Director, Research Data Steward

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Site Name: USA - Pennsylvania - Upper Providence, Cambridge 300 Technology Square, London The Stanley Building, Stevenage
Posted Date: Dec 20 2024

The new Data Automation and Predictive Sciences (DAPS) function in Research Tech is focused on harnessing the power of GSK's data-as-an-asset to drive research productivity and unlock our ambitions for patients. As a member of the Research Data Standards & Governance team, the Research Data Steward holds the responsibility for managing the lifecycle of research data operational activities by establishing and maintaining data standards and governance practices, to ensure data quality, accuracy, retention, security and compliance with regulatory requirements.

As Research data needs grow, they help define new data types, find new uses for existing data, and adapt to changing data standards and regulations. In response to these changes, data stewards must consistently review and update data definitions and identify new data assets. This ongoing process helps ensure the organization's data's clarity, accuracy, and usefulness.

Responsible for ensuring appropriate scientific, technical, and operational data curation, along with comprehensive metadata management, to support data discoverability, usability, and governance.

Positioning the role within a centralized function within DAPS will require close collaboration across Research Tech, TAs, AIML, R&D Tech (Onyx and Development Data Fabric) Risk & Compliance, and other lines within the function itself. Specifically, this position involves the need to work closely with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and IT teams (principally the Onyx Research Data Platform team) to establish, maintain data governance practices, standards, and best practices, ensuring appropriate controls are in place.

This is an individual contributor role that will require the post holder to help develop and operate as part of a high-performing team. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced expert in data governance that thrives in a culture of collaboration, curiosity, consistency, agility, quality, peer review, and continuous improvement with a relentless focus on enabling value realization through end-user uptake and measuring impact.

Key responsibilities for the Director, Research Data Steward include:

Data content expertise

• Data Lifecycle Management (ALCOA+++ & FAIR Principles): Understanding and experience of managing the full lifecycle of research data, from acquisition to disposal, ensuring that data adheres to the ALCOA+++ principles (Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, Accurate, Complete, Consistent, Enduring, and Available). Implementation of the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles to maximize data reusability and sharing across systems, promoting data integrity and regulatory compliance.

Data Curation & Structuring:

• Leading development of the appropriate data definitions, working with Scientific Knowledge Engineers and Data Architects to then implement the best schemas and ontologies. These to organize and structure scientific data for optimal usability, ensuring proper classification, labeling, and documentation to support research reproducibility and interoperability.

Metadata Management:

• Working with SMEs and Onyx to define and maintain comprehensive standardized definitions across both scientific and operational metadata; where possible aligning to industry standards. Ensuring these are implemented in GSK systems and continuously assessed to improve data discoverability, alignment with emerging regulations and standards.

Data Governance

• Governance, Ethics, and Privacy: Collaborate with data owners, compliance teams, and business partners to enforce robust data governance policies. Ensure data management practices adhere to ethical standards and comply with privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) when handling sensitive data, especially human data. Maintain strict compliance with legal and ethical frameworks to protect participant privacy.

• Data Governance & Compliance: Define and implement data classification, security, usage, and quality standards in adherence to data governance and compliance policies. Establish data quality checks and collaborate with Data Product Owners (DPO) and subject matter experts to resolve issues as they arise.

• Access Control & Data Registration: Working with Onyx to assess and manage new data ingestion/access requests in line with established policies, ensuring appropriate access controls are in place and evolve as needed. Support accurate dataset registration, ensuring the inclusion of minimal metadata to facilitate searchability and access.

Stakeholder engagement

• Collaboration and Issue resolution: Work closely with SMEs to help define appropriate controls that support business data needs but also align with contractual, compliance, privacy and ethical guidelines. Upon occasions where stakeholders disagree identify, prioritize, and resolve data-related issues in collaboration with cross-functional teams. Ensure a seamless data management process by addressing and mitigating any challenges that arise.

• Continuous Improvement: Identify and advocate for improvements in data management, curation, and metadata practices. Contribute to innovation and process optimization, ensuring alignment with regulations that support operational excellence in research.

Why you?

Basic Qualifications:

We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals:

• Bachelors degree or equivalent work experience in Science or Data related field.
• 8+ years of experience in biopharmaceutical or life sciences industry
• 5+ years of People Management experience
• Experienced in implementing data governance, data standards and policies e.g. Data Integrity ALCOA and FAIR data standards
• Experience with at least one programming language (e.g Python) to help in applying techniques such as pre-processing, classification, regression, clustering, dimensionality reduction and model selection
• Knowledge of scientific data standards and ontologies implemented in modern data storage platforms.

Preferred Qualifications:

If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus:

• Familiarity and experience with scientific data standards and ontologies implemented in modern data storage platforms.
• Expert in data privacy laws and regulations is a plus, contributing to compliance and best practices in data stewardship. Membership of industry committees, data standards groups or boards helpful.
• Deep Knowledge/experience in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, transcriptomics, statistics, image analysis, protein and small molecule structure.
• Change leadership and driving adoption.

Please visit GSK US Benefits Summary to learn more about the comprehensive benefits program GSK offers US employees.

Why GSK?

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

GSK is a global biopharma company with a special purpose - to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together - so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns - as an organisation where people can thrive. We prevent and treat disease with vaccines, specialty and general medicines. We focus on the science of the immune system and the use of new platform and data technologies, investing in four core therapeutic areas (infectious diseases, HIV, respiratory/ immunology and oncology).

Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it's also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a place where people feel inspired, encouraged and challenged to be the best they can be. A place where they can be themselves - feeling welcome, valued, and included. Where they can keep growing and look after their wellbeing. So, if you share our ambition, join us at this exciting moment in our journey to get Ahead Together.

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GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer and, in the US, we adhere to Affirmative Action principles. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, disability, genetic information, military service, covered/protected veteran status or any other federal, state or local protected class.