Patient-Centered Prediction Lead

About the role

ZS Discovery is a venture within ZS focusing on accelerating the discovery of safer, more effective therapeutics. The Patient-Centered Prediction Lead will define and validate ZSD’s patient-centered prediction (PCP) offering, engaging senior R&D leaders to build a pipeline of opportunities and establish ZSD’s external credibility.

Responsibilities

• Define and validate ZSD’s patient-centered prediction (PCP) offering, building a client-ready proposition covering forward translation, reverse translation, and patient stratification
• Engage senior R&D leaders at pharma and biotech organizations to prove market demand, originate engagements, and build a pipeline of opportunities in the PCP space
• Move PCP from point solutions to a repeatable practice with reusable frameworks, accelerators, and methodologies the broader team can deliver
• Hire and develop the PCP team, starting with the first support hires and building toward a multi-person practice
• Establish ZSD’s external credibility in patient-centered prediction through thought leadership, conference presence, and published perspectives
• Connect PCP to ZSD’s existing strengths in AI, bioinformatics, and data excellence
• Serve as a domain-credible thought partner for senior R&D stakeholders, translating complex translational science challenges into actionable ZSD solutions

Requirements

• Advanced degree (PhD, MD, or equivalent) in a relevant scientific discipline: translational science, biomarker research, computational biology, statistical genetics, or related
• 10+ years of experience in pharma R&D, a life sciences platform company, or a translational science function, with a focus on patient-centered prediction, biomarkers, or translational medicine
• Experience spanning the discovery-development boundary; understanding the full research lifecycle from target identification through clinical entry
• Deep familiarity with the data types used across the research lifecycle: trial biospecimens, on-study PD/ctDNA/MRD reads, real-world evidence, population cohorts, and multi-modal omics (bulk and single-cell, spatial transcriptomics, methylation, imaging)
• Credible as a thought partner with senior R&D leaders on patient-centered prediction topics; able to engage across both scientific and business dimensions
• Strong analytical and computational orientation; familiarity with precision medicine tools, model-informed drug development, and AI applications in translational sciences
• Experience defining and shaping a new offering, practice area, or capability
• Strong client-first mentality
• Intense work ethic
• Collaborative spirit and problem-solving approach

Qualifications

• Fluency in English
• Client-first mentality
• Intense work ethic
• Collaborative spirit and problem-solving approach

Skills

• Defined and validated PCP offerings
• Engaged senior R&D leaders to build a pipeline of opportunities
• Moved PCP from point solutions to a repeatable practice
• Hired and developed PCP teams
• Established ZSD’s external credibility in PCP
• Connected PCP to ZSD’s existing strengths in AI, bioinformatics, and data excellence
• Served as a domain-credible thought partner for senior R&D stakeholders

Benefits

• Cross-functional skills development & custom learning pathways
• Milestone training programs aligned to career progression opportunities
• Internal mobility paths that empower growth via s-curves, individual contribution and role expansions

Pay

Competitive compensation package

Schedule

Hybrid working model with occasional travel