Senior Principal Developer – R & Shiny

About the role

Novartis is seeking a Senior Principal Developer to lead the creation of robust R packages and interactive Shiny applications that support clinical trial data engineering, statistical analysis, and reporting. You will work closely with statistical programmers, statisticians, and clinical reporting teams to translate complex requirements into reproducible, production‑grade tools.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and maintain R packages for data manipulation, visualization, and automation.
• Design, build, and deploy Shiny dashboards for data exploration.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to gather requirements and deliver efficient code.
• Apply AI responsibly to enhance development workflows and tool reliability.
• Lead tooling roll‑outs through demos, pilots, training, and user support.
• Champion best practices in data science, software development, and documentation.
• Engage with open‑source communities and contribute to external projects.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in a quantitative or computational science.
• Extensive experience as an R developer in a regulated environment.
• Strong problem‑solving mindset and collaborative spirit.
• Excellent written English.

Required skills

• R programming, tidyverse, ggplot2, plotly.
• Production‑grade R package development with testing and documentation.
• Shiny application development and deployment.
• Software development best practices: virtual environments, Git, CI/CD, code review.
• AI/agentic approaches to improve developer productivity.

What we offer

• Competitive annual salary range £57,050 – £105,950.
• Performance‑based bonus and comprehensive benefits package.
• Opportunities to work on cutting‑edge AI and open‑source initiatives in drug development.