Director, AIDA Lead Platform Engineer

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 solution/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. 

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Platform Engineer who will be accountable for platform engineering decisions, platform designs, and delivery, as well as operations of their assigned programs. 

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 designs and ensure a successful delivery of high-quality platforms 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 sharing responsibility with the other program leads for achieving the desired objectives. 

A normal work week consists of leading one or more teams of engineers 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 Leads, and Product Owners/Managers, to ensure that technical platform decisions/patterns and their implementation align with broader strategic priorities and reusability. 

You 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 experiences to identify potential platform & product solutions and develop ballpark estimates. 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. 

Key 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. 

• Lead and oversee 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 projects execution. 

• Collaborate with other Lead Engineers, and through the Lead Engineers Forum, 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.