Director - Program Manager, R&D DP&TS Platform and Data Engineering

Role Summary

Pfizer’s mission to deliver breakthroughs that change patients’ lives is rooted in our commitment to science and innovation. Within Discovery, Preclinical, and Translational Solutions (DP&TS), we accelerate the journey from target identification to clinical translation by leveraging advanced digital technologies, AI, and data-driven insights.

We are seeking a Program Manager to lead the vision, strategy, and roadmap for foundational platform services, infrastructure hosting, and data architecture and engineering. This role will orchestrate programs that deliver core capabilities—such as cloud-native infrastructure, data integration frameworks, and secure analytics environments—that power advanced computational science across R&D.

Reporting to the Senior Director of DP&TS Platform and Data Engineering, you will oversee program governance, manage cross-functional execution, and ensure delivery of secure, scalable, and compliant solutions. You will partner with engineering, product, and scientific stakeholders to translate research needs into actionable capabilities, while championing automation, interoperability, and DevSecOps principles to accelerate innovation globally.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in program management for platform and data solutions, experience with agile delivery, and the ability to adapt approaches to meet the evolving needs of our teams, stakeholders, and organizational culture.

Responsibilities

• A typical day in this role centers on program management activities such as understanding new demand, managing intake requests, allocating resources, and prioritizing initiatives to ensure alignment with strategic goals. You‚Äôll regularly conduct backlog grooming, facilitate cross-functional collaboration, and oversee program governance to deliver secure, scalable, and compliant platform solutions that support global R&D efforts.

Leadership & Strategy

• Build and lead a high-performing platform team, fostering a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and accountability
• Mentor and grow talent, encouraging cross-functional collaboration and continuous learning in support of platform and stream team success
• Contribute to the overall DP&TS platform strategy and roadmap, ensuring platform investments deliver maximum value to stream-aligned teams and the broader organization
• Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies to future-proof platform services and support evolving business needs

Platform Enablement & Service Orientation

• Design, deliver, and continuously improve platform services, infrastructure, and data engineering capabilities that empower stream-aligned teams to build and operate customer-facing solutions efficiently
• Develop and maintain self-service capabilities, documentation, and onboarding processes to maximize stream team autonomy and minimize cognitive load
• Actively gather feedback from stream-aligned teams to evolve platform offerings and ensure alignment with their needs and business priorities

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary interface between the platform team and stream-aligned teams, facilitating adoption of platform services and supporting integration of reusable components
• Partner with engineering, data science, and product teams to ensure timely delivery of platform features that accelerate solution development for stream teams
• Engage with external technology partners and vendors to expand platform capabilities and bring best practices into the organization

Technical Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Own the lifecycle of platform and data engineering solutions, ensuring they are robust, scalable, secure, and compliant with regulatory requirements
• Champion automation, interoperability, and DevSecOps principles to streamline platform operations and enable rapid delivery for stream teams
• Establish and track KPIs to measure platform adoption, impact, and enablement of stream-aligned teams

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure all platform services adhere to internal governance, data privacy, and regulatory standards, supporting audit readiness and documentation
• Promote responsible AI and data practices, emphasizing transparency, fairness, and explainability in platform development

Education & Qualifications

• Bachelor‚Äôs degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Data Science, Bioinformatics, Engineering, or related discipline)
• 8+ years of experience in technical program or product management, with a strong emphasis on platform engineering, infrastructure, and data solutions
• 3+ years leading platform teams or delivering platform services that enable multiple stream-aligned teams, ideally in a scientific, regulated, or enterprise environment
• Proven track record of building and operating large-scale data and ML platforms in a scientific or regulated environment
• Experience in pharma, biotech, or healthcare is highly desirable
• Proven success working in matrixed organizations and building trusted partnerships with science, data, and technical teams
• Experience with agile methodologies, DevOps/DevSecOps practices, and fostering self-service capabilities for internal teams
• Experience in the life sciences or pharmaceutical industry, particularly in R&D or translational research
• Familiarity with GxP, HIPAA, and regulatory requirements related to R&D data
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills

Additional Requirements

• Travel up to 10% may be required for business activities.
• Work Location Assignment: On Premise