Data Science Lead – GenAI in Toronto, Ontario

Reference No. R2744845

Position Title: Data Science Lead – GenAI

Department: Data Science

Location : Downtown area of Toronto, Ontario

At Sanofi, we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. We believe our cutting-edge science and manufacturing, fueled by data and digital technologies, have the potential to transform the practice of medicine, turning the impossible into possible for millions of people.

As one of Canada’s leading investors in life sciences, manufacturing and research and development, we focus on delivering new and better ways to address unmet medical needs. Our life-changing and lifesaving products are grounded in science that Canadians can trust. They empower self-care, prevent and treat diseases, and help people live better.

Our vision for digital, data analytics and AI

Sanofi has 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. This has enabled us, to accelerate R&D, improve manufacturing and commercial performance, and bring novel drugs and vaccines to patients faster, all in order to improve health and save lives.

The Digital Team at Sanofi is a unique data-driven team. We pride ourselves on being data obsessed and highly focused on using state of the art processes along with global technologies to drive impact to our solutions. We measure our insights and products based on how they perform across the globe and hold ourselves to the highest regard as our solutions can impact millions of lives. When tackling a problem, we do not just ask how we will create a solution, but how we will create a solution that reaches across the world with the best possible societal outcome.

If you are passionate about improving the health and wellness of people across the globe using Data as your means, then you should look no farther than the Digital Team here at Sanofi. Join us on our journey in enabling Sanofi’s Digital Transformation through becoming an AI first organization.

• 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 renowned, published (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9DCRnPkAAAAJ&hl=en) leaders and academics in machine learning to further develop your skillsets.

Who You Are:

As a dynamic Data Science Lead, you are passionate about challenging the status quo and ensuring the development and impact of Sanofi’s AI solutions for the patients of tomorrow. You are an influential leader with hands-on experience deploying AI/ML and GenAI solutions, applying state-of-the-art algorithms with technically robust lifecycle management. Your keen eye for improvement opportunities and demonstrated ability to deliver solutions in cross-functional environments make you an invaluable asset to our team.

Key Responsibilities:

This role demands a dynamic and collaborative individual with a strong technical background, capable of leading the development and deployment of advanced machine learning solutions (especially GenAI related models) while maintaining a focus on meeting business objectives and adhering to industry best practices. Key highlights include:

Model Design and Development:

• Lead the design and development of custom Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Large Language Model (LLM) components for both batch and stream processing-based AI ML pipelines.

• Oversee the creation of model components, including data ingestion, preprocessing, search and retrieval, Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), and fine-tuning, ensuring alignment with technical and business requirements.

Collaborative Development:

• Work closely with data engineer, ML Ops, software engineers and other team Tech team members to collaboratively design, develop, and implement ML model solutions, fostering a cross-functional and innovative environment.

Model Evaluation:

• Collaborate with other data science team members to develop, validate, and maintain robust evaluation solutions and tools for assessing model performance, accuracy, consistency, and reliability during development and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).

• Implement model optimizations to enhance system efficiency based on evaluation results.

Model Deployment:

• Work closely with the MLOps team to facilitate the deployment of ML, NLP, LLM, and Gen AI models into production environments, ensuring reliability, scalability, and seamless integration with existing systems.

• Contribute to the development and implementation of deployment strategies for NLP, LLM, and Gen AI models.

Internal Collaboration :

• Collaborate closely with product teams, business stakeholders, data science team members to ensure the smooth integration of machine learning models into production systems.

• Foster strong communication channels and cooperation across different teams for successful project outcomes.

Problem Solving:

• Proactively troubleshoot complex issues related to machine learning model development and data pipelines.

• Innovatively develop solutions to overcome challenges, contributing to continuous improvement in model performance and system efficiency.

Key Requirements:

Education and experience:

• PhD in mathematics, computer science, engineering, physics, statistics, economics, operation research or a related quantitative discipline with strong coding skills, OR Master’s Degree in relevant domain with 5+ years of data science experience.

• 3+ years developing NLP models, including transformer architectures.

• 3+ years implementing information search and retrieval at scale.

Technical skills:

• Hands-on experience with LLMs (GPT, Claude) and common platforms.

• Knowledge of Vector Databases and developing RAG applications.

• Disciplined AI/ML development, including CI/CD and orchestration.

• Cloud and high-performance computing proficiency (AWS, GCP, Databricks, Apache Spark).

• Experience deploying models in agile, product-focused environments.

Communication and collaboration:

• Excellent written and verbal communication, business analysis, data visualization and data storytelling skills.

• A demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional team (e.g. business, product and digital).

Team management:

• Demonstrated experience of managing technical build and development teams required.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience working in the technology industry or tech consulting.

Pursue Progress

Discover Extraordinary

Better is out there. Better medications, better outcomes, better science. But progress doesn’t happen without people – people from different backgrounds, in different locations, doing different roles, all united by one thing: a desire to make miracles happen. So, let’s be those people.

Watch our ALL IN video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkpDBZ-CJKw&t=67s) and check out our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion actions at sanofi.com (https://www.sanofi.com/en/our-responsibility/equality-and-inclusiveness) !

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.

Thank you in advance for your interest.

Only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

Follow Sanofi on Twitter: @SanofiCanada (https://twitter.com/SanofiCanada) and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sanofi

#DBBCA

Pursue progress , discover extraordinary

Better is out there. Better medications, better outcomes, better science. But progress doesn’t happen without people – people from different backgrounds, in different locations, doing different roles, all united by one thing: a desire to make miracles happen. So, let’s be those people.

At Sanofi, we provide equal opportunities to all regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, ability or gender identity.

Watch our ALL IN video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkpDBZ-CJKw&t=67s) and check out our Diversity Equity and Inclusion actions at sanofi.com (https://www.sanofi.com/en/our-responsibility/equality-and-inclusiveness) !