Director, Data & AI Service Delivery Partner

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Director, Data and AI Service Delivery Partner to join our IT Data and AI Platform (DAIP) function and enable the disciplined, end-to-end delivery and support of the platforms, integrations, and AI services that power Otsuka. In this pivotal role, you will orchestrate the frameworks and service management practices that support the full platform lifecycle—from demand and intake, through solution delivery, into steady-state operations—so that Platform Leads and Service Leads can deliver the services Otsuka relies on, on time, on budget, and to the standards our stakeholders expect.

This role is anchored by three strategic pillars: (1) enforcing lifecycle discipline across the DAIP portfolio through robust SDLC, Agile, and release management practices; (2) orchestrating the delivery and support of AI Solutions, Application Integrations, and Data Hubs with the operational rigor of a modern IT service organization, in partnership with the Platform Leads and Service Leads who own those outcomes; and (3) operationalizing service management (ITSM/ITIL, FinOps, vendor management) to ensure predictable, cost-effective, and audit-ready operations of the Data and AI Platforms.

At Otsuka, we defy limitation, so that others can too. We have an unwavering belief in doing more. In transcending expectations. In going above and beyond—under any circumstances—for patients, families, providers, and for each other. It's this deep-rooted dedication that drives us to uncover answers to complex, underserved medical needs, so that patients can push past the limitations of their disease and achieve more than they thought was possible each and every day.

We believe that the bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity. We are doing everything in our power to live up to our mission of creating new products for better health worldwide in two important therapeutic categories: neuroscience and nephrology.

Job Description

The Director, Data and AI Service Delivery Partner is a senior IT leadership role responsible for building and running the delivery and service management engine of the Data and AI Platform function. The Director will partner with Platform Leads, Service Leads, PMO, Finance, Testing and Validation, and business-aligned Solution Delivery Partners to convert business demand into working services—and keep those services running reliably at scale.

Core Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Platform Lifecycle Management

• Orchestrate the end-to-end platform and product lifecycle for the DAIP portfolio—from ideation and demand intake through delivery, release, operations, and eventual retirement—in partnership with the Platform Leads, who own their platforms' lifecycles.

• Define and enforce the SDLC and Agile delivery frameworks used across DAIP, ensuring consistent practices across Data Hubs, Application Integrations, AI Solution, and Data and AI Platforms Engineering.

• Establish stage gates, quality checkpoints, and release management practices that balance speed to value with the discipline required in a regulated environment.

• Drive IT Service Introduction for new capabilities, ensuring services meet operational readiness criteria before go-live (SLAs/OLAs, runbooks, monitoring, on-call, training, documentation).

• Partner with Testing and Validation to ensure GxP-relevant systems meet computer system validation (CSV) and 21 CFR Part 11 requirements.

Delivery of AI Solutions, Application Integrations, and Data Hubs

• Orchestrate the delivery of AI and GenAI solutions built on skAI Core, DataIKU, AWS AI Services (Bedrock/AgentCore), Azure AI Services (CoPilot Studio, Azure AI Foundry), and Vector DB technologies (OpenSearch, Pinecone)—in partnership with the Service Leads, who are accountable for delivery outcomes.

• Orchestrate the delivery of Application Integrations built on MuleSoft (and equivalent platforms), ensuring APIs, event streams, and integration flows are designed for reuse, resilience, and scale.

• Orchestrate the delivery of Data Hubs and data platforms built on Snowflake, Matillion, Atlan, Ataccama, and Informatica MDM, ensuring integrated, high-quality, well-governed data assets.

• Partner with Platform Leads, Service Leads, and Solution Delivery Partners to ensure delivery approaches are consistent, reusable, and aligned to enterprise architecture standards.

• Coordinate delivery across globally distributed teams (US, EU, India, Japan) and manage a mix of internal engineers, contractors, and managed service providers.

IT Service Management & Operations

• Own the DAIP-side ITSM operating model, ensuring the enterprise ITSM/ITIL processes are adopted and executed rigorously across all DAIP services—including incident and problem management, routine service requests, change management, IT service continuity management, release management, and SLA/OLA management.

• Define and monitor service KPIs (availability, performance, MTTR, SLA attainment, customer satisfaction) and drive continuous improvement.

• Establish operational runbooks, escalation procedures, and on-call practices across the DAIP service portfolio.

• Ensure services meet security, compliance, and audit requirements, coordinating with Information Security, Compliance, and Legal.

• Lead major incident response and post-incident review for DAIP services.

Demand Management & Portfolio Planning

• Establish and run the demand management process for the DAIP function, ensuring business needs are captured, qualified, prioritized, and mapped to delivery capacity.

• Partner with the PMO to maintain a healthy project portfolio, balancing strategic initiatives, continuous improvement, and run-the-business work.

• Drive work estimation, project scoping, and resource planning, providing leadership with credible commitments and clear trade-off analysis.

• Publish a rolling delivery roadmap that provides visibility to stakeholders across IT, business partners, and executive leadership.

FinOps, Budget & Vendor Management

• Manage the DAIP delivery and operations budget, including forecasting, tracking, and variance analysis across capex/opex and platform TCO components (licenses, infrastructure, ops & support).

• Partner with the enterprise FinOps function to embed FinOps practices across the DAIP portfolio—cloud cost optimization, license utilization, chargeback/showback, and value realization tracking.

• Lead vendor and managed service provider management including contract renewals, SOW definition, performance reviews, and escalation.

• Partner with Finance and Procurement to ensure compliant, cost-effective sourcing decisions and total cost transparency.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary delivery point of contact across IT Business Partners, the AI Foundry (AI delivery team) Lead and Architect, Business-Aligned Solution Delivery Partners, the Infrastructure Team, the FinOps Lead, the Finance Team, IT Strategic Planning and Performance Management, PMO, and Testing and Validation.

• Partner with the Infrastructure Team to ensure DAIP services are deployed on well-architected, secure, and cost-optimized cloud and on-premises foundations.

• Partner with the FinOps Lead and the Finance Team to embed FinOps practices, drive cost transparency, and align spend with business value.

• Coordinate with IT Strategic Planning and Performance Management to align the DAIP portfolio and roadmap with enterprise IT strategy and to report on performance against strategic objectives.

• Lead through influence across the extended DAIP delivery community—Delivery Managers, Platform Leads, Service Leads, and Service Managers—shaping a culture of accountability, quality, and continuous improvement.

• Present delivery status, portfolio health, and service performance to IT leadership and cross-functional steering committees on a regular cadence.
• Foster strong working relationships with globally distributed business and IT teams in the US, EU, India, and Japan.

Qualifications:

·       10+ years of progressive IT experience, with 5+ years in senior delivery and service management leadership roles.

·       Deep experience delivering and operating AI/ML, GenAI, data, integration, and analytics platforms at enterprise scale.

·       Data Technologies experience: Snowflake – or other Data Warehousing technologies (e.g., Redshift, Oracle, MS Data Fabric); Matillion – or other ETL/ELT tools (e.g., Informatica ETL, AWS Glue, OpenFlow, MS Data Fabric, Oracle ODI); Atlan (Enterprise Data Catalogue); Ataccama (Data Quality / MDM); Informatica MDM; MuleSoft – or other application integration and API management technologies (e.g., Boomi, Informatica IICS, Oracle SOA Suite); PowerBI and Tableau.

·       AI/ML Technologies experience: DataIKU; AWS AI Services (AWS Bedrock/AgentCore and enabling services, plus general AWS Cloud Computing); Azure AI Services (CoPilot Chat, CoPilot Studio, MS Azure AI Foundry); OpenSearch (Vector DB) or other vector DB technologies (e.g., Pinecone).

·       ITSM: Solid knowledge of ITIL and hands-on experience managing the full spectrum of ITSM processes—incident and problem management, routine service requests, change management, IT service continuity management, release management, SLA/OLA management, FinOps, and Supplier/Vendor Management.

·       Strong track record delivering initiatives using SDLC and Agile methodologies (Scrum, SAFe, or Kanban) across globally distributed teams.

·       Proven experience in Project Portfolio Management and IT solution/platform release management at scale.

·       Hands-on experience with IT Service Introduction and building operational readiness for new services.

·       Demonstrated success in demand management, work estimation, project scoping, and stakeholder management at senior leadership levels.

·       FinOps and budget management experience including cloud cost optimization, license management, and chargeback/showback models.

·       Vendor management experience including sourcing, contracting, SOW definition, and performance management with strategic vendors and managed service providers.

·       Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences industry experience preferred; understanding of GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11, GDPR, and HIPAA is a plus.

·       Excellent communication and influencing skills with the ability to translate technical delivery matters for business and executive audiences.

·       Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and managing stakeholder relationships at all organizational levels.

·       Strong analytical and systematic problem-solving abilities.

·       Experience in regulated or GxP environments preferred.

·       Experience working with globally distributed business and IT teams, especially in Japan, EU, and India.

·       Up to 15-20% travel is required, based upon business needs.

·       Customer-Focused: Anticipates user needs and delivers practical, value-driven solutions.

·       Accountable: Owns the delivery and service management operating model, and its portfolio-level outcomes.

·       Innovative: Challenges the status quo and champions new ideas.

·       Collaborative: Builds strong partnerships across disciplines and cultures.

·       Ethical: Demonstrates integrity and aligns with Otsuka's corporate values.

·       Resilient: Adapts quickly to new challenges and shifting priorities.

·       Provides guidance, coaching, and training to colleagues within a discipline.

·       Matrix Leadership: Ability to lead through influence across Delivery Managers, Platform Leads, Service Leads, and Service Managers to orchestrate portfolio-level delivery outcomes without direct reporting authority.

Educational Qualifications

·       Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field (required).

·       Master's degree in Computer Science, Data/AI, Engineering, Business Administration (MBA with a technology focus), or a related discipline (preferred).

Certifications (Preferred)

• ITIL 4 Managing Professional or Strategic Leader

• PMP (Project Management Professional) – PMI

• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or SAFe Program Consultant (SPC)

• FinOps Certified Practitioner – FinOps Foundation

• Cloud certifications (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect, Snowflake SnowPro)

• CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional) – DAMA International (advantageous)
• Vendor-specific certifications (DataIKU, MuleSoft, Snowflake, etc.)

Competencies
Accountability for Results - Stay focused on key strategic objectives, be accountable for high standards of performance, and take an active role in leading change.
Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving - Make decisions considering the long-term impact to customers, patients, employees, and the business.
Patient & Customer Centricity - Maintain an ongoing focus on the needs of our customers and/or key stakeholders.
Impactful Communication - Communicate with logic, clarity, and respect. Influence at all levels to achieve the best results for Otsuka.
Respectful Collaboration - Seek and value others’ perspectives and strive for diverse partnerships to enhance work toward common goals.
Empowered Development - Play an active role in professional development as a business imperative.

Company benefits:  Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, company provided basic life, accidental death & dismemberment, short-term and long-term disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, student loan assistance, a generous 401(k) match, flexible time off, paid holidays, and paid leave programs as well as other company provided benefits.

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Disclaimer: 

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the people assigned to this position. It is not intended to include every job duty and responsibility specific to the position. Otsuka reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet business and organizational needs as necessary. 

Otsuka is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will be given consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, national origin, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic.   

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation, if you are unable or limited in your ability to apply to this job opening as a result of your disability.  You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting EEAccommodations@otsuka-us.com. 

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