Novartis Posted August 27, 2026

Senior Principal Data Scientist

London (The Westworks), United Kingdom FULL_TIME
Data & Digital Principal
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Novartis is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

#LI-Hybrid Location: London, UKThis role is based in London, UK. Novartis is unable to offer relocation support for this role. Please only apply if this location is accessible for you. As a Senior Principal Data Scientist in the Medical Affairs Advanced Quantitative Sciences group, you will be responsible for the discussion and implementation of data science methodologies applied to patient-level data (including various clinical, real-world, and biomarker data) across clinical development. You will combine your data science and AI skills and your scientific knowledge in biology or medicine or statistics to enrich drug development decisions in close collaboration with internal and external partners.

Major accountabilities:You will contribute to planning, execution, interpretation, validation and communication of innovative exploratory analyses and algorithms, to facilitate internal decision makingYou will provide technical expertise in data science and (predictive) machine learning/AI to identify opportunities for influencing internal decision making as well as discussions on white papers/regulatory policy.You will perform hands-on analysis of integrated data from clinical trials and the real world to generate fit-for-purpose evidence that is applied to decision making in drug development programs.Translate business questions into analytical problems and build solutions using visualization techniques, dashboards, machine and deep learning, and statistical modelling.Search and develop new algorithms, methods, statistical models and business models, providing insight into structured and unstructured data.Apply R-based analytical and statistical techniques to solve business problemsApplying data cleaning, wrangling, and analysis techniques using tools like AI, R, Python and Pandas.Developing and managing data pipelines using tools like AI, R, Python, Bash, and SQL.Essential Requirements: Master’s degree or Ph.D. in data science, biostatistics, or other quantitative field (or equivalent).Experience in clinical drug development with extensive exposure to clinical trials.Strong knowledge and understanding of statistical methods such as time to event analysis, machine learning, meta-analysis, mixed effect modeling, longitudinal modeling, Bayesian methods, variable selection methods (e.g., lasso, elastic net, random forest), design of clinical trials.Strong programming skills in R and Python. Demonstrated knowledge of data visualization, exploratory analysis, and predictive modeling.Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and writing)Ability to develop and deliver clear and concise presentations for both internal and external meetings in key decision-making situations.Benefits & Rewards  At Novartis, we’re committed to reimagining medicine together - and rewarding the people who make it happen.   Expected Annual Base Salary Range for role: £57,050.00 - £105,950.00  The base salary offered is determined based on gender-neutral objectives, such as relevant skills, competencies and experience in accordance with the Novartis pay setting policy and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically.   In addition to your base salary, you may be eligible for a performance-based bonus depending on certain performance parameters.   The rewards of being part of our team go far beyond base pay and incentives. We also offer a variety of competitive benefits in kind to help you thrive personally and professionally, such as insurance plans, retirement plans, wellbeing resources and global recognition programs. In addition, we provide flexible and hybrid working options, where possible, and minimum 14 weeks paid parental leave.   Read our brochure to learn more about our global total rewards offering:   https://www.novartis.com/sites/novartis_com/files/novartis-life-handbook.pdf   Note: Benefits and compensation may vary by country and are subject to local legal requirements, including provisions of collective bargaining agreements where applicable. A full overview of your compensation package, including any relevant collective bargaining agreement details applicable to your role based on your employment location and Novartis employer entity, will be communicated separately to you during the application process.Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion / EEO paragraph Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams’ representative of the patients and communities we serve.

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Data & Digital
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
London (The Westworks), United Kingdom
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Data & Digital role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 89 comparable Principal Data & Digital roles across 21 biopharma companies.

89Comparable roles tracked
80Currently active
21Companies hiring similar roles
10Countries represented

Salary context

26 of 89 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Highest disclosed · Director, Agentic Lab · Novartis $194,600/yr – $361,400/yr
Peer group range $103,700 – $278,000 (median $211,271)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 89 comparable roles

India32
United States31
United Kingdom9
Ireland5
Switzerland4
Spain3

+ 4 more countries

Seniority mix

89 of 89 peers have a known seniority level

Senior44
Director27
Principal18

Therapeutic area mix

0 of 89 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

No peers with a known therapeutic area yet.

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Novartis London (The Westworks), United Kingdom Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Philadelphia, United Kingdom Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
50%similar
AstraZeneca Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Boehringer Ingelheim London, United Kingdom Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Boehringer Ingelheim London, United Kingdom Senior
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country
50%similar
Novartis London (The Westworks), United Kingdom Director
Same function Adjacent seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Senior Principal Developer
Novartis · London (The Westworks), United Kingdom · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
50%
Senior Data Engineer (London, UK, United Kingdom, Aberdeen City)
Boehringer Ingelheim · London, United Kingdom · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
50%
Director: AI Systems Reliability, Testing & Performance
Novartis · London (The Westworks), United Kingdom · Director
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
45%
Principal Statistical Programmer
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) · Warren, United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.