Senior Director, Head of Engineering

Pfizer Digital & Technology’s R&D Forward Impact Engineering & Engagement Team (FIEET) will work with R&D to transform how AI, data, and digital technologies are designed, built, and delivered in partnership with the broader organization. 

We are seeking a Head of Engineering to lead a global team of Forward Deployed Engineers, Full-Stack Developers, Data Engineers, and AI Engineers who co-create solutions that help R&D scientists, clinicians, and operations teams harness the power of AI and data. 

As part of Pfizer Digital & Technology’s R&D FIEET, this leader will ensure that rapid prototyping and enterprise delivery move in sync—balancing innovation velocity with integration, governance, and operational excellence. You’ll partner closely with R&D leaders, as well as Enterprise Architecture, Creation Centers, Platform Engineering, and Data Management teams, to ensure every prototype and MVP contributes to a sustainable, scalable digital ecosystem. 

Your mandate is to accelerate experimentation without creating fragmentation, ensuring the Forward Deployed Engineering model works with existing R&D and Digital & Technology teams—not around them—to deliver business value and advance science. 

What you’ll bring  

• Enterprise-Scale Leadership: 12+ years leading large, distributed software, data, or AI engineering teams; experience in a matrixed, global environment required. 

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Data Science, Bioinformatics, Engineering, or related discipline) 

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to align innovation teams with enterprise architecture, platform, and application groups to deliver cohesive solutions. 

• Technical Credibility: Strong grounding in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), data pipelines, AI/ML architectures, and modern application frameworks. Capable of engaging deeply with technical teams while operating at an executive level. 

• AI and Data Fluency: Understanding of machine learning, large language models, NLP, and generative AI, with the ability to translate these technologies into practical R&D use cases. 

• Operational Maturity: Appreciation for the responsibilities of production systems—security, scalability, maintainability—and experience guiding prototypes into sustainable enterprise solutions. 

• Strategic Communication: Exceptional ability to convey technical vision to R&D and business executives; skilled at aligning stakeholders with differing incentives. 

• Talent Development: Demonstrated success building high-performing, inclusive teams and developing next-generation engineering leaders. 

• Business Orientation: Track record of delivering measurable business outcomes—cycle-time reduction, insight acceleration, or cost optimization—through digital solutions. 

• (Preferred): Experience within pharma, biotech, or life sciences R&D, with familiarity in regulated environments (GxP, clinical, regulatory). 

Leadership Competencies 

• Integrator: Bridges innovation and operations, ensuring R&D and Digital move in rhythm. 

• Architect of Trust: Builds shared frameworks that allow multiple teams to innovate confidently together. 

• Strategic Technologist: Combines deep engineering acumen with vision for how AI and data transform science. 

• Servant Leader: Elevates others through empowerment, empathy, and clarity of purpose. 

• Outcome Catalyst: Defines success in terms of impact on science, patients, and