with health authorities.

Operational Excellence & Innovation:

• Lead or participate in global evidence generation initiatives for process harmonization and efficiency improvement.
• Stay updated on industry best practices in AI/ML methodology.
• Provide guidance as a Subject Matter Expert in AI/ML to team members and cross-functional teams.
• Monitor regulatory guidance and industry standards to propose new functional standards.
• Demonstrate leadership by partnering with stakeholders to optimize AI/ML technologies, processes, and standards.

Any other duties pertinent to business needs.

Professional Experience & Education

Educational Qualifications:

• MSc (PhD preferable) in computer science, statistics, computational biology, or related fields.

Work Experience:

• At least 8 years in data science or business intelligence roles supporting drug development and/or post-marketing in clinical research, pharmaceutical, CRO, or medical device settings.
• Extensive programming experience in Python (pandas, numpy, scikit-learn, etc.), with knowledge of R and other languages being a plus.
• Expertise in machine learning algorithms for clustering, classification, regression, and more.
• Exposure to cloud computing platforms.
• Knowledge in NLP, image analysis, deep learning, or federated learning is a plus.
• Experience in oncology therapeutic areas or late-phase projects is desirable.

Skills & Competencies:

• Excellent English language skills.
• Strong storytelling and communication skills, especially in simplifying complex concepts.
• Effective negotiation and project management skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with proactive problem-solving abilities.
• Understanding of clinical research principles, concepts, methods, and standards.
• Interest in remote work with a global team across diverse cultures and time zones. <