Associate, Data Science & Applied AI

This is a hybrid position requiring the team member to be onsite for 3 days per week. No relocation assistance is provided for this opportunity.

At West, we're a dedicated team that is connected by a purpose to improve patient lives that has been at the center of our Company for more than a century. Our story began when Herman O. West solved the problem of supplying penicillin in mass quantities to the US Government during World War 2. Through our work to deliver thousands of life-saving and life-enhancing injectable medicines to millions of patients daily, West's indelible mark on the healthcare industry has just begun. A name started our story. How will yours help write our future?

There's no better place to join an inclusive community of professionals with opportunities for lifelong learning, growth and development. Supported by benefit programs, we empower the physical, mental, emotional and financial health of our team members and their families.

We believe in giving back to help those in need in the communities where we live and work. And are equally committed to creating a healthier environment and planet through our sustainability efforts.

Job Summary

The Associate, Data Science & Applied AI will help design, build and scale AI-enabled solutions across West. This early-career role combines applied AI, software engineering and business problem-solving.

Working with senior engineers, business teams and subject-matter experts, the team member will develop AI assistants, agentic workflows, intelligent search, machine-learning solutions and decision-support applications. The role will support the full solution lifecycle-from problem definition and prototyping through testing, deployment and continuous improvement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Partner with business and technical teams to translate business problems into defined AI use cases and technical requirements.
• Build AI assistants, retrieval-augmented generation applications, agentic workflows and machine-learning solutions.
• Develop application components using Python, SQL, APIs and modern web technologies.
• Prepare and integrate structured and unstructured data from approved enterprise sources.
• Develop prompts, retrieval pipelines, tool integrations and evaluation datasets.
• Test solutions for accuracy, groundedness, robustness, latency, safety and cost.
• Support source control, automated testing, CI/CD, monitoring and application telemetry.
• Assist with deployment, production support and continuous improvement of AI applications.
• Follow West requirements for information security, data privacy, responsible AI, software quality and system lifecycle management.
• Document solutions and communicate technical findings, limitations and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Perform other duties as assigned based on business needs.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering or a related discipline required.
• Equivalent demonstrated technical experience may be considered.

Work Experience

• 0-2 years of experience in software engineering, machine learning, data science or applied AI.
• Internships, academic research, open-source contributions and substantial independent projects may be considered as relevant experience.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Proficiency in Python and working knowledge of SQL.
• Familiarity with JavaScript or TypeScript and frameworks such as React.
• Understanding of APIs, testing, debugging, data structures and version control.
• Familiarity with large language models, prompt and context engineering, retrieval-augmented generation, embeddings and tool calling.
• Exposure to Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Machine Learning or comparable cloud platforms.
• Familiarity with Git, Docker, automated testing and CI/CD concepts.
• Ability to analyze ambiguous problems and develop practical, testable solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with business experts, engineers and global cross-functional teams.
• Multidisciplinary experience applying AI to scientific problems-such as biology and AI, mathematics and AI, or materials science and AI-is a strong plus.
• Experience in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, life sciences or regulated manufacturing is preferred but not required.
• Ability to comply with West's quality, safety, information-security and data-privacy policies.
• Interdisciplinary education combining AI or computational methods with biology, mathematics, materials science, chemistry, pharmaceutical science or engineering is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience building at least one functioning software, machine-learning or generative-AI application.
• Candidates are encouraged to provide a portfolio, GitHub repository, academic project or other work sample demonstrating hands-on technical ability. #LI-Hybrid #LI-MC1

Travel Requirements

5%: Up to 13 business days per year

Physical Requirements

Sedentary-Exerting up to 10lbs/4kgs of force occasionally, and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time.

What We Offer

Community Involvement: West encourages volunteerism through its West without Borders initiative and other charitable programs that make a difference in local communities.

Continuous Learning & Development: Opportunities for professional growth through training programs, tuition assistance, leadership development, and skill-certification initiatives.

Global Career Opportunities: With facilities across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, employees have opportunities for international exposure and cross-functional collaboration.

Inclusive & Collaborative Culture: A global workforce that values diversity, equity, and inclusion-where all voices are heard and respected in a supportive environment.

Recognition & Rewards: Performance-based bonuses, service recognition, and employee appreciation initiatives celebrate dedication and impact.

West is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you have a special need that requires accommodation in order to apply to West, please send an email to Apply.Accommodation@westpharma.com. Where permitted by law, an offer of employment with West Pharmaceutical Services, or any of its subsidiary or affiliate companies, is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of background screening.