Director, AIDA Lead Platform Engineer

About the team:
The vision for Pfizer's Digital function is a more integrated and coordinated healthcare model that improves patient outcomes, fuels tomorrow's breakthrough therapies, and brings medicines to patients faster. The Artificial Intelligence Data and Analytics (AIDA) Platform Delivery and Operations team provides a comprehensive suite of integrated technologies that are core components of Pfizer's data and analytics ecosystem. A Lead platform engineer is responsible for designing, building Pfizer's core infrastructure and platforms that support Pfizer's products and services. This role will focus on creating scalable, reliable, and efficient systems for so lution/product development and deployment. The responsibilities include architecture and design, platform development, infrastructure management, DevOps and automation, performance optimization, security and compliance, and providing technical platform leadership. They collaborate with cross-functional teams, ensure high availability and performance, and align platform development with business goals. Overall, a lead platform engineer plays a vital role in enabling platform, product & solution development and delivery within Pfizer. Our vision is to innovate and engineer breakthrough digital products to power business performance and transform global health. We do this through our culture of agile, fast-adapting and pioneer working.
Role Summary:
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Platform Engineer who will be accountable for platform engineering decisions , platform design s , and delivery, as well as operations of their assigned program s .
In this technical leadership role, you will act as the executor and the visionary behind technical platforms & products . You will lead teams of between 8 and 15 technical resources to solve complex engineering problems , craft the technical design s and ensure a successful delivery of high-quality p latform s and products from inception to completion . This role requires exceptional technical knowledge , strong management skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams while shar ing responsi bility with the other program leads for achieving the desired objectives .
Key Responsibilities:
A normal work week consists of leading one or more team s of engineer s to deliver and implement platform solutions, following your design approach to meet your assigned program objectives and KPIs . You will also collaborate closely and often with your AIDA Vertical Leads (R&D, PGS, Commercial, Enabling Functions), Horizontal Leads (Data Excellence, AI/ML), Enterprise Architecture, Other Digital Lead s , and Product Owner s /Managers , to ensure that technical platform d ecisions /patterns and their implementation align with broader strategic priorities and reusability .
Y ou represent engineering in program and stakeholder meetings , as such you'll need to be able to think on your feet : provide consultation, identify risks based on a variety of factors, and rely on your past experience s to identify potential platform & product solutions and develop ballpark estimate s. In many situations you will be working with technology that is new to Pfizer and requires you to learn quickly, be able to read and understand documentation, and architect robust and scalable platform solutions that align with our business objectives .
Using influence more than authority , you will lead teams of engineers on the implementation of the platform solution. Individual members of the team are responsible for delivering on their commitments, but the team supports each other. The team pride themselves on the quality of their code, our delivery practices and breadth of our test coverage. You will be expected to document your work .
K ey responsibilities for a Lead Engineer are listed below :
Technical Leadership

• Serve as the top technical authority on projects, making decisions on technology choices, design approaches, platform solution architecture and implementation.

• Lea d and o versee the entire lifecycle excellence of engineering projects, ensuring alignment with architectural vision and adherence to best practices.

• Responsible for maintaining good code quality by promoting and ensuring secure code hygiene.

• Build a team able to manage change . Take appropriate risks to achieve the desired results , balancing risks to stability and current norms versus the need for constant change , improvement , and simplification.

• Facilitate the conversation between Enterprise Architects, Business Architects, Vendors and Developers, by providing technical clarity on platform solution (s) to build and code to write, move content from ideation into delivery to move from concept to reality .

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Act as a translator between business stakeholders and technical engineers, to ensure that technical, security and privacy considerations are represented in strategic discussions and business objectives are being met by our platform solutions .

• Align objectives , dependencies , and schedules across multiple teams to keep teams unblocked , and to ensure seamless project s execut ion .

• Collaborate with other Lead Engineers , and through the Lead Engineers For um, to share best practices, quality standards, address improvement areas, and ensure effective communication of information.

• Collaborate with digital operations and support to ensure smooth BAU operations.

Excellence by Design

• Continuously discover , define , architect , deliver , and enable platform solutions that support program OKRs .

• Offer deep technical expertise , providing insights and guidance, ensuring platform solutions are secure, compliant, scalable, maintainable, and efficient.

• Advocate for the adoption of best practices, new technologies , automation, and continuous improvement initiatives in both technical and privacy domains.

• Stay updated on emerging technologies, industry trends , and best practices , and apply this knowledge to improve engineering processes and drive innovation within the organization.

Coaching & Mentorship

• Participate in or lead platform reviews , where applicable .

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level engineers, facilitate knowledge sharing and taking an active role in supporting the development of the wider team and their careers. Foster a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous learning within the engineering team .

In order to fulfil the responsibilities listed above, we expect that you possess and demonstrate:

• Extensi ve experience in platform engineering , with a focus on leading complex projects.

• Deep technical expertise from a well-documented background as a senior-level engineer.

• Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities, with a keen attention to detail.

• A broad technical knowledge of digital pharmaceutical sciences platforms and best practices across both user interfaces and back-end systems, as a "jack of all trades ".

• Proven technical leadership skills , mentorship, with the ability to motivate and inspire team members and fellow engineers towards achieving common goals .

• Exceptio nal interpersonal skills , with the a bility to communicate effectively in a matrix environment with geographically distributed resources , and establish strong partnerships with senior non-technical stakeholders, with a talent to explai n complex topics simply.

• Ability to influence and work with cross-functional teams to deliver complex projects in accordance with broader strategies.

• Deep understanding of platform development methodologies and best practices for implementing principles of privacy & security 'by design

Qualifications & Education Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science , Engineering, or a related field.

• Minimum of 10 years' experience with increasing responsibility delivering digital platform s, products , and services.

• Professional certifications in engineering leadership are a plus.

• Demonstrable experi ence operating in a DevOps environment.

• Proven capability handling large scale, enterprise Platform/Product delivery in a global 24/7 environment.

At a technical level, we are looking for engineers with qualifications and expertise in the following areas:

• Experience driving and participating in technical discovery to architect and deliver platforms/products that meet program business objectives .

• Systems thinking e xperience demonstrated by architecting complex platform solutions .

• Demonstrated hands-on experience using AWS services to build real-life large-scaled platform solutions.

• Understanding of CI/CD practices, RESTful APIs, integration patterns, microservice patterns and other areas of interest to modern platform development.

• Excellent experience with API-led development using Postman and Open API 3.0 is a must .

• Excellent experience with Agile team processes, including Scrum and Kanban delivery - we enjoy working with lean methods.

• Experience with the types of process problems that come when trying to build complex, new applications and comfortable when things are uncertain and require problem solving.

• Excellent experience estimating complex technical stories and breaking them down.

• Strong written and spoken English with excellent asynchronous collaboration and communication.

We don't expect you to know everything, but we want people who are open to learning new things.
Work Location Assignment: Hybrid
Last Date to Apply for Job: 12/6/2024
The annual base salary for this position ranges from $149,200.00 to $248,600.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer's Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 20.0% of the base salary and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program. We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support each of life's moments. Benefits offered include a 401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage. Learn more at Pfizer Candidate Site - U.S. Benefits | (uscandidates.mypfizerbenefits.com). Pfizer compensation structures and benefit packages are aligned based on the location of hire. The United States salary range provided does not apply to Tampa, FL or any location outside of the United States.
Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.
Sunshine Act
Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations. These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider's name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure. Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act. Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government. If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.
EEO & Employment Eligibility
Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer. This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.
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