Associate Director, AI Capability & Technology
At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism.
We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world. Position Overview Reporting to the Digital & Technology Leader, Lilly Canada, the Associate Director of AI Capability & Technology is accountable for leading the affiliate's enterprise AI strategy, governance, and capability-building programs.
The role drives the identification, development, deployment, and adoption of AI-powered solutions that optimize business operations, enhance decision-making, and deliver measurable value across Lilly Canada. This is a senior leadership role that operates at the intersection of AI technology, business transformation, and regulated pharmaceutical operations.
The incumbent will serve as the primary interface between Global AI/Digital teams and affiliate stakeholders, translating enterprise AI strategy into locally contextualized execution plans. Consistent with the Associate Director benchmark, this role carries OPEX accountability, leads organizational change management, and influences at the Senior Leadership Team level.
This is a hybrid role – onsite presence at our Toronto office will be 10 days or more per month (or at least 50% of the time), determined in collaboration with your manager and based on business needs. This role is eligible for additional forms of compensation, such as participation in the Lilly Bonus Program and a car allowance.
This posting is for an existing vacancy. Key Responsibilities 1. AI Strategy & Enterprise Governance Lead the development and execution of Lilly Canada's AI capability roadmap, aligned to global, regional and Tech@Lilly priorities Establish and maintain the affiliate AI governance framework, including responsible AI principles, risk tiering, compliance guardrails (privacy, PAAB, E&C), and escalation protocols Serve as the affiliate lead for enterprise AI programs (e.g., Claude, Copilot, agentic workflows etc…), owning the Canadian implementation strategy and stakeholder alignment Maintain an active external perspective on AI developments, identifying benchmarks, emerging capabilities, and competitive practices relevant to the Canadian pharmaceutical market 2.
AI Solution Development & Scaling Partner cross-functionally with Affiliate functions to identify, prioritize and implement high-impact AI automation and decision-support opportunities Lead the design, piloting, and scaling of AI-powered initiatives — spanning workflow automation, intelligent agents, content generation, and employee enablement — ensuring delivery of measurable business value Develop a structured intake and prioritization model for AI use cases, balancing innovation ambition with execution feasibility and regulatory requirements 3.
Change Management & AI Adoption Design and execute affiliate-wide AI change management and adoption programs, working in concert with Learning & Development and functional leads Build and sustain AI literacy, upskilling and capability across all affiliate departments, including non-technical business functions Champion a culture of thoughtful risk-taking and data-driven decision-making, driving teams to move from AI awareness to active AI utilization Collect feedback, monitor adoption KPIs, and continuously improve the change management approach based on performance signals 4.
Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Leadership Serve as a trusted advisor to the affiliate Senior Leadership Team on AI strategy, investment priorities, and emerging risk Represent Lilly Canada in Global AI/Digital forums, IBU working groups, and cross-affiliate networks, ensuring the affiliate's voice is reflected in global platform decisions Build and manage relationships with key technology vendors, system integrators, and external AI partners, including MSA-approved vendors Translate complex technical AI concepts into clear, compelling business language for executive and non-technical audiences 5.
Program Management & Financial Accountability Own the AI capability program portfolio — managing interdependencies, milestones, risks, and resource allocation across concurrent workstreams Accountable for OPEX budget management associated with AI capability programs, ensuring positive ROI and compliance with Lilly financial governance Develop standardized best practices, project documentation, and resource planning frameworks for AI capability integration into affiliate operations Apply agile principles to implement initiatives iteratively, shortening time-to-value and minimizing execution risk Leadership Competencies Strategic Influencer Demonstrated ability to influence organizational change without formal authority, from peer to senior leadership levels Drives alignment across complex, matrixed stakeholder environments — including global, regional, and local functions Communicates with high EQ: strong listening, clear articulation of what and the why and ability to simplify complexity for diverse audiences Disciplined Executor Demonstrated AI Technical Expertise to ensure AI solutions and knowledge meet the highest standards Balances innovation ambition with compliance discipline — maintains integrity to regulatory and ethical standards while pursuing bold transformation Establishes and monitors performance metrics; uses data to inform and evolve programs continuously Manages ambiguity effectively, providing clear direction and elegant solutions in uncertain contexts Collaborative Leader Actively brings diverse team members together to co-create sustainable, repeatable AI frameworks Co-designs solutions with business partners rather than imposing technology-first answers Documents and institutionalizes new frameworks to ensure sustainability beyond individual contributors Basic Qualifications Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Data Science, Business, Engineering) Minimum 7–10 years of experience in AI, digital transformation, or technology-enabled business change Minimum 5 years of change management and organizational transformation experience Proven track record implementing large-scale AI or automation initiatives (workflow, agents, employee enablement, analytics) Experience operating in regulated industries; pharmaceutical experience strongly preferred Cross-functional leadership experience across Marketing, Sales, Medical, and/or IT functions Demonstrated technical expertise in AI data readiness, prompt engineering etc… Proficiency in English; bilingual (French) is an asset Preferred Qualifications Master of Business Administration (MBA) or equivalent graduate degree Experience with enterprise AI governance, responsible AI frameworks, and compliance in regulated environments Hands-on experience with AI platforms and tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Salesforce Einstein, LLM-based agentic tools) Proficiency in prompt engineering, AI workflow design, and AI performance measurement Prior exposure to pharmaceutical marketing processes Experience in a global matrix organization with regional or global team alignment Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions.
If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form ( https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation ) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.
Lilly does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.
The anticipated wage for this position is - Full-time equivalent employees may also be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a pension plan; vacation benefits; eligibility for healthcare benefits; flexible benefits (if applicable) life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).
Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees. #WeAreLilly