Lead Specialist, Life Science & AI Data Strategy
23 hours ago
Des Moines
Lead Specialist, Life Science & AI Data Strategy Company: Norstella Location: Remote, United States Date Posted: Mar 30, 2026 Employment Type: Full Time Job ID: R-1834 Description Norstella is a premier and critical global life sciences data and AI solutions provider dedicated to improving patient access to life-saving therapies. Norstella supports pharmaceutical and biotech companies across the full drug development lifecycle - from pipeline to patient. Our mission is simple: to help our clients bring therapies to market faster and more efficiently, ultimately impacting patient lives. Norstella unites market-leading brands - Citeline, Evaluate, MMIT, Panalgo, Skipta and The Dedham Group and delivers must-have answers and insights, leveraging AI, for critical strategic, clinical, and commercial decision-making. We help our clients: * Accelerate the drug development cycle * Assess competition and bring the right drugs to market * Make data driven commercial and financial decisions * Match and recruit patients for clinical trials * Identify and address barriers to therapies Norstella serves most pharmaceutical and biotech companies around the world, along with regulators like the FDA, and payers. By providing critical proprietary data supporting AI-driven workflows, Norstella helps clients make decisions faster and with greater confidence. Norstella's investments in AI are transforming how data is consumed and decisions are made, disrupting inefficient legacy workflows and helping the industry become more efficient, innovative, and responsive to patient needs. Job description: This position is part of the Content Strategy team within Norstella Content Operations. The Content Strategy team focuses on cross-functional business initiatives (technology, product, services, commercial etc.) that drive the strategic direction of Norstella through our Content. The Lead, Life Science & AI Data Strategy will use their fundamental expertise in both applied data science and life science data to drive transformational projects, focusing on - -Optimization - Drive operational efficiency in data capture, processing, and delivery through AI-first approaches, including LLM-powered extraction, classification, and quality assurance -Utilization - Maximize data utility by designing AI/ML solutions that unlock new ways to leverage Norstella data across the business -Thought Partnership - Serve as an authority on how AI and data science can advance Norstella's data assets and product offerings Responsibilities: -Develop strategic recommendations and business cases for LLM-based initiatives that automate or augment the creation, enrichment, and quality assurance of life science data -Work cross functionally with Data Science, Tech, Content, and Product teams to translate business cases into deliverable projects with measurable impact -Establish best practices for responsible AI deployment within content workflows, including evaluation frameworks, human-in-the-loop validation, and bias/quality monitoring -Stay current on rapidly evolving AI/LLM capabilities and proactively identify opportunities to apply new techniques to Norstella's data challenges -Articulate and position how Norstella's data and AI capabilities resolve up to client value; support client engagements with technical depth and strategic perspective -Lead the end-to-end enhancement of clinical and other datasets, ensuring Norstella captures the best data at speed while maintaining best-in-class quality -Identify whitespace, structural gaps, and opportunities for new data products and enhancements across Norstella's data suite -Report to leadership on priorities, progress, risks, and strategic implications of AI and data initiatives -Drive strategic alignment across Content Ops transformation streams: data strategy (content optimization, data governance, AI enablement), operational excellence (institutionalization of technological change, best practices), and organizational design (target operating model, talent utilization) -Champion the adoption of AI tools and modern data practices across Content Operations, including change management and upskilling initiatives -Bachelor's or Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related quantitative field; advanced degree preferred -5+ years of professional experience with a strong technical foundation in data science, machine learning, or applied AI -Minimum 3+ years of hands-on experience working directly with life science data, pharma industry intelligence, clinical trials data, or biopharma research and consulting -Demonstrated, production-level experience building and deploying LLM-based solutions (e.g., RAG systems, fine-tuning, prompt engineering, classification/extraction pipelines, agentic workflows) -Proficiency in Python and core ML/NLP libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, spaCy, Hugging Face Transformers); experience with LLM frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar) is strongly preferred -Solid understanding of the drug development lifecycle, clinical trial processes, and how life science data is published, captured, and processed -Proven track record of integrating AI/ML into business processes with measurable impact - not just model building, but end-to-end operationalization -Ability to translate between technical and business audiences - equally comfortable presenting an LLM architecture to engineers and a business case to executives -Highly self-directed with proven ability to lead ambiguous, cross-functional transformation initiatives -Impeccable written and verbal communication skills in English -Proficiency in collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, Monday.com, LucidChart, and Microsoft Office suite Our Guiding Principles for success at Norstella: 01: Bold, Passionate, and Mission-First 02: Integrity, Truth, and Reality 03: Kindness, Empathy, and Grace 04: Resilience, Mettle, and Perseverance 05: Humility, Gratitude, and Learning Please Note - All candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. We do not provide visa sponsorship or transfers. We are not currently accepting candidates who are on an OPT visa. Benefits: * Medical and Prescription Drug Benefits * Health Savings Accounts (HSA) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) * Dental & Vision Benefits * Basic Life and AD&D Benefits * 401k Retirement Plan with Company Match * Company Paid Short & Long-Term Disability * Paid Parental Leave * Paid Time Off & Company Holidays The expected base salary for this position ranges from $90,000 to $105,000. It is not typical for offers to be made at or near the top of the range. Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including relevant skills, training, experience, education, and, where applicable, licensure or certifications obtained. Market and organizational factors are also considered. In addition to base salary and a competitive benefits package, successful candidates are eligible to receive a discretionary bonus. Norstella is an equal opportunity employer. All job applicants will receive equal treatment regardless of race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability or handicap, medical condition, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), marital or domestic partner status, military or veteran status, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, reproductive health decision making, or any other protected characteristic as established by federal, state, or local law. Sometimes the best opportunities are hidden by self-doubt. We disqualify ourselves before we have the opportunity to be considered. Regardless of where you came from, how you identify, or the path that led you here- you are welcome. If you read this job description and feel passion and excitement, we're just as excited about you. All legitimate roles with Norstella will be posted on Norstella's job board which is located at norstella.com/careers. If a role is not posted on this job board, a candidate should assume the role is not a legitimate role with Norstella. Norstella is not responsible for an application that may be submitted by or through a third-party and candidates should proceed with extreme caution if a third-party approaches them about an open role with Norstella. Norstella will never ask for anything of value or any type of payment during or as part of any recruitment, interview, or pre-hire onboarding process. If you are aware of or have reason to believe a job posting purportedly for a role with Norstella is fraudulent or otherwise not authorized by Norstella, please contact the Company using the following email address: [email protected] . Norstella is an equal opportunity employer. All job applicants will receive equal treatment regardless of race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability or handicap, medical condition, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), marital or domestic partner status, military or veteran status, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, reproductive health decision making, or any other protected characteristic as established by federal, state, or local law.