Use Your Power for Purpose

Pfizer's purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that change patients' lives. At the core of this mission is Research and Development, where we strive to transform advanced science and cutting-edge technologies into the most impactful therapies and vaccines. Whether you are involved in discovery sciences, ensuring drug safety and efficacy, or supporting clinical trials, your role is crucial. You will leverage innovative design and process development capabilities to accelerate the delivery of best-in-class medicines to patients globally.

Designing new medicines at Pfizer requires teams that utilize a diverse set of skills, behaviors, and approaches. Creativity, scientific excellence, tenacity, passion, hard work, organization, teamwork, courage, open-mindedness, and curiosity – are just some of the traits successful Drug Discovery Scientists display at Pfizer.

We are looking for an ambitious, highly technical, Software Applications Manager, eager to see their work lead to the discovery of important new medicines and scientific breakthroughs, to join our Analytical Technologies and Compound Management (ATCM) team.

Role Overview

As an Application & Data Support Senior Principal Scientist and Lab Head you will provide oversight to the application portfolio within Compound Management and lead a technical team that contributes to all aspects of the software development lifecycle: from requirements, design, development, maintenance to testing, deployment and daily support. You will partner with Compound Management lab heads, Laboratory Automation specialists, Digital technologists, Hit-to-Lead and Lead Optimization scientific teams and stakeholders to ensure the suite of highly specialized & custom software systems that drive the workflows in Compound Management meet the needs of the Pfizer Discovery Portfolio by providing timely & quality access to the Pfizer compound collection.

You will set the strategy for the application portfolio within Compound Management and have critical input on the acquisition of laboratory automation systems, robotics and software solutions that will integrate into that portfolio. You will lead projects teams, collaborating with internal Digital teams and external software & hardware vendors to drive innovation that meets the strategic & future needs of Compound Management. You will represent the Application & Data Support team in internal/external presentations and publications.

What You Will Achieve

In this role, you will:

• Provide oversight & strategic management of the development, acquisition, implementation, operation, troubleshooting, maintenance and support of software solutions within the Groton sample management laboratories that manage the receipt, storage, solubilization, aliquoting, and preparation of samples for assays in an automated, efficient manner ensuring high-quality access to the Pfizer compound collection for drug discovery teams.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a group of Data & Computer Scientists that develop & support lab-based software solutions & collaborate with Digital teams on the development & support of enterprise-level software solutions in use within the Compound Management workflows.
• Play a key role in meeting financial targets by co-managing Digital project and Compound Management operational budgets by managing purchase orders, invoices and project spend, assisting in the preparation of funding requests, Request for Proposals, Statements of Work (SOWs) and Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and negotiating purchase & sustain software costs with vendors and internal procurement teams.
• Collaborate with Compound Management lab heads, Laboratory Automation specialists, Digital technologists, Hit-to-Lead and Lead Optimization scientific teams & stakeholders to drive the strategic direction for the portfolio of applications.
• Lead cross-functional teams to drive the implementation of enhancements to the software & hardware portfolio within ATCM.
• Leverage technical subject matter expertise & insight into the design & development of innovative solutions & algorithms to solve complex software, automation, and workflow needs within Compound Management.
• Align with Digital development & security requirements on infrastructure, technologies, software engineering best practices, development lifecycles, configuration management and software quality assurance.
• Contribute to the strategy of ATCM and Structure, Analytical, & Molecular Sciences (SAMS) groups as a member of the ATCM & SAMS Leadership Teams.

Minimum Requirements

• 13+ years of industry experience with a bachelor's degree, 11+ years of experience with a Master's degree or 8+ years of experience with a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, Information Science or related field.
• Demonstrated breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, senior leadership, stakeholders, external partners, and to develop, mentor and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact.
• Demonstrated 5+ years of software engineering project management experience.
• Track record of leading cross functional/multi-disciplinary matrix teams to successful delivery of project objectives.
• Expert knowledge in the software engineering discipline and the importance of adhering to a software development lifecycle process to ensure high-quality software solutions.
• Expert technologist with practical experience in designing & developing software solutions to solve complex problems leveraging Agile methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability in performing business analysis and workflow/process design & development.
• Expert knowledge in troubleshooting highly technical, and complex software issues and identifying potential root causes.
• Excellent communication skills and a demonstrated ability to create and strongly contribute to and provide technical expertise to research initiatives and project teams.
• Recognized as an expert in identifying and developing technical strategies to support mid- and long-term goals for the department.
• Demonstrated ability to manage resources/expenses against an allocated budget.

Preferred Requirements

• Expert knowledge of and experience in sample management workflows, laboratory automation software, systems & robotics, including LIMS, automated storage systems and acoustic & tip-based liquid handlers.
• Expert knowledge in many of the following tools, languages, & technologies: Java/C#/C++/VB, Scripting (JavaScript/Python/Perl), Pipeline Pilot, Share Point Forms/Power Apps, HTML/XLM/JSON, Excel Macros/Visual Basic, APIs (REST/Soap/Microservices), Databases (Oracle/PostgreSQL/RDS/Azure), Query Languages (SQL/PLSQL), Database Navigation (Toad/DBeaver), Jira, Confluence, Eclipse, GitHub/SVN, Diagram Tools (Draw.io/Lucid Chart/Visio)
• Candidate demonstrates a breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, develop and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact.

Physical/Mental Requirements

Position will require working in the lab, operating automated equipment, lifting, sitting, standing, walking, bending and the ability to solve complex technical problems.

Non-Standard Work Schedule, Travel or Environment Requirements

• Candidate may be asked to travel to other Pfizer sites to meet project team members.
• Candidate must comply with laboratory safety practices and wear personal protection as required.
• Relocation support available

Work Location

On Premise

Compensation

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $120,800.00 to $201,400.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer's Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 17.5% of the base salary and eligibility to participate