Director, Semantic Technologies Lead

Overview Director, Semantic Technologies Lead role at Novartis Ireland. The Semantic Technologies Lead (Director Level) is responsible for setting the strategic vision and leading the implementation of semantics and metadata standards within data42. This role ensures the integrity, scalability, and impact of semantic frameworks across data42’s Pre-Clinical, Clinical, Omics, and Real-World Data pipelines, enabling disease-centric multimodal analysis and investigation. The Director ensures alignment with Novartis’ broader R&D and enterprise data strategies, while driving innovation from within data42 through structured metadata and advanced ontology management (e.g., MedDRA, SDTM, ADaM, WHODrug, ISO taxonomies), driving data FAIRification and supporting sophisticated patient cohorting and analytical capabilities. The position also guides the evolution of metadata systems and the data catalog, enhances AI-driven projects, and transforms data42 into a next-generation AI-enabled program, while maintaining alignment with enterprise standards.
About The Role
Major Accountabilities
Advise data42 and Novartis R&D leadership on data and AI strategy, risk, and investment, and communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Manage large, cross-functional teams and budgets within data42, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and high performance.
Represent data42 in cross-functional and enterprise-wide working groups, standards bodies, and external forums, ensuring data42’s needs and innovations are well integrated and recognized.
Lead the development and deployment of AI-enabled metadata tools and knowledge graphs to facilitate data findability, semantic enrichment, and advanced analytics within data42.
Champion the adoption and operationalization of FAIR data principles within data42, ensuring all data assets are properly tagged, governed, and aligned with both data42 and enterprise objectives.
Oversee the strategic evolution and governance of the data42 data catalog and metadata systems, ensuring comprehensive coverage, accessibility, and regulatory compliance of all managed data assets.
Lead the design, build, and operationalization of scalable, cloud-based data and analytics platforms—including data lakes, catalogs, and ontology management solutions—within data42, supporting the full drug development lifecycle.
Serve as the primary liaison between data42 and enterprise-level data and semantic governance bodies, ensuring interoperability with company-wide objectives.
Set and execute the semantic and metadata strategy for data42, ensuring alignment with the broader Novartis R&D and enterprise data strategy, while fostering a culture of innovation to deliver transformative solutions.
Experience / Professional Requirements
Advanced degree (PhD or equivalent) and 15+ years of progressive experience in metadata management, semantic technologies, ontology engineering, AI, and insights generation within pharmaceutical/biotech, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
Deep expertise in industry standards such as CDISC (SDTM, ADaM, SEND), HL7 FHIR, MedDRA, and WHODrug, with a track record of applying these in large-scale data environments within R&D or clinical settings.
Demonstrated leadership in designing and operationalizing department-level or cross-functional data initiatives involving semantic technologies, ontologies, and knowledge graphs, aligned with enterprise data strategies.
Strong proficiency in FAIR data principles and their operationalization in biomedical and business contexts.
Advanced knowledge of ontology authoring and engineering, including lifecycle management and tools for building ontologies at scale.
Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, manage budgets, and influence stakeholders at all levels, including executives.
Familiarity with Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) to transform unstructured data into insights and enable AI-driven innovation.
Expertise in Semantic Web technologies (RDF, OWL, SKOS, SPARQL) and their application to biomedical domains, including OBO Foundry ontologies.
Experience acting as a liaison between a department/program and enterprise-level data governance or standards bodies to ensure alignment and interoperability.
Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and change leadership skills.
Commitment to Diversity
Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.
Why Novartis
Novartis values collaboration, support, and innovation to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Join a community of smart, passionate people dedicated to creating a brighter future.
Location Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

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