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 OverviewReporting 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 Responsibilities1. AI Strategy & Enterprise GovernanceLead the development and execution of Lilly Canada's AI capability roadmap, aligned to global, regional and Tech@Lilly prioritiesEstablish and maintain the affiliate AI governance framework, including responsible AI principles, risk tiering, compliance guardrails (privacy, PAAB, E&C), and escalation protocolsServe as the affiliate lead for enterprise AI programs (e.g., Claude, Copilot, agentic workflows etc…), owning the Canadian implementation strategy and stakeholder alignmentMaintain an active external perspective on AI developments, identifying benchmarks, emerging capabilities, and competitive practices relevant to the Canadian pharmaceutical market2. AI Solution Development & ScalingPartner cross-functionally with Affiliate functions to identify, prioritize and implement high-impact AI automation and decision-support opportunitiesLead the design, piloting, and scaling of AI-powered initiatives — spanning workflow automation, intelligent agents, content generation, and employee enablement — ensuring delivery of measurable business valueDevelop a structured intake and prioritization model for AI use cases, balancing innovation ambition with execution feasibility and regulatory requirements3. Change Management & AI AdoptionDesign and execute affiliate-wide AI change management and adoption programs, working in concert with Learning & Development and functional leadsBuild and sustain AI literacy, upskilling and capability across all affiliate departments, including non-technical business functionsChampion a culture of thoughtful risk-taking and data-driven decision-making, driving teams to move from AI awareness to active AI utilizationCollect feedback, monitor adoption KPIs, and continuously improve the change management approach based on performance signals4. Stakeholder & Cross-Functional LeadershipServe as a trusted advisor to the affiliate Senior Leadership Team on AI strategy, investment priorities, and emerging riskRepresent Lilly Canada in Global AI/Digital forums, IBU working groups, and cross-affiliate networks, ensuring the affiliate's voice is reflected in global platform decisionsBuild and manage relationships with key technology vendors, system integrators, and external AI partners, including MSA-approved vendorsTranslate complex technical AI concepts into clear, compelling business language for executive and non-technical audiences5. Program Management & Financial AccountabilityOwn the AI capability program portfolio — managing interdependencies, milestones, risks, and resource allocation across concurrent workstreamsAccountable for OPEX budget management associated with AI capability programs, ensuring positive ROI and compliance with Lilly financial governanceDevelop standardized best practices, project documentation, and resource planning frameworks for AI capability integration into affiliate operationsApply agile principles to implement initiatives iteratively, shortening time-to-value and minimizing execution riskLeadership CompetenciesStrategic InfluencerDemonstrated ability to influence organizational change without formal authority, from peer to senior leadership levelsDrives alignment across complex, matrixed stakeholder environments — including global, regional, and local functionsCommunicates with high EQ: strong listening, clear articulation of what and the why and ability to simplify complexity for diverse audiencesDisciplined ExecutorDemonstrated AI Technical Expertise to ensure AI solutions and knowledge meet the highest standardsBalances innovation ambition with compliance discipline — maintains integrity to regulatory and ethical standards while pursuing bold transformationEstablishes and monitors performance metrics; uses data to inform and evolve programs continuouslyManages ambiguity effectively, providing clear direction and elegant solutions in uncertain contextsCollaborative LeaderActively brings diverse team members together to co-create sustainable, repeatable AI frameworksCo-designs solutions with business partners rather than imposin