Global Head - Computational Biology - Neurology and Ophthalmology

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections,  where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position

Advances in AI, data, and computational sciences are transforming drug discovery and development. Roche’s Research and Early Development organisations at Genentech (gRED) and Pharma (pRED) have demonstrated how these technologies accelerate R&D, leveraging data and novel computational models to drive impact. Seamless data sharing and access to models across gRED and pRED are essential to maximising these opportunities. The new Computational Sciences Center of Excellence (CoE) is a strategic, unified group whose goal is to harness this transformative power of data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist our scientists in both pRED and gRED to deliver more innovative and transformative medicines for patients worldwide.

The Opportunity:

This role will ensure that gRED and pRED are supported and enabled with world-leading data, analytical, and computational biology approaches in Neurology, Rare Diseases and Ophthalmology while developing our projects through the pre-clinical and clinical stages. This role is a leader of leaders, leading teams with a broad scope of bioinformatics, biostatistics, specialised disease and data science expertise with a primary focus on Neurology, Rare Diseases and Ophthalmology.  

As Head of Computational Biology - Neurology, Rare Diseases and Ophthalmology, you lead a team developing innovative data analysis solutions for target identification, target assessment, disease understanding, molecule characterization (mode of action, safety,...), improving predictive validity of pre-clinical models as well as supporting clinical development strategies by characterizing patient populations and identifying biomarker candidates. You drive impact on the gRED and pRED portfolio, build strong stakeholder relationships, and set strategy for your team and Roche. Your responsibilities include making decisions on talent, resourcing, business processes, and capability development, contributing to the organization's overall success.

• Strategic leadership of the Computational Biology - Neurology, Rare Diseases and Ophthalmology department within Computational Center of Excellence and member of the Computational Biology and Medicine LT

• Define vision and strategy for computational biology in Neurology, Rare Diseases and Ophthalmology to achieve gRED and pRED objectives and implement world-leading approaches in portfolio projects to identify and assess new targets and to support the characterization of molecules and models that inform data driven decisions along the value chain.

• Responsible for hiring, developing, and retaining talent, fostering an environment for team members to broaden their skills for enhanced outcomes

• Ensure standardized tools and pipelines for computational biology, collaborating closely with biologists and computational leaders for efficient data flow and decision-making

• Drive innovation in analysis approaches, establish strong internal and external partnerships, and lead by example to demonstrate and align with our core values

Who you are:

• PhD in a scientific or technical field with 10+ years of experience, including significant group management and team formation

• Deep expertise in computational biology, bioinformatics, biostatistics, data science, or similar fields

• Proven expertise in pre-clinical and clinical research in Neurology, Rare Diseases or Ophthalmology.

• Proven experience leading large teams, involving multiple stakeholders, and achieving outstanding results efficiently

• Excellent partnering and collaboration skills, building trustful partnerships with internal and external stakeholders

• Deep understanding of how biological data analysis impacts decision-making along the value chain

• Ability to lead a multidisciplinary team, quickly understand topics, formulate problem statements, and achieve successful outcomes

• Willingness to travel regularly to ensure exchange with your global team members and stakeholders.  

#ComputationCoE

A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.

Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.