Clinical Digital acceleration and innovation Lead

Job Title : Clinical Digital acceleration and innovation Lead

Location: Cambridge, MA or Morristown, NJ

About the Job

Are you ready to shape the future of medicine? The race is on to speed up drug discovery and development to find answers for patients and their families. Your skills could be critical in helping our teams accelerate progress.

Sanofi is a leading bio-pharmaceutical company committed to advancing healthcare through groundbreaking research and development. Our dedicated function – Clinical Sciences & Operations (CSO) - plays a vital role in ensuring accurate and compliant clinical trial submissions and project operations, contributing to the approval of innovative therapies that transform patients' lives.

To be considered for an interview, please make sure your application is full in line with the job specs as found below.
Within CSO, the Modernization & Performance Office (MPO) acts as a key enabler of transformation and modernization, driving strategic initiatives that enhance efficiency, digital innovation, and operational excellence across the function. As we continue our business transformation and drive excellence and innovation in our processes, we are seeking an exceptional professional to join us as Digital acceleration & Innovation Lead.

The Clinical Digital Acceleration & Innovation Lead is a strategic partner reporting to the Head of Clinical Digital & AI Acceleration.

In close alignment with the global digital transformation (A4P) program, this role shapes the digital transformation roadmap and champions the integration of AI and digital solutions into clinical development, enhancing efficiency, innovation, and patient impact.

Serving as a bridge between technical and business teams, the role ensures strong connectivity across CSO and with broader Sanofi functions. It also leverages competitive intelligence to identify emerging trends and support strategic decision-making.

This role requires deep expertise in digital and AI within clinical development, strong program management skills, and the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders - in support of Sanofi’s vision for modernization and transformative clinical innovation.

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:

 

Digital transformation roadmap:

• Shape the digital transformation roadmap by translating Sanofi’s evolving vision, operational priorities, transformation priorities, and insights from competitive intelligence and external innovation into actionable initiatives that accelerate innovation and enhance clinical development outcomes.

• Partner with Digital and operational teams to implement AI technologies and identify opportunities for strategic scale-up (CSO 2030 initiative)

• Identify innovation opportunities and related prototyping initiatives and orchestrate them with BICC & Digital as appropriate

Contribute or drive to continuous improvement of the Initiative Portfolio Management Office (iPMO) framework by providing support to:

o Develop, communicate, and maintain clear guidelines to support governance and decision-making.

o Coach and support project teams through the iPMO process, business Case development and gate reviews, ensuring compliance with standards.

Transformation Project Leadership

• Lead high-impact transformation projects or programs involving Digital and/or AI components, with a strong focus on business value creation, cost optimization, and delivery of tangible transformation KPIs (may include Plai amongst others)

• Define and communicate implementation strategies and roadmaps; ensure successful and timely delivery of initiatives.

• Oversee project performance, proactively manage risks, report progress to senior leadership and implement effective mitigation plans.

CSO Digital & AI Capability Building

• Collaborate with R&D University, Vaccines teams, and the CSO Learning Network to lead upskilling efforts in Digital and AI, to foster a culture of innovation.

• Identify skill gaps and define targeted learning strategies to build future-ready capabilities.

• Conduct internal and external technology competitive intelligence to track emerging trends relevant to clinical operations.

• Co-lead engagement for key tools (e.g., Concierge) and influence product strategy and evolution across CSO and Vaccines.

• Ensure clear and consistent communication of AI and digital initiatives across all levels.

• Lead adoption campaigns and change management activities to support tool uptake.

• Collect and prioritize business-driven requirements to shape product features and roadmap decisions.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Co-lead Digital/AI innovation workshops to foster problem-solving and experimentation.

• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships beyond CSO (e.g., TMU, GRA, PV, Digital) to accelerate transformation.

• Act as a bridge between technical and business teams, ensuring alignment and mutual understanding

• Ensure Clinical Digital Acceleration and AI visibility through adequate communication and events

 

About You

Experience :

• Expertise in Digital and AI technologies and applications, and deep understanding of their potential in clinical development, through either programming experience or proven digital projects / digital transformation initiatives’ leadership

• Strategic thinking & Leadership: Experience in strategic planning, aligning projects strategy with organizational goals thru actionable plans, and leading innovation-driven projects

• “Balances strategic insights with practical follow-through and accountability

• Strong program management capabilities with experience in agile methodologies

• GenAI advance prompting

• Jira, Canva will be a plus

 

Soft skills :

• Visionary & innovation mindset with ability to anticipate future trends in clinical development

• Collaborative leadership style that fosters innovation and cross-functional teamwork

• Results-oriented approach with focus on delivering measurable business impact

• Adaptability to navigate complex, evolving technological and regulatory landscapes

• Entrepreneurial ‘Can Do’ mentality & curiosity: Out of the box thinking and approach, with the ability to design and implement disruptive, innovative approaches

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

• Entrepreneurial ‘Can Do’ mentality & curiosity: Out of the box thinking and approach, with the ability to design and implement disruptive, innovative approaches

Education :

• Master's degree or PhD in a relevant field such as (but not limited to): Computer Science, Data Science/Analytics, Engineering (with focus on AI/ML). MBA will be a plus.

• 10 years of relevant experience, including:

• At least 5+ years working with digital transformation initiatives
• Demonstrated experience leading AI/digital projects in healthcare/pharma

• (strategic thinking capability will be important)

• Program management experience with measurable business impact
• Experience building strategic partnerships across functions

Languages:

• Fluent in English

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 and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave.

Sanofi Inc. and its U.S. affiliates are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employers committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender, gender identity or expression; affectional or sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status or liability for military status; domestic violence victim status; atypical cellular or blood trait; genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing) or any other characteristic protected by law.

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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.