AI Consultant - Principal

Join a Ground‐Breaking AI Initiative at IQVIA. IQVIA is building a world‐class team to develop large‐scale AI solutions using cutting‐edge machine learning architectures. Our mission is to integrate data across clinical, real‐world, and biomedical sources to unlock new insights into patient trajectories—and transform how we understand and anticipate health outcomes.

About the Role

We are seeking a Director or Principal‐level Consultant to lead the selling and delivery of cutting‐edge AI projects in the Life Sciences R&D space, with a key focus on Clinical Development Optimization. This high‐impact, client‐facing role requires someone who can craft strategic AI roadmaps while also guiding technical solution delivery alongside data scientists and engineers. You will play a pivotal role in shaping a new practice, growing a team, and influencing the future of AI in Pharma R&D.

Key Responsibilities

• Client Engagement & Business Development
  • Lead the full sales cycle: opportunity identification, proposals, client presentations, and deal closure.
  • Act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders across Pharma and Life Sciences.
  • Identify and cultivate new opportunities across Clinical R&D.
  • Sell first‐in‐class AI solutions, including offerings still in development that require co‐creation with clients.
  • Develop compelling narratives around IQVIA’s newest AI solutions and systems.
• Project Leadership & Delivery
  • Design and oversee delivery of AI/ML projects involving clinical development simulation, RWD, trial data, omics, and other structured/unstructured sources.
  • Manage cross‐functional teams to ensure high‐quality, on‐time delivery and client satisfaction.
  • Support development of next‐generation foundation‐model initiatives.
  • Design, develop, deploy, and evangelize scalable, high‐performance AI solutions using state‐of‐the‐art platforms.
  • Lead multidisciplinary teams combining industry, technical, and functional expertise.
  • Guide development of AI strategy roadmaps, PoCs, ML pipelines, and deployment strategies.
  • Collaborate with external technology partners for successful delivery.
• Practice Building
  • Shape and scale a new AI Life Sciences practice, including defining offerings and mentoring new team members.
  • Contribute to thought leadership (white papers, conferences, workshops).
  • Foster an agile, innovative, impact‐driven team culture.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Must‐Haves
  • 5–10+ years in Consulting with focus on AI, Data Science, or Digital Transformation.
  • Experience in both business development and delivery of complex AI/ML projects.
  • Strong understanding of AI/ML techniques (supervised, unsupervised, generative AI, LLMs, agentic AI).
  • Domain expertise in Life Sciences—ideally Pharma R&D, Clinical Trials, or Clinical Operations.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage senior client relationships as a strategic advisor.
  • Leadership experience managing consultants, data scientists, and technical teams.
  • Proven ability to conceive, sell, and deliver novel solutions.
  • Strong drive, ownership, and execution mindset.
• Nice‐to‐Haves
  • Experience at a top‐tier consulting firm.
  • Understanding of regulatory and governance frameworks (HIPAA, 21 CFR Part 11).
  • Exposure to RWE, biomarker discovery, or trial optimization.
  • Experience with agentic AI or LLM orchestration in Life Sciences.
  • Familiarity with platforms such as AWS, Azure ML, Databricks, foundation‐model platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude), or modern code/AI tooling.

What We’re Looking For

• Polymath mindset: Ability to combine strategy, technical depth, and stakeholder influence.
• Entrepreneurial drive: Motivation to build a new capability, team, and practice.
• Creative problem solver: Ability to execute under ambiguity with a “jugaad” spirit.
• Mission‐orientation: A genuine desire to transform how medicines are discovered and developed.

What We Offer

Opportunity to lead and shape a high‐growth business unit at the forefront of AI in Life Sciences. Autonomy, flexibility, and strong support for innovation. A mission‐driven team passionate about transforming healthcare through AI.