Head of R&D, AI Integrations

About the role

Clario, a part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, is a global leader in clinical trial technology. We combine deep scientific expertise with the industry’s broadest endpoint collection platform to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies deliver life-changing therapies to patients. This role serves as a key technical and organizational leader, responsible for shaping Clario’s long-term engineering strategy while ensuring the stability, scalability, and quality of our current and next-generation platforms, with a particular focus on the integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to accelerate clinical outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Partner with executive leadership to define product architecture, company vision, and long-term technical strategy, prioritizing AI-driven modernization across the platform
• Translate strategic objectives into actionable global R&D roadmaps, identifying key opportunities for Generative AI and predictive modeling to enhance endpoint collection
• Lead global, multidisciplinary software development and engineering test teams to deliver high-quality, well-architected solutions that incorporate AI/ML frameworks
• Balance innovation and operational excellence by maintaining existing platforms while expanding next-generation, AI-augmented product offerings
• Own global R&D budget planning and resource management, ensuring adequate investment in AI infrastructure, data science talent, and emerging tech
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on technical excellence, innovation, accountability, and the ethical application of AI in clinical settings
• Oversee administrative R&D functions, including talent acquisition for specialized AI/ML roles, professional development, and technical training
• Ensure rigorous compliance with SOPs and SWIs, promoting consistent quality and regulatory adherence for AI-enabled medical software
• Act as a senior escalation point between customers, Operations, and Engineering, integrating feedback into the software development lifecycle to refine AI model performance
• Provide transparent reporting on delivery status, risk mitigation, and the ROI of AI/ML initiatives
• Build and manage strategic relationships with technology partners and vendors to enhance internal AI capabilities and cloud-native services

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in an IT-related, scientific, or technical field, or equivalent professional experience
• 15+ years of experience leading enterprise-level R&D organizations or large-scale strategic technology programs
• Proven experience managing the full product engineering lifecycle using Agile methodologies with a focus on MLOps and CI/CD for AI
• Extensive experience delivering solutions in cloud (AWS/Azure), IaaS, and PaaS environments, specifically leveraging cloud-native AI/ML services (e.g., SageMaker, Azure AI)
• Strong background managing teams operating under formal Product and Development Lifecycles, including the validation of AI models in regulated environments
• Knowledge of evolving AI landscape and demonstrated experience implementing AI in regulatory environment preferred
• Demonstrated success in people leadership, leading geographically diverse teams, organizational development, and managing data science and engineering teams in complex environments
• Deep knowledge of enterprise solution architecture, data privacy (GDPR/HIPAA), and information security standards as they relate to large language models (LLMs) and data processing
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills
• Experience in life sciences, clinical trials, or other regulated industries preferred
• Familiarity with clinical data transfer, storage standards, and regulated software risk management for algorithmic decision-making

Benefits

• Opportunity to lead global, enterprise-scale technology teams delivering mission-critical clinical trial solutions
• A collaborative, high-impact environment focused on innovation, quality, and patient outcomes
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits aligned to U.S. market practices