Director, Automation Infrastructure

Posted Date: Oct

Company Overview

At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. Our R&D focuses on discovering and delivering vaccines and medicines, combining our understanding of the immune system with cutting edge technology to transform people's lives. GSK fosters a culture ambitious for patients, accountable for impact, and committed to doing the right thing, making sure that we focus our efforts on accelerating significant assets that meet patients' needs and have the highest probability of success. GSK has kicked off 2025 with impressive growth in sales, profits, and earnings. We anticipate five major new FDA product approvals and 15 phase III/pivotal study readouts over the next two years. So far, we have secured two FDA approvals, with three more expected later this year. By uniting science, technology, and talent, we are committed to getting ahead of disease together.

Job Purpose

GSK is seeking a visionary Director of Automation Infrastructure to architect and drive the Research Technologies Automation strategy. This senior leader will set the vision for automation investments, ensuring strategic prioritization and alignment with GSK's long term scientific and digital transformation goals. The successful candidate will lead the creation of a centralized hub of automation excellence, delivering lab in a loop systems and fully integrated automation platforms that accelerate research productivity and enable data driven science. This is a unique opportunity to lead the transformation of RTech's automation landscape and position GSK at the forefront of technological advancement in pharmaceutical drug discovery.

The Director, Automation Infrastructure will architect and drive the unified automation strategy, setting the vision for automation investments and ensuring alignment with GSK's scientific and digital transformation goals. This role will lead the creation of a centralized hub of automation excellence, maximizing impact on research productivity and positioning GSK at the forefront of pharma R&D. The successful candidate will have a proven track record in designing and delivering lab in a loop systems, including fully orchestrated and integrated automation platforms that enable seamless data flow, system interoperability, and closed loop scientific workflows. This role will report to the Head of RTech Automation UK and will join the new RTech Automation Leadership Team to shape our vision and strategy in automating drug discovery workflows, while also providing technical expertise.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership and Development: Lead and inspire global, cross functional teams to foster a culture of innovation and collaboration. Champion the centralization of automation expertise and support, breaking down silos and maximizing the impact of automation investments.
• Strategic Integration and Collaboration: Build strong partnerships and collaborate with leaders across the organization to deploy lab automation to enable key business priorities.
• Industrialisation Strategy: Build and deliver the strategy for the industrialisation of automation technologies, both integrated platforms and standalone devices and other advanced tools.
• Reliable, Scalable Infrastructure: Deliver reliable, scalable, and secure automation infrastructure to accelerate research, adhering to industry best practices and safety requirements.
• Stakeholder Partnerships: Build strategic partnerships with research leaders, scientists, IT, and engineering teams to establish requirements and develop comprehensive automation solutions in partnership with integration vendors.
• System Design and Deployment: Oversee the design and deployment of lab in a loop systems and orchestrated automation platforms, ensuring seamless data flow and system interoperability.
• Technical Leadership: Provide technical leadership and mentorship to team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Trend Analysis: Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends, incorporating new advancements into GSK's automation strategy.
• Industry Influence: Build strategic partnerships, influence industry standards, and represent GSK externally.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Extensive experience in automation infrastructure design and implementation, with significant leadership roles at a global level.
• Demonstrated success in delivering lab in a loop systems and orchestrated automation platforms in pharmaceutical or biotech research environments.
• Experience with laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and electronic lab notebooks (ELNs).
• Strong understanding of automation technologies, both integrated platforms and standalone devices, and data management systems.
• Experience with system integration, including commercial scheduling software (such as Momentum, Cellario, and GreenButtonGo), APIs, middleware, and data exchange protocols.
• Exceptional project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Strong leadership and team management abilities, with a focus on collaboration and innovation.
• Excellent problem solving skills and the ability to think strategically and creatively.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively convey technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.
• Knowledge of safety requirements and industry standards related to automation in pharmaceutical research.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Life Sciences, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements and industry standards related to automation in pharmaceutical research.
• Familiarity with programming languages such as Python, R, C#, or Java, and experience with scripting for automation.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms and services (e.g., AWS, Azure).
• Strong analytical skills and experience with data visualization tools.
• Ability to thrive in a fast paced, dynamic environment and adapt to changing priorities.

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

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