Director, Development AI Workflow Transformation Lead

About the role

At Ultragenyx, we fundamentally believe that taking real impactful action to care for the needs of patients and our people is always the right thing to do. To achieve this goal, our vision is to lead the future of rare disease medicine. For us, this means going where other biopharma companies won’t go – challenging the status quo and creating a new model that advances our field so more patients and caregivers can benefit from life-changing treatments. We do this by following the science, applying a novel rapid development approach, making innovative medicines at fair and reasonable prices, and creating a collaborative ecosystem to reach patients in ways that are most meaningful for them.

Our commitment and care for patients extends to our people, so culture is an essential cornerstone for Ultragenyx. We remain continuously focused on creating a supportive and inclusive environment of profound learning and growth – so employees can thrive in all areas of their lives, in and outside of work. Ultimately, we want to be an organization where we would be proud for our family, friends and children to work.

Position Summary

The Director, AI Workflow Transformation Lead is Development’s subject-matter expert on our drug-development lifecycle workflows, responsible for identifying where AI and automation can create the greatest value and redesigning processes to embed those solutions effectively.

Work Model

Remote: Officially documented as working full-time from home, with travel to Ultragenyx's offices or other locations on occasion as needed.

Responsibilities

• Workflow expertise. Serve as the Development authority on end-to-end Development lifecycle workflows including mapping our current-state processes, pain points, hand-offs, and value drivers across functions.
• AI opportunity identification. Systematically evaluate workflows to identify and qualify high-value opportunities for AI and automation, building the case for where and how solutions should be applied.
• Process redesign. Re-engineer and redesign workflows to embed AI effectively, optimizing, standardizing, and simplifying processes so solutions deliver real efficiency and quality gains.
• Business-to-technology translation. Translate business needs and redesigned workflows into clear, accurate requirements and user stories that IT can build against, ensuring requirements accuracy throughout.
• Solution design partnership. Partner with IT to shape solution design, confirm solutions fit the intended workflow, and ensure they are scalable, sustainable, and built on enterprise platforms and standards.
• Quality & value of output. Define what "good" looks like for each redesigned workflow and validate that deployed solutions produce accurate, high-quality outputs that realize the intended value.
• Compliance by design. Ensure redesigned workflows and embedded AI solutions meet GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, and data-integrity requirements, with human accountability and controls built in from the start.
• Testing & validation support. Support solution testing, user acceptance, and validation to confirm workflows perform as designed before and after deployment.
• Change enablement. Partner with delivery and change teams to document new workflows, train users, and drive adoption so redesigned processes stick and scale across Development.
• Cross-functional collaboration. Engage Development, IT, and partner functions (Medical Affairs, CMC, PPM) to align on workflow standards, share reusable patterns, and continuously improve processes.

Requirements

• Education. Bachelor's degree in a scientific, engineering, technology, or related discipline required; advanced degree preferred.
• Experience. 10+ years in biopharma/life sciences drug development or R&D operations, with deep hands-on knowledge of development lifecycle workflows and process improvement.
• Process & workflow expertise. Demonstrated experience mapping, redesigning, and optimizing complex cross-functional workflows; Lean/Six Sigma or business-process management experience strongly preferred.
• AI & digital fluency. Practical understanding of AI/automation capabilities and how to embed them into operational workflows; experience defining requirements for technology solutions.
• Business-to-technology translation. Proven ability to convert business needs into clear, accurate requirements and to partner effectively with IT and technical teams.
• Regulatory & compliance. Strong working knowledge of GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, data integrity, and validation requirements for computerized/AI systems.
• Certifications (preferred). Lean/Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt), business-process management, Agile/Scrum, or equivalent; change-management certification a plus.
• Skills. Workflow analysis and redesign, requirements definition, stakeholder facilitation, structured problem-solving, and clear written/verbal communication.
• Travel. Ability to travel up to ~10% for cross-functional collaboration as needed.

Pay

The typical annual salary range for this full-time position is:

• $208,400—$257,500 USD

This range reflects the characteristics of the job, such as required skills and qualifications and is based on the office location noted in this job posting. The range may also be adjusted based on applicant's geographic location. This position is eligible for annual bonus and equity incentives. Actual individual pay is determined by demonstrated experience and internal equity alignment.

Benefits

• Generous vacation time and public holidays observed by the company
• Volunteer days
• Long term incentive and Employee stock purchase plans or equivalent offerings
• Employee wellbeing benefits
• Fitness reimbursement
• Tuition sponsoring
• Professional development plans
• Benefits vary by region and country