Senior Manager, R&D Compute Support and Engineering

ROLE SUMMARY

The Senior Manager, R&D Compute Support and Engineering will be a key enabler of maximal productivity and business continuity for Pfizer’s Vaccines R&D organization (VRD), located in Pearl River, NY. The role requires expertise in computer hardware, operating systems, and software, combined with a solid understanding of pharmaceutical R&D workflows. The individual will develop a comprehensive understanding of VRD’s computational infrastructure, acting as the main technical contact for that organization, ensuring minimal impact from scheduled and unscheduled system downtime, providing expert recommendations on technical infrastructure for emerging needs, and partnering with the rest of the Digital organization to ensure industry-leading service delivery. The individual will work closely with Digital Laboratory Solutions colleagues, providing support for laboratory instrument compute infrastructure, including GxP environments. The role requires expert knowledge of high-performance and scientific computing environments, including Unix / Linux, databases, storage and application servers, both on premise and cloud-based. The ideal candidate will also be able to assist researchers with their computational work by optimizing the performance of scientific programs and scripts / workflows.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead system engineer for R&D Compute Support and Engineering operations at the Pearl River site, becoming a trusted technology partner for VRD scientists.
• Core member of Vaccines and Digital Laboratory Solutions Leadership Teams contributing to strategy, projects, infrastructure and culture initiatives.
• Troubleshoots performance and service issues by conducting root cause analysis from infrastructure to application systems.
• Ensures smooth operation of benchtop systems and associated processes including GxP compliance where appropriate.
• Builds strong relationships at all levels of the organization and partners closely with others in Digital, especially those responsible for infrastructure, database, security, cloud, quality assurance and other computation related.
• Influences local and global technology trends/directions based on a good understanding of current scientific needs and sets technology directions for computational workflows.
• Nurtures an environment of open dialogue regarding high performance computing and big data/multi-cloud storage.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Computer science, engineering or related degree with direct experience implementing successful IT solutions in the life science industry.
• 10+ years of experience designing and supporting scientific and laboratory informatics environments with hands on knowledge of the GxP validation process.
• Understanding of systems supporting chromatography, mass spectrometry, flow cytometry, next-generation sequencing, etc.
• Experience in multiple operating environments (e.g. Windows Linux) as well as a solid understanding of cloud environments (e.g.  AWS, GCP and/or Azure).
• In-depth understanding of enterprise network, storage, compute, security, AD, NIS and collaboration as they relate to data access and management.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills and a track record of fostering positive customer relationships.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in a life science discipline relevant to drug discovery.
• Expertise in deploying and supporting multi-tiered application architecture.
• Security best practices and emerging cloud (XaaS) services impacting laboratory systems.
• Scripting and/or software development experience.
• Knowledge of how PaaS work in the cloud such as Seven Bridges, Data4Cure, etc.
• Strong Windows and/or Linux administration experience.
• Understanding of networking concepts and ability to effectively identify and resolve issues.
• Experience working with major scientific vendors such as Waters, Agilent, Thermo Fisher.
• Relational and non-relational database administration and development experience including cloud-based applications.
• Enterprise LIMS experience such as LabWare or LabVantage in a validated environment.

  
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

Ability to carry desktop computers and maneuver around lab equipment / furniture.

NON-STANDARD WORK SCHEDULE, TRAVEL OR ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS

May need to perform occasional work outside of normal business hours in order to accommodate customer priorities.

Eligible for Employee Referral Bonus

Pfizer requires all U.S. new hires to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to the first date of employment.  As required by applicable law, Pfizer will consider requests for Reasonable Accommodations.

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.

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