Head of RnD GenAI and Emerging Technologies

Reference No. R2826772

Position Title: Head of RnD GenAI and Emerging Technologies

Department: R&D Data Products and Platforms

Location: Toronto, Canada

About the Job

Our Hubs are a crucial part of how we innovate, improving performance across every Sanofi department and providing a springboard for the amazing work we do. Build a career and you can be part of transforming our business while helping to change millions of lives.

At Sanofi, we’re committed to providing the next-gen healthcare that patients and customers need. It’s about harnessing data insights and leveraging AI responsibly to search deeper and solve sooner than ever before. Join our R&D Data & AI Products and Platforms Team as Head of R&D GenAI & Emerging Technologies and you can help make it happen.

Sanofi has recently embarked into a vast and ambitious digital transformation program. A cornerstone of this roadmap is the acceleration of its data transformation and of the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solutions, to accelerate R&D, manufacturing and commercial performance and bring better drugs and vaccines to patients faster, to improve health and save lives.

The R&D Data & AI Products and Platforms Team is a key team within R&D Digital, focused on developing and delivering Data and AI products for R&D use cases. This team plays a critical role in pursuing broader democratization of data across R&D and providing the foundation to scale AI/ML, advanced analytics, and operational analytics capabilities.

As a Head of R&D GenAI & Emerging Technologies, you will be a leader on a dynamic team committed to driving strategic and operational digital priorities and initiatives in R&D. You will work with R&D-based Product and Product Line Owners and manage engineering teams within an agile environment to drive the design, development, and deployment of robust, scalable, and performance-based AI/ML endpoints and workflows.

Our vision for digital, data analytics and AI 

Join us on our journey in enabling Sanofi’s Digital Transformation through becoming an AI first organization. This means: 

• AI Factory - Versatile Teams Operating in Cross Functional Pods: Utilizing digital and data resources to develop AI products, bringing data management, AI and product development skills to products, programs and projects to create an agile, fulfilling and meaningful work environment.

• Leading Edge Tech Stack: Experience build products that will be deployed globally on a leading-edge tech stack.

• World Class Mentorship and Training: Working with renown leaders and academics in machine learning to further develop your skillsets.

We are an innovative global healthcare company with one purpose: to chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. We’re also a company where you can flourish and grow your career, with countless opportunities to explore, make connections with people, and stretch the limits of what you thought was possible. Ready to get started?

Main Responsibilities:

GenAI Strategy & Implementation

• Develop and execute a comprehensive GenAI strategy aligned with R&D business objectives, focusing on practical applications of Large Language Models (LLMs), foundation models, and generative AI technologies across the drug development lifecycle

• Lead the implementation of enterprise GenAI platforms and solutions, including prompt engineering frameworks, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, and AI agent orchestration for research automation

• Drive the deployment of production-ready GenAI applications, including conversational AI interfaces, intelligent document processing, research synthesis tools, and AI-powered decision support systems

• Establish fine-tuning and model customization strategies for domain-specific pharmaceutical and scientific applications, leveraging both proprietary and open-source foundation models

• Architect and oversee GenAI infrastructure, including vector databases, embedding systems, LLM operations (LLMOps), and AI agent frameworks to ensure scalable, performant, and cost-effective solutions

• Manage GenAI product lifecycle from proof-of-concept through production deployment, ensuring robust API endpoints, workflow integration, and seamless user experiences

Emerging Technologies Leadership

• Maintain strategic oversight of emerging AI technologies beyond GenAI, including multimodal AI, computer vision, advanced NLP, and AI-powered automation that complement generative capabilities

• Evaluate and pilot emerging AI paradigms such as autonomous agents, AI orchestration platforms, neuro-symbolic AI, and next-generation foundation model architectures

• Monitor the AI technology landscape to identify breakthrough innovations, assess their potential impact on pharmaceutical R&D, and recommend strategic investments

• Partner with external innovation ecosystems including AI research institutions, technology vendors, startups, and academic partners to access cutting-edge capabilities and insights

• Lead technology scouting and horizon scanning activities to maintain competitive advantage and ensure early adoption of transformative AI technologies

Innovation & Team Management

• Build and lead a world-class team of GenAI engineers, ML engineers, prompt engineers, and AI solution architects, providing mentorship, career development, and technical guidance

• Foster a culture of experimentation and innovation, establishing frameworks for rapid prototyping, proof-of-concept development, and fail-fast learning

• Design and continuously improve GenAI and AI product delivery models within the R&D Data and AI organization, implementing agile methodologies and best practices

• Manage innovation portfolio and resource allocation, balancing short-term GenAI implementations with longer-term emerging technology investments

• Provide technical leadership and escalation support for complex GenAI challenges, including model performance optimization, prompt engineering, and integration issues

• Communicate AI strategies, capabilities, limitations, and results to executive leadership and stakeholders, translating technical concepts into business value

Governance & Stakeholder Management

• Establish and enforce responsible AI and GenAI governance frameworks, ensuring ethical use, bias mitigation, transparency, and fairness across all AI implementations

• Partner with Responsible AI, Legal, and Compliance teams to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements, data privacy standards, and ethical guidelines specific to GenAI applications

• Implement AI risk management practices, including model monitoring, output validation, hallucination detection, and content safety measures for GenAI systems

• Collaborate with R&D Product Owners and business leaders to identify high-value GenAI use cases and prioritize development efforts based on strategic impact

• Coordinate with Platform, Data Engineering, and Enterprise Digital teams to ensure seamless integration, data governance, and consistent architectural patterns

• Build strong stakeholder relationships across R&D functions, serving as a trusted advisor on GenAI capabilities, limitations, and strategic opportunities

About You

Key Functional Requirements & Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in Computer Science, AI/ML, Engineering, or related technical field

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, data science, AI/ML, with 6+ years in leadership roles managing AI/ML engineering or data science teams

• 3+ years of hands-on experience with Generative AI, Large Language Models, and foundation model technologies in production environments

• Proven track record of successfully leading enterprise-scale AI/ML initiatives from strategy through deployment, including GenAI implementations

• Deep understanding of pharmaceutical R&D business context and data environments strongly preferred; experience in life sciences, healthcare, or regulated industries highly valued

• Exceptional communication skills with ability to influence and engage both technical and executive audiences, translating complex AI concepts into business strategy

• Demonstrated excellence in team leadership, including building high-performing teams, mentoring technical talent, and fostering innovation cultures

• Strategic thinking and business acumen with ability to identify transformative opportunities and drive organizational change

Key Technical Requirements & Qualifications:

• Expert-level knowledge of Generative AI technologies: Large Language Models (GPT, Claude, Llama, Gemini), foundation models, transformer architectures, and attention mechanisms

• Deep expertise in GenAI implementation patterns: prompt engineering, few-shot learning, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), fine-tuning, and model customization techniques

• Hands-on experience with GenAI platforms and frameworks: LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, AutoGen, or similar AI orchestration tools

• Strong proficiency in AI agent development: autonomous agents, multi-agent systems, tool use, and agent orchestration frameworks

• Expertise in vector databases and embedding systems: Pinecone, Weaviate, ChromaDB, FAISS, or similar technologies for semantic search and RAG implementations

• Advanced knowledge of MLOps and LLMOps: model deployment, monitoring, versioning, A/B testing, and production AI infrastructure

• Expert programming skills in Python with deep knowledge of AI/ML libraries (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face Transformers, OpenAI API)

• Strong experience with API development and microservices: FastAPI, Flask, RESTful design, and scalable endpoint architecture

• Cloud platform expertise: AWS (SageMaker, Bedrock), Azure (OpenAI Service, ML), or GCP (Vertex AI) for AI/ML workloads

• Proficiency in modern data platforms: Snowflake, Databricks, data lakes, and data pipeline architectures

• Knowledge of responsible AI tools: bias detection, model explainability (SHAP, LIME), content safety, and AI governance platforms

• Familiarity with emerging AI technologies: multimodal models, vision-language models, AI-powered code generation, and next-generation AI architectures

Why Choose Us?

• Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team.

• Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally.

• Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact.

• Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs

This position is for a new vacant role that we are actively hiring for.​

Sanofi is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. Our goal is to attract, develop and retain highly talented employees from diverse backgrounds, allowing us to benefit from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. We welcome and encourage applications from all qualified applicants.  Accommodations for persons with disabilities required during the recruitment process are available upon request.

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All compensation will be determined commensurate with demonstrated experience. Employees may be eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs, and additional benefits information can be found here.

Les employés peuvent être admissibles à participer aux programmes d'avantages sociaux de l'entreprise. Des informations supplémentaires sur les avantages sociaux peuvent être trouvées ici.