Executive Director, Translational & Computational Biology Team

Pfizer • New York, NY

1d • $230,900 - $384,800 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Executive Director, Translational & Computational Biology is a senior scientific leader connecting Pfizer’s AI Core with therapeutic-area, translational, and clinical teams across Research & Development. The role applies biological and translational expertise, computational fluency, and scientific judgment to identify important biological and clinical questions, shape AI-enabled strategies, and ensure the resulting evidence informs scientific, development, and portfolio decisions. It emphasizes problem formulation, study and validation strategy, interpretation, and decision impact rather than primarily building algorithms or performing downstream analysis.

The position leads a portfolio of high-value work across the drug development lifecycle, including target identification and validation, biomarker discovery and patient stratification, mechanisms of response and resistance, disease biology, clinical development and trial strategy, real-world evidence, lifecycle science, and external innovation assessments. The Executive Director partners with AI scientists, engineers, computational biologists, statisticians, researchers, clinicians, and therapeutic-area leaders to assemble appropriate expertise and data, guide computational and AI approaches, assess evidence rigor and limitations, and translate complex multimodal results into clear recommendations.

The role also helps bring AI-enabled approaches into R&D workflows and promotes their adoption as repeatable scientific practice. Success is measured by the quality of questions selected, the rigor and usefulness of evidence generated, decisions influenced, and reusable scientific capabilities established across R&D. The position requires substantial autonomy, senior-level communication and influence in a matrixed organization, and a collaborative approach to mentoring colleagues and enabling cross-functional teams.

The position is hybrid. Colleagues must live within commuting distance and work on-site at a Pfizer location an average of 2.5 days per week. The annual base salary range is $230,900 to $384,800, with eligibility for a performance-plan bonus targeted at 25% of base salary and a share-based long-term incentive program. Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and eligibility. The position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.

Requirements

• PhD, MD, PharmD, or equivalent advanced degree in a relevant discipline and 10+ years of relevant industry or research experience; or a master’s degree with 12+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent record of scientific and translational impact.
• Sustained record of translating complex biological and clinical data into insights that influenced meaningful scientific, development, or portfolio decisions.
• Experience leading cross-functional scientific or translational programs from an ambiguous question to an evidence-based decision.
• Experience defining strategy and priorities for complex analytical, biomarker, precision-medicine, or data-driven work.
• Experience applying computational and quantitative approaches to biological and clinical questions.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders through clear scientific reasoning, evidence, and recommendations.
• Ability to operate autonomously in matrixed organizations and align contributors without relying on formal authority.
• Working or strong proficiency in R and/or Python, or equivalent computational tools sufficient to work directly with data and analytical workflows.
• Statistical reasoning, experimental design, and quantitative interpretation skills.
• Ability to analyze and visualize biological and clinical data.
• Knowledge of reproducible research and evidence-generation practices.
• Understanding of machine learning and AI concepts relevant to biomedical research.
• Ability to evaluate model outputs, uncertainty, limitations, and scientific validity.
• Demonstrated depth in one or more scientific domains such as multi-omics, single-cell or spatial biology, genetics and genomics, translational or systems biology, imaging or digital pathology, clinical development and biomarker science, or real-world data and evidence.
• Deep intellectual curiosity and biological judgment; strategic thinking; scientific rigor and healthy skepticism; comfort with ambiguity and high autonomy; ability to work across biology, data, AI, and drug-development contexts; executive-level communication and influence; and a collaborative, low-ego approach.
• Permanent work authorization in the United States.

Nice To Haves

• Significant experience in biotechnology or pharmaceutical R&D.
• Demonstrated impact across drug discovery, translational research, clinical development, precision medicine, or biomarker strategy.
• Experience applying or adopting AI-enabled scientific workflows in real R&D settings.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams or major cross-functional workstreams.
• Deep expertise in one or more therapeutic areas and a track record of translating computational evidence into program or portfolio decisions.
• Experience integrating multiple data types and working with AI-enabled scientific workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead and prioritize biological, translational, and clinical questions where integrated evidence can materially affect scientific or development decisions.
• Lead scientific strategy from problem formulation through analysis, validation, interpretation, and recommendation.
• Generate and test hypotheses connecting molecular mechanisms to patient biology, treatment response, and development strategy.
• Ensure work is tied to measurable scientific, development, or portfolio outcomes.
• Partner with AI scientists, engineers, computational biologists, statisticians, and domain experts to define fit-for-purpose computational and AI approaches.
• Define cohorts, endpoints, labels, biological annotations, evaluation criteria, and validation plans that reflect biological and clinical realities.
• Guide selection and application of computational methods and AI capabilities, including determining when new methods or models are needed.
• Challenge analytical and model outputs for biological plausibility, robustness, generalizability, uncertainty, limitations, and decision relevance.
• Advise scientific and clinical leaders across discovery, translational medicine, and clinical development.
• Bring emerging AI capabilities into therapeutic-area workflows and help teams identify meaningful scientific applications.
• Build partnerships across R&D functions and represent translational and computational perspectives in cross-functional program and portfolio discussions.
• Lead or guide analyses of multimodal scientific data, including multi-omics, single-cell and spatial biology, genetics and genomics, perturbational and functional biology, imaging and digital pathology, clinical trial datasets, real-world data and evidence, scientific literature, internal knowledge, and other data sources.
• Interpret results in biological, clinical, and development contexts; assess uncertainty, confounding, bias, alternative explanations, and failure modes.
• Establish fit-for-purpose standards for rigor, reproducibility, validation, and evidence, distinguishing statistically interesting findings from actionable evidence.
• Communicate complex evidence clearly to scientific, clinical, technical, and senior leadership audiences.
• Influence decisions in matrixed teams through scientific credibility, judgment, and execution.
• Mentor and guide scientists and cross-functional colleagues, and elevate translational and computational fluency across teams.
• Promote adoption of AI-enabled ways of working and embed successful approaches into repeatable scientific practice.

Benefits

• 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.
• Medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage.
• Eligibility for the Global Performance Plan, with a bonus target of 25% of base salary.
• Eligibility to participate in a share-based long-term incentive program.
• Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and eligibility.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive