Director, CoE Strategy & AI Innovation

Summary:

The Director, CoE Strategy & AI Innovation is the operational and innovation engine of BMS's Global Market Research (MR) Center of Excellence (CoE). This role is responsible for designing and operationalizing the CoE's operating model, building and governing the enterprise MR AI product roadmap, and ensuring that shared Market Research capabilities are built, adopted, and continuously improved across all Therapeutic Areas (TA) and Business Units (BU).

This leader establishes how the CoE functions in an advisory capability, defining how TA and BU teams engage CoE expertise, how standards are collaboratively developed and endorsed, and how AI-enabled research tools are governed and scaled. This role serves as the primary architect of the MR AI transformation, translating the vision of a capability-first, innovation-led CoE into a functioning operating reality.

The Director, Global Market Research CoE Strategy & AI Innovation reports directly to the Executive Director, Global Market Research, and serves as the CoE's primary internal integrator, reconciling requirements from TA and BU stakeholders, managing the AI product roadmap, and ensuring the CoE's enterprise-wide commitments are met with consistency and credibility.

Responsibilities:

Build and Operate the Circle of Excellence Operating Model

• Design the CoE's operating model from the ground up, defining how TA and BU teams engage CoE capabilities, what is available on a pull-based self-serve basis, and what requires direct CoE advisory involvement
• Establish the engagement model between the CoE and TA/BU MR teams including how capability requests are submitted, how the CoE prioritizes its roadmap, and how platform adoption is tracked and supported
• Define and run a governance body through which TA MR leads provide requirements, test new capabilities, and align on shared platform standards
• Develop and maintain the CoE's operating documentation: capability catalogues, engagement guides, onboarding materials, and platform governance policies used by all BU and TA stakeholder teams
• Establish the decision logic that determines which research activities are best supported by CoE-built platforms versus those that are fully self-managed by TA teams

Own the MR AI Capability Roadmap

• Serve as Business Product Owner for all Market Research AI solutions, including self-serve rapid research tools, and AI-assisted analysis capabilities
• Intake capability requirements from TA and BU MR leaders, reconcile competing priorities, and translate them into a sequenced, resource-realistic platform roadmap
• Define the use cases, user requirements, and success criteria for each capability on the roadmap, in close partnership with technology and data science delivery teams
• Ensure all CoE-built platforms are designed to be TA-agnostic (flexible enough to serve diverse TA and BU contexts without requiring TA-specific customization at the core)
• Govern how platforms are released, adopted, and iterated, establishing feedback loops between TA users and the CoE product team that drive continuous platform improvement
• Monitor the external AI and MR technology landscape, evaluate emerging platforms and vendors, and make build-versus-buy recommendations to the Executive Director
• Own the CoE's vendor governance function including the preferred supplier framework for MR platforms, and oversight of platform vendor performance against CoE capability standards

Govern Platform Use and Quality

• Establish the governance guardrails for how CoE-built tools and platforms are used across TA teams, defining the boundaries of acceptable use, the required documentation standards, and the escalation path when platform outputs are questioned
• Own the framework by which CoE-built tools are validated before release and monitored after deployment, ensuring outputs are fit for decision-making
• Partner with the Associate Director, MR Compliance & Governance on AI data use governance, privacy compliance, and ethical standards as applied to CoE-built platforms

Stakeholder Engagement and CoE Advocacy

• Function as the CoE's primary relationship manager for senior TA and BU stakeholders, ensuring the CoE is experienced as a valued capability partner
• Manage the CoE's relationship with adjacent functions including Customer Engagement & Insights, IT, and Data Science defining collaboration models and decision rights in partnership with the Executive Director
• Communicate CoE capability investments, roadmap priorities, and platform adoption progress to senior leadership in clear, business-impact terms
• Represent the CoE in enterprise AI governance and innovation forums, ensuring the MR perspective is visible in enterprise-level platform and data decisions

Qualifications:

• Minimum 8 years of experience in Market Research, commercial insights, or a related analytics or strategy function within the pharmaceutical, biotech, or healthcare industry
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience designing and operationalizing a new function, capability, or center of excellence, including operating model design, governance framework development, and stakeholder adoption management in a matrixed environment
• Fluency in primary Market Research methodologies across qualitative, quantitative and longitudinal approaches, to engage credibly with expert TA MR practitioners and translate their capability needs into well-scoped platform requirements
• Proven experience as a Business Product Owner or product manager for an AI, analytics, or digital tool in a commercial or insights context
• Strong understanding of AI and advanced analytics applications within Market Research, including AI-assisted analysis, self-serve research tools, synthetic data, and rapid testing methodologies
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing stakeholder requirements and translate them into a coherent, prioritized capability roadmap
• Strong governance and operating model design skills; able to establish clear guardrails and engagement protocols that enable rather than constrain TA team autonomy
• Strong executive communication skills, with the ability to translate complex capability and technology decisions into clear, decision-ready recommendations for senior leadership
• Familiarity with global regulatory requirements for Market Research data usage, AI ethics, and privacy compliance

Key Competencies:

Capability Platform Ownership

• Proven ability to own and manage a capability or product roadmap end-to-end (from requirements intake through deployment and adoption)
• Translates diverse stakeholder needs into a coherent, TA-agnostic platform design

Governance Design and Enablement

• Experience designing governance frameworks that set clear guardrails without creating bureaucratic friction
• Builds operating models that give TA teams autonomy within a consistent, governed structure

AI and Technology Fluency

• Deep understanding of AI-enabled MR tools and their implications for research design, quality, and decision-making
• Able to evaluate emerging technologies and make credible build-versus-buy recommendations

Cross-Functional Influence and Stakeholder Management

• Demonstrated ability to align competing TA and BU stakeholder priorities into a coherent capability agenda
• Builds trust with expert practitioners by understanding their needs, not by asserting authority over their work

Operating Model and Change Management

• Skilled in standing up new functions including operating model design, stakeholder onboarding, and adoption measurement
• Creates enthusiasm for new shared capabilities in organizations where TA teams are accustomed to full autonomy

Executive Communication

• Connects CoE capability investments to commercial and patient outcomes in language that resonates with senior leadership
• Communicates platform governance decisions with clarity and without unnecessary complexity

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