Director, AI Research and Analysis

Overview

The Director, AI Research and Analysis will play a pivotal role in advancing Cencora's AI capabilities by building and leading a newly established domain focused on research, experimentation, and analysis. This role will be responsible for exploring new and emerging AI technologies, staying current on developments and technologies in the AI space, building POCs and prototypes, handing off approved technologies to the AI Delivery team and providing insights to inform leadership decisions.

The ideal candidate will combine their AI technical expertise with intellectual curiosity and strong organizational skills to connect technical potential with business opportunities. They will need to be hands-on in the early stages of team development, be an avid consumer of information on emerging technologies, demonstrate the ability to tap into industry experts, and stay current on the latest trends in the AI space.

Additionally, the candidate must be able to collaborate effectively with the broader IT team, gaining credibility and cooperation even while building a function that will require working with non-approved technologies in a safe and secure manner. This role will also foster partnerships with academia and industry to ensure Cencora remains at the forefront of AI advancements while maintaining a clear path to organizational AI transformation.

Responsibilities

Research Leadership

• Establish and lead an AI Lab function focused on research and experimentation, including the development of prototypes, proofs of concept, and pilot projects to test novel AI applications and methodologies.

• Identify and evaluate emerging AI technologies, methodologies, and trends to assess their relevance and potential impact on Cencora's portfolio.

• Build and manage a small, high-performing team of technologists and developers focused on exploring cutting-edge AI technologies.

• Develop a structured process for research, experimentation, and evaluation of new technologies and approaches.

Industry Engagement and Partnerships

• Monitor industry trends by cultivating relationships with academic institutions, research organizations, innovative startups and industry thought leaders

• Represent Cencora at AI conferences, forums, and partnerships to ensure visibility and access to cutting-edge developments.

• Collaborate with stakeholders across the organization to align research efforts with business needs and priorities.

Operational Excellence

• Develop metrics and KPIs to measure the success of research initiatives and their contribution to organizational goals.

• Ensure all research and experimentation is conducted in a secure and compliant manner, minimizing risks associated with non-approved technologies.

• Collaborate with the AI Delivery and AI Product leads on transitioning validated experiments into production capabilities.

Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

• Be an internal thought leader for cutting edge AI-related technologies and emerging industry use cases

• Present research findings, white papers, experimental results, and recommendations to executive leadership and cross-functional teams.

• Advocate for the adoption of emerging technologies and methodologies within Cencora's AI organization.

• Build credibility and foster trust with the broader IT team to ensure alignment and support for research initiatives.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related field; advanced degree (Master's or PhD) preferred.

• Additional certifications or coursework in R&D, technical innovation, or emerging tech is a plus

Experience

• 10+ years of combined experience across AI research, applied machine learning, and data-driven innovation, including at least 5 years leading high-impact, cross-disciplinary teams.

• Proven track record of leading research and innovation initiatives within a corporate, academic, or startup environment.

Skills & Attributes

• Outstanding leadership and organizational skills to establish processes and ways of working.

• Superior communication skills to engage both technical and business stakeholders.

• Strong, hands-on technical abilities for direct research and experimentation.

• Collaborative mindset to foster partnerships across diverse teams and external organizations.

• Passionate consumer of information on AI and related emerging technologies.

Technical Expertise

• Comprehensive knowledge of the entire AI spectrum including ML, generative, agentic, computer vision, and edge AI along with key platform vendors.

• Strong knowledge of AI/ML tooling (Python, R, ML models, Azure AI Foundry) and frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch.

• Working knowledge of cloud platform configuration and development (Azure, AWS, GCP).

• Demonstrated expertise in modern data stacks (Vector databases, Databricks, Neo4j).

• Experience with experimentation frameworks, prototyping, and agile development methodologies.

We provide compensation, benefits, and resources that enable a highly inclusive culture and support our team members' ability to live with purpose every day. In addition to traditional offerings like medical, dental, and vision care, we also provide a comprehensive suite of benefits that focus on the physical, emotional, financial, and social aspects of wellness. This encompasses support for working families, which may include backup dependent care, adoption assistance, infertility coverage, family building support, behavioral health solutions, paid parental leave, and paid caregiver leave. To encourage your personal growth, we also offer a variety of training programs, professional development resources, and opportunities to participate in mentorship programs, employee resource groups, volunteer activities, and much more. For details, visit https://www.virtualfairhub.com/cencora

*This Salary Range reflects a National Average for this job. The actual range may vary based on your locale. Ranges in Colorado/California/Washington/New York/Hawaii/Vermont/Minnesota/Massachusetts/Illinois State-specific locations may be up to 10% lower than the minimum salary range, and 12% higher than the maximum salary range.

Cencora is committed to providing equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or membership in any other class protected by federal, state or local law.

The company's continued success depends on the full and effective utilization of qualified individuals. Therefore, harassment is prohibited and all matters related to recruiting, training, compensation, benefits, promotions and transfers comply with equal opportunity principles and are non-discriminatory.

Cencora is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the employment process which are consistent with legal requirements. If you wish to request an accommodation while seeking employment, please call 888.692.2272 or email hrsc@cencora.com. We will make accommodation determinations on a request-by-request basis. Messages and emails regarding anything other than accommodations requests will not be returned

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