Principal Software Engineer

Use Your Power for Purpose
At Pfizer, the impact of technology resonates through every facet of our operations, driving a transformative digital and 'data first' approach. Across all functions-from groundbreaking research to efficient manufacturing-we embrace innovative solutions that empower us to enhance every aspect of drug discovery and development. Your efforts in building robust, reusable AI Solutions and empowering development teams streamline processes, making our work not only faster but easier. In doing so, you contribute significantly to a mission that transcends mere efficiency; you become a vital part of saving countless lives.
As a Principal Software Engineer you will be reporting to the Head of Applied AI at the AI Center of Excellence division. You will serve as a technical expert, designing the foundational AI platform components that enable innovation across Pfizer. Your expertise will drive the development of standardized, reusable solutions that accelerate drug discovery and development, making a tangible impact on healthcare and patient outcomes through AI.
Role Responsibilities

• Identify relevant information such as strategies, roadmaps, policies, and technical trends, understanding how their work supports the team in enabling change.
• Work with external people to inform policies, strategies, and standards, anticipate changes to policy, build resilience, and coach others in identifying significant trends.
• Build and continuously improve capabilities in methods and tools, ensuring they are adopted across the engineering community of practice.
• Design, develop, and maintain enterprise-grade reusable AI components, SDKs, APIs, and templates that enable common AI capabilities across business units
• Architect and operate shared libraries and standardization toolkits that define how we build, integrate, and deploy AI solutions at scale
• Ensure robust interoperability, semantic versioning, and long-term maintainability of all shared platform assets.
• Create comprehensive developer experience assets including technical documentation, implementation guides, and best practice frameworks
• Establish and maintain coding standards, architectural patterns, and development workflows for AI engineering teams
• Mentor and guide developers across teams on advanced engineering topics including microservices architecture, distributed systems, asynchronous programming patterns and API design best practices
• Collaborate with diverse stakeholders to identify opportunities for standardization and reusability across AI initiatives
• Drive adoption of the reusable components through evangelism, training, and technical consultation.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years in a Software Engineering role.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science or Engineering.
• Proficiency in Python or any other modern programming languages, with extensive experience in designing and building scalable backend services using contemporary frameworks and libraries.
• Demonstrated mastery in designing, architecting, and leading large-scale software projects, implementing best practices, to ensure high-quality, scalable, and maintainable software solutions.
• In-depth knowledge of information security, design, quality review and quality assure solutions.
• Mastery in leading complex testing initiatives, designing advanced test frameworks, integrating testing into CI/CD pipelines, and guiding teams to ensure high-quality, reliable software delivery across large-scale projects.
• Extensive experience with cloud platforms, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), and infrastructure-as-code principles.
• Intimate knowledge of software engineering best practices including testing, CI/CD, version control, and code review processes.
• Strong Experience with asynchronous programming, performance optimization, and concurrent processing.
• Expert understanding of software architecture patterns, system design, and scalability considerations.
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear documentation and training materials.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong understanding of AI/ML engineering principles, model deployment, and MLOps practices.
• Experience in pharmaceutical, healthcare, or regulated industry environments.
• Experience with AI/ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn) and model serving platforms.
• Knowledge of data engineering tools and concepts (Snowflake, Databricks, Apache Spark, Kafka).
• Knowledge of enterprise software development and governance practices.

Please apply by sending your CV and a motivational letter in English
Purpose
Breakthroughs that change patients' lives... At Pfizer we are a patient centric company, guided by our four values: courage, joy, equity and excellence. Our breakthrough culture lends itself to our dedication to transforming millions of lives.
Digital Transformation Strategy
One bold way we are achieving our purpose is through our company wide digital transformation strategy. We are leading the way in adopting new data, modelling and automated solutions to further digitize and accelerate drug discovery and development with the aim of enhancing health outcomes and the patient experience.
Flexibility
We aim to create a trusting, flexible workplace culture which encourages employees to achieve work life harmony, attracts talent and enables everyone to be their best working self. Let's start the conversation!
Equal Employment Opportunity
We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce is crucial to building a successful business. As an employer, Pfizer is committed to celebrating this, in all its forms - allowing for us to be as diverse as the patients and communities we serve. Together, we continue to build a culture that encourages, supports and empowers our employees.
Disability Inclusion
Our mission is unleashing the power of all our people and we are proud to be a disability inclusive employer, ensuring equal employment opportunities for all candidates. We encourage you to put your best self forward with the knowledge and trust that we will make any reasonable adjustments to support your application and future career. Your journey with Pfizer starts here!
Information & Business Tech