CVS Health

Lead Director, Data Science - Clinical AI

CVS Health$144K — $288K *
US-Anywhere
+ 7 other locationsRemote
Healthcare
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years in analytics or applied AI, with hands-on machine learning experience.
  • 5+ years directing AI/ML across teams, engaging with product and engineering stakeholders.
  • 5+ years managing teams with success in hiring and retaining technical talent.
  • Experience delivering healthcare AI solutions at enterprise scale with clinical or member data.
  • Deep experience in production ML discipline, including model evaluation and lifecycle management.
  • Knowledge of healthcare AI regulations and responsible AI, including HIPAA compliance.
  • Strong proficiency in Python and SQL for guiding technical work.

Responsibilities

  • Set AI strategy and technical goals in partnership with product and engineering teams.
  • Co-shape capabilities by resolving technical tradeoffs across squads.
  • Ensure clinical AI capabilities align with the overall clinical intelligence platform.
  • Translate regulatory needs into engineering practices for squads.
  • Advance modern AI techniques for structured insights from clinical data.
  • Enhance model evaluation and validation for trustworthy clinical AI.
  • Drive improvements in cost efficiency and scalability of AI in production.
  • Champion reusable models and approaches to accelerate time-to-market for the portfolio's AI capabilities.
  • Manage, coach, and develop a team of data scientists for optimal performance.
  • Recruit and nurture clinical AI talent to build technical leadership.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
  • Paid time off to support work-life balance.
  • Retirement savings options for long-term financial health.
  • Wellness programs to promote physical and emotional well-being.
  • Variety of resources supporting family health and welfare.
Full Job Description
Position Summary

CVS Health is seeking an experienced technical leader in AI and machine learning to join CVS Health's enterprise clinical intelligence platform as a Lead Director, Clinical AI. AI is unlocking new possibilities in healthcare at unprecedented pace, and with that pace comes the responsibility to build capabilities that are clinically rigorous, ethically grounded, and worthy of the trust patients and providers place in them. This role leads the AI strategy and talent behind a growing portfolio focused on maximizing the utility of clinical data to generate evidence-backed insights that power use cases across multiple CVS Health businesses.

The successful candidate will set the direction for how the portfolio develops, evaluates, and operates its clinical AI, spanning model development, evaluation rigor, governance and responsible AI, cost efficiency, latency, reliability, and scalability, in close partnership with product and engineering. This leader will partner with product and engineering peers to ensure the portfolio's capabilities fit coherently within the broader clinical intelligence platform and that all use of AI aligns with CVS Health and regulatory policies, procedures, and standards. They will directly manage and develop a team of data scientists staffed across the portfolio's squads, growing the bench of senior technical leaders who will scale with the work.

This role sits at the center of building and running production clinical AI at enterprise scale. It is not a research role, and the successful candidate will be energized by the discipline of shipping, operating, and continuously improving software that clinicians and members depend on every day. It requires close collaboration and partnership with product and engineering peers.

What You'll Do
  • Set the AI strategy and technical goals for the portfolio in partnership with product and engineering, defining what excellent looks like for clinical AI capabilities in production and how progress against that bar is measured.
  • Co-shape the technical direction of the portfolio's capabilities in close partnership with product and engineering, resolving cross-discipline tradeoffs at the portfolio level so squads operate against a unified direction.
  • Ensure the portfolio's clinical AI capabilities fit coherently within the broader clinical intelligence platform, building on shared architectural patterns and data foundations rather than in isolation.
  • Ensure all use of AI in the portfolio aligns with CVS Health and regulatory policies, procedures, and standards, translating those requirements into concrete engineering and modeling practices the squads adopt.
  • Advance the portfolio's use of modern AI and machine learning techniques, including large language models and generative AI, to extract structured, evidence-linked insight from clinical data at scale.
  • Raise the bar on model evaluation, monitoring, and clinical validation so the portfolio ships and operates capabilities that are trustworthy, auditable, and clinically defensible.
  • Drive continuous improvement in the cost, latency, reliability, and scalability of the portfolio's clinical AI in production, so the platform can support growing demand across businesses and use cases without rework.
  • Accelerate time-to-market for new clinical AI capabilities by championing reusable model patterns, evaluation harnesses, and generalizable approaches that squads adopt rather than rebuild.
  • Directly manage and develop a team of data scientists staffed across the portfolio's squads, holding accountability for their performance, growth, and engagement.
  • Hire, coach, and retain top clinical AI talent, and grow the bench of senior technical leaders who will scale with the portfolio.


Required Qualifications
  • 10+ years of experience in analytics, data science, or applied AI, with hands-on depth in developing and deploying machine learning and deep learning solutions, including modern approaches to natural language processing, large language models, and generative AI.
  • 5+ years setting AI/ML technical direction across multiple teams, coordinating across product, engineering, and business stakeholders.
  • 5+ years of people management experience with a proven track record of hiring, developing, and retaining strong technical teams.
  • Experience delivering healthcare AI or analytics capabilities to production at enterprise scale, including working with clinical, claims, or member data.
  • Deep, hands-on experience applying modern production ML discipline, including model evaluation, monitoring, lifecycle management, and managing tradeoffs across cost, latency, reliability, and scalability.
  • Hands-on experience operating inside healthcare AI regulatory and responsible AI constraints, including HIPAA, NCQA or equivalent quality standards, and emerging AI governance guidance.
  • Fluent in Python and SQL, with the ability to read, review, and guide the team's technical work at the code and model level.
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to operate as a peer with senior product and engineering leaders and to represent complex technical strategy and tradeoffs to executive audiences.


Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience leading in a squad-based or product operating model, or comparable cross-functional team-of-teams structure.
  • Deep experience with clinical data from EMR systems, digital chart ingestion pipelines, and unstructured clinical documents such as notes, discharge summaries, and imaging reports.
  • Experience partnering with clinical informatics, medical directors, screening & diagnosis, quality measurement, or care management stakeholders on AI-driven clinical products.
  • Experience with AI evaluation and benchmarking frameworks, including approaches for validating clinical AI performance against clinical ground truth and industry benchmarks.


Education
  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Economics, Physics, Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Bioinformatics, Health Informatics, or a related discipline.
  • Master's degree or higher preferred.


Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is:

$144,200.00 - $288,400.00

This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company's equity award program.

Great benefits for great people

We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.

This full-time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility.

Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 10/30/2026

About CVS Health

Omnicare provides comprehensive pharmaceutical services to patients and providers across the United States. As the market-leader in professional pharmacy, related consulting and data management services for skilled nursing, assisted living and other chronic care settings, Omnicare leverages its unparalleled clinical insight into the geriatric market along with some of the industry's most innovative technological capabilities to the benefit of its long-term care customers. Omnicare also provides key commercialization services for the bio-pharmaceutical industry through its Specialty Care Group.

CVS Health Careers

Joining CVS Health presents a unique opportunity to advance your career in a company where innovation, leadership, and growth go hand in hand. As a leader in the healthcare industry, CVS Health is more than just a pharmacy. We are a team of professionals dedicated to improving lives and optimizing health outcomes.

Work You’ll Do

At CVS Health, you will be part of a culture that values diversity and inclusivity, fostering an environment where every team member’s contribution is valued. Engage in meaningful work that directly impacts lives, driving innovation in healthcare services and solutions.

Explore Job Opportunities

Whether you’re looking for a position in pharmacy services, corporate leadership, or in-store management, CVS Health offers a variety of employment opportunities that will help you harness your skills and thrive professionally. Our job opportunities span across a wide range of professional fields and geographic locations, ensuring that your career at CVS Health aligns with your professional goals and lifestyle.

Internship Programs

Kickstart your career with CVS Health through our internship programs. These opportunities are designed for ambitious students eager to develop their skills in a real-world setting. Internships at CVS Health are not only about gaining work experience but also about making meaningful contributions to our ongoing projects.

Professional Growth and Development

CVS Health is committed to the professional growth of our employees. With access to cutting-edge technology, industry-leading experts, and comprehensive diversity training, our team members are equipped to lead and innovate. We support career advancement through professional development programs, leadership training, and opportunities for networking and internal mobility.

Benefits and Culture

Our employees enjoy a range of benefits that reflect our commitment to their well-being and success. From health and wellness benefits to professional development programs, CVS Health is dedicated to ensuring our team members have the resources they need. Our inclusive culture encourages collaboration and continuous learning, making CVS Health a place where you can grow and succeed.

Join Our Team

Ready to take the next step in your career? Explore the open positions at CVS Health that match your skills and interests. We are continuously hiring and looking for passionate, curious, and solution-driven team players.

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READ CAREERS BLOG

Stay ahead in your career with insights from those who know CVS Health best – our team. Learn from their experiences and get insider tips that can help you succeed in your next interview, craft a standout resume, and build a career you’re proud of at CVS Health.
Learn more about CVS Health
Size
300,000 employees
Market Cap
$122 billion
Industry
Net Income
$7.1 billion
Founded
1963
5 Year Trend
+10.5%
Revenue
$268.7 billion
NASDAQ

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