Director, Applied Intelligence
- United States - Pennsylvania - Collegeville
- United States - New York - New York City
- Canada - Quebec - Kirkland
Role Summary
As Director of Applied Intelligence, you will report to the Senior Director, Applied Intelligence and lead delivery of rapid, high-impact AI/ML prototypes that inform enterprise investment and scaling decisions. You will be a lead on a high-velocity, elite team purpose-built to do one thing exceptionally well: take the hardest, most ambiguous AI/ML problems and rapidly determine whether they are solvable, how they should be solved, and what it will take to make them real at scale.
You will de-risk high-impact AI/ML investments through fast, disciplined experimentation. This is not a sandbox. Every proof of concept you produce will be built with the engineering hygiene of production code, because the best prototypes become the foundation of enterprise systems. Your work will directly shape what gets scaled, what gets killed, and where the organization invests next.
You will operate at the intersection of AI innovation, engineering discipline, and business urgency. You will be the first call when something matters and nobody knows the answer yet.
Role Responsibilities
Technical Delivery and Team Leadership
Lead day-to-day technical delivery of applied AI projects, participating in architecture, code reviews, and prototyping
Mentor and develop individual contributors, set team standards, and recruit talent to accelerate delivery
Maintain hands-on involvement in modeling, data pipelines, and integration work to preserve technical credibility
Rapid Prototyping and Experimentation
Run 2 to 6 week prototype cycles: define scope, design experiments, deliver evaluation metrics, and recommend clear go/no-go decisions
Translate ambiguous commercial problems into testable hypotheses and rapid experiments that produce actionable results
Remain deeply hands-on in AI/ML engineering and prototyping
Engineering Hygiene and MLOps
Ensure prototypes follow robust engineering practices: version control, CI/CD for models, containerization, reproducibility, automated tests, and clear documentation
Apply MLOps principles for deployment-ready artifacts, including model monitoring and rollback strategies appropriate for regulated environments
Promote modular, reusable code and extraction of common patterns to reduce rework
Partnership
Prepare validated prototypes for structured handoff to industrialization, production, or IT teams with runnable artifacts, runbooks, and acceptance criteria
Collaborate closely with partner Analytics, Data Science, and IT teams to ensure prototypes align with enterprise architecture and standards
Support scaled rollouts by providing implementation support during transition from build to operations
Stakeholder Communication
Communicate prototype results, limitations, and recommended next steps to the Senior Director, product owners, and business stakeholders in clear, outcome-oriented terms
Deliver concise executive summaries and data-backed recommendations to inform prioritization and funding decisions
Basic Qualifications
8+ years of experience in AI/ML, data science, or applied research with substantial hands-on technical delivery with a BA/BS, 7+ years with an MS/MBA or 5 years with a PhD
Active proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks; regular coding and technical leadership in production or prototype contexts
Strong practical experience with MLOps, model lifecycle management, CI/CD concepts, containerization, and reproducibility tooling
Demonstrated ability to design and deliver scalable AI/ML solutions while operating in fast, resource-constrained prototype environments
Proven track record applying AI/ML to commercial functions in pharmaceutical or life sciences settings, delivering measurable business impact such as improved forecasting, segmentation, or real-world evidence analytics
Excellent stakeholder communication skills and experience presenting results and recommendations to senior leaders
Experience working in regulated industries such as pharmaceutical, biotech, medical devices, or financial services
Preferred Qualifications
Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Computer Science, Statistics, Computational Biology, Engineering, or related quantitative field
Prior experience leading prototype teams, innovation labs, or applied AI delivery teams inside large enterprises
Familiarity with cloud-agnostic ML deployment patterns and production practices, including model deployment, monitoring, container orchestration, and enterprise data governance suitable for regulated environments
Experience creating reusable engineering patterns, templates, and runbooks for broader organization use
Track record of hiring and developing senior individual contributors
Work Location Assignment: Hybrid
Last Date to Apply for Job: 5/5/2026

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $176,600.00 to $294,300.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 20.0% of the base salary and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program. We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support each of life’s moments. Benefits offered include a 401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage. Learn more at Pfizer Candidate Site – U.S. Benefits | (uscandidates.mypfizerbenefits.com). Pfizer compensation structures and benefit packages are aligned based on the location of hire. The United States salary range provided does not apply to Tampa, FL or any location outside of the United States.



Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

Candidates must be authorized to be employed in the U.S. by any employer.
U.S. work visa sponsorship (such as TN, O-1, H-1B, etc.) is not available for this role now or in the future.

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. This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.
Pfizer endeavors to make www.pfizer.com/careers accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process and/or interviewing, please email disabilityrecruitment@pfizer.com. This is to be used solely for accommodation requests with respect to the accessibility of our website, online application process and/or interviewing. Requests for any other reason will not be returned.
Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives
Research confirms what intuition tells us: that purpose-driven companies perform better, are more innovative, attract and retain the best people, and know how to unleash the power of those people. Pfizer’s purpose—Breakthroughs that change patients' lives—fuels everything we do and reflects our passion for building on our legacy as one of the greatest contributors of good to the world.
Each word in our purpose has meaning and reflects the value we strive to bring to patients and society:
“Breakthroughs” - These are the innovations, scientific and commercial, that we seek to deliver every day. All colleagues, regardless of role, level or location, strive for breakthroughs every day.
“Change” - We want to do more than simply improve patients’ medical conditions; we want to dramatically change their lives for the better.
“Patients’ lives” - We consider not only patients, but everyone they touch—including their families, caregivers, and friends—and everything they love to do. It’s an intentionally holistic view.
Our purpose ensures that patients remain at the center of all we do. We live our purpose by sourcing the best science in the world; partnering with others in the healthcare system to improve access to our medicines; using digital technologies to enhance our drug discovery and development, as well as patient outcomes; and leading the conversation to advocate for pro-innovation/pro-patient policies.
Every decision we make and every action we take is done with the patient in mind—and to nurture an environment where breakthroughs can thrive.
Our Values
To fully realize Pfizer’s purpose, we have established a clear set of expectations regarding “what” we need to achieve for patients and “how” we will go about achieving those goals.
The “how” is represented by four simple, powerful values—courage, excellence, equity, and joy—that define our company and our culture.
Courage: Breakthroughs start by challenging convention, especially in the face of uncertainty or adversity. This happens when we think big, speak up, and are decisive.
Excellence: We can only change patients’ lives when we perform at our best together. This happens when we focus on what matters, agree who does what, and measure our outcomes.
Equity: We believe that every person deserves to be seen, heard, and cared for. This happens when we are inclusive, act with integrity, and reduce healthcare disparities.
Joy: We give ourselves to our work, but it also gives to us. We find joy when we take pride, recognize one another, and have fun.
Benefits at Pfizer
Pfizer offers competitive compensation and benefits programs designed to meet the diverse needs of our colleagues. Our Pay for Performance Philosophy and Practices reward colleagues based on the contributions they make to our business.
Our Competitive Benefits Programs help our colleagues by:
- Promoting Health and Wellness to help colleagues maintain and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Pfizer offerings include health and disability insurance, preventative health programs, medical screenings, free or reduced-cost vaccinations, discounts on Pfizer products, mental health support, nutrition and fitness counseling and more.
- Strengthening Colleagues’ Financial Security by providing company contributions to retirement plans, life insurance and financial planning education to help colleagues achieve their financial goals.
- Providing Benefits and Time off for the Moments that Matter to ensure Pfizer colleagues have the time away from the office to recharge, recover and return to work as the best version of themselves. Vacation, Holiday time and Sick time are just the beginning, with a 12 week parental leave policy for both parents of a new born, 10 day of caregiver leave for those times when your family needs you whether it’s a child, spouse or parent, bereavement leave, and additional country-specific programs.
- And so much more, depending on your country and site, Pfizer offers childcare facilities or discount programs, on-site health and/or fitness centers, movement and mindfulness solutions, “Log in for your Day” work flexibility and so much more.
For U.S. based jobs, view an overview of Pfizer’s U.S. benefits program (opens in a new window)