Head of Digital Product Engineering

Zoetis•Parsippany, NJ

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Zoetis Tech & Digital (ZTD) organization is in a distinguished position to lead one of Zoetis' core strategies, lead in digital technology and data analytics as we reimagine animal health. As ZTD executes its digital, data and technology strategy to reinvent how we work in a digital world, we will also unlock new sources of value for our colleagues, Zoetis and our customers. This is an exciting time to join the ZTD team and be a key leader in this digital transformation. The Head of Digital Product Engineering (DPE) is the most senior technology delivery leader responsible for all product-focused engineering across Zoetis (Commercial, Medical Affairs, Zoetis' PAH (Precision Animal Health) and Diagnostics (Dx)) digital portfolios. This role owns end-to-end accountability for the design, build, operation, and continuous improvement of Zoetis' digital product suite -- from veterinary diagnostics platforms and genetic analytics to commercial engagement tools and research applications. Leading a large organization, the Head of DPE establishes and scales a modern Product Operating Model built on five pillars: Product & Value Management, Value Stream Engineering (four Agile Release Trains), Platform & Enablement, Quality Engineering, and Data & Intelligence. The role is directly accountable for defining the Product Engineering strategy, driving the vendor and ZICC (Zoetis India Capability Center) build-out, standing up the Chapter and Community of Practice models, and delivering measurable cost savings through resource-mix optimization. In addition, the Head of DPE continuously benchmarks technology trends and the competitive landscape to inform engineering strategy, platform evolution, and modernization priorities. The role helps shape new technology-enabled business models for digital capabilities, translating emerging opportunities into actionable engineering and investment roadmaps. This is a senior leadership position reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related discipline required; Master's degree or MBA preferred.
15+ years of progressive leadership experience in technology product engineering, software development, or digital product delivery, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
Demonstrated success building and scaling product engineering organizations of 100+ people across multiple geographies, including offshore/nearshore capability centers.
Deep experience implementing Agile at scale (SAFe, LeSS, or equivalent), including standing up Agile Release Trains, PI Planning, and mature delivery governance.
Track record of vendor strategy execution, including contract negotiations, knowledge transfer programs, and resource-mix optimization delivering measurable cost savings.
Experience leading organizational transformation in a product-centric operating model, including Product Trios, squad/chapter models, and platform engineering.
Strong financial and business acumen; ability to manage P&L, articulate ROI of technology investments, and present to C-suite stakeholders.
Experience in a regulated industry (life sciences, pharma, animal health, or medical devices) strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success recruiting, developing, and retaining high-performing engineering talent across global teams.
Expert knowledge of SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) or equivalent scaled agile methodologies; SAFe SPC, RTE, or Lean Portfolio Management certification preferred.
Deep understanding of modern software architecture: API-first design, microservices, cloud-native (AWS/Azure/GCP), event-driven architectures, and platform engineering.
Experience establishing and governing enterprise architecture frameworks (TOGAF or equivalent), Architecture Review Boards, and Tech Radar processes.
Strong knowledge of DevOps/SRE practices including CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code, observability, SLOs, incident management, and on-call frameworks.
Experience building Internal Developer Platforms (IDP) with self-service deployment, golden paths, and API gateways.
Proficiency defining quality engineering strategies including test automation, shift-left testing, SAST/DAST, performance engineering, and release governance.
Experience with DORA metrics (deployment frequency, lead time, change failure rate, MTTR) and driving teams toward elite performance.
Familiarity with data platform architecture, data governance, and AI/ML capabilities in a product context.
Proficiency with Agile/product tooling ecosystem (Jira, Confluence, Aha!, LeanIX, ServiceNow, or equivalent).
Familiarity with governance, risk, and compliance practices in a regulated environment (life sciences / pharma preferred).
Experience managing multi-vendor environments with structured KT obligations and contract governance.

Responsibilities

Define and execute the overarching Digital Product Engineering strategy, ensuring alignment with Zoetis' digital, data, and technology vision.
Architect and operationalize the Product Operating Model across five pillars: Product & Value Management, Value Stream Engineering, Platform & Enablement, Quality Engineering, and Data & Intelligence.
Champion the six design principles: product-aligned teams, squads own delivery with chapters standardizing methods, platform makes delivery faster, Product Trios at every squad, quality as a first-class function, and 'you build it, you run it.'
Establish and mature the Chapter Model (FA, UX, Engineering, QE, Agile) and Communities of Practice (Architecture, Engineering, DevSecOps, Data Engineering, Agile Delivery, Product & UX) to drive consistency and knowledge sharing across all ARTs.
Stand up governance bodies: Architecture Review Board (bi-weekly), Quality Gate Council (per release), Delivery Governance Council (weekly), and Portfolio Steering Committee (quarterly).
Continuously benchmark technology trends and the competitive landscape to refine Product Engineering strategy, modernization sequencing, and capability build-vs-partner decisions.
Own end-to-end delivery and operations for the full digital product portfolio across PAH and Diagnostics, encompassing 20+ products across four Agile Release Trains.
Ensure each ART operates with a self-contained squad model (Product Owner, UX Designer, Tech Lead, Developers, QE Testers, Scrum Master) of 6-10 FTEs per squad.
Drive PI (Program Increment) Planning cadence and execution excellence; ensure all four ARTs maintain consistent velocity, predictability, and flow metrics.
Oversee the Delivery Governance Council to validate release plans, change-control gates, and deployment readiness across all ARTs.
Accountable for delivery and operations per the stakeholder RACI; ensure on-time, on-quality delivery of product increments.
Implement the transition roadmap across three phases: Stabilise (Months 0-6), Build (Months 6-18), and Optimise (Months 18-36).
Lead the formation and scaling of the DPE organization from current state (~207 FTEs) to the optimized target state (~157 FTEs) through strategic resource-mix transformation.
Drive the ZICC build-out strategy: grow the India Capability Center from 36 to 70 colleagues, recruiting Engineering Chapter Leads, Senior Engineers, BA Specialists, DevOps/SRE, and Data Engineers.
Hire and develop the DPE leadership team including Heads of Diagnostics, PAH Genetics, Commercial Products, Research/Engagement & Learning, Architecture & Engineering, QE, and Data Services.
Elevate Quality Engineering to a full L1 pillar with an independent Head of QE reporting directly into this role, not subordinated to delivery pressure.
Establish Chapter Lead roles across all five chapters and ensure people report to squad leads for delivery but to Chapter Leads for methods development and standards.
Execute the 9-week DPE Formation Plan including stakeholder alignment, talent reviews, change management, and SAFe Agile training.
Own the vendor management strategy and ICC build plan (Accountable per internal RACI), driving the resource mix from 100 consultants / 36 ICC / 37 FTE to a target of 30 consultants / 70 ICC / 50 FTE.
Execute vendor decisions: retain Accenture (primary strategic partner, 18-month contract with KT obligation) and EPAM (cloud-native and platform engineering); exit Infosys (6-month KT plan) and Adecco (immediate exit).
Ensure every vendor contract includes structured Knowledge Transfer (KT) obligations as contractual deliverables with milestones; hold renewals contingent on KT proof.
Deliver projected cost savings of $1.5M in 2026 and $3M in 2027 through consultant-to-ICC replacement (ICC cost per head is ~40% cheaper than consultant day rates).
Review all SOWs (exit clauses, structure) and manage contract rebids with explicit KT clauses.
Accountable for architecture and platform standards across all digital products per the stakeholder RACI.
Ensure the Platform & Enablement team delivers a world-class Internal Developer Platform (IDP) including self-service portal, CI/CD Golden Path, API & Integration Hub, and DevOps/SRE capabilities.
Sponsor the Architecture Review Board to approve/reject architectural changes, enforce standards, and update the Tech Radar quarterly.
Drive adoption of modern engineering practices: API-first design, cloud-native architectures, shift-left testing, SAST/DAST in CI/CD, and 'Golden Paths' to prevent bespoke tooling.
Ensure platform team success is measured by stream team satisfaction (NPS), not tickets closed; if a squad waits for Platform, Platform has failed.
Responsible for security and compliance execution within Product Engineering per the stakeholder RACI.
Ensure QE is elevated with a non-negotiable release veto, shared test automation platform, performance engineering, and security testing (SAST/DAST) embedded in CI/CD.
Support the Quality Gate Council process where QE Chapter Lead, Head of QE, and RTEs approve releases.
Partner with ZTD Business Partner (Accountable for compliance) to ensure all products meet regulatory requirements in the animal health / life sciences regulated environment.
Define and enforce SLOs, observability minimums, and regression coverage targets as non-negotiable quality guardrails across all ARTs.
Serve as the primary technology delivery leader interfacing with the Dx & PAH Business stakeholders, translating business product strategies into engineering execution plans.
Partner with the ZTD Business Partner to ensure Product Engineering priorities align with broader ZTD technology strategy.
Act as a strategic advisor to the CTO and ZTD Leadership Team on product engineering capacity, technology investments, and digital transformation progress.
Co-chair the Portfolio Steering Committee (quarterly) for PI Planning, product investment prioritization, and OKR review across PAH and Diagnostics.
Lead stakeholder alignment workshops with Dx and PAH product teams to define ways of working, DTAP (Development, Test, Acceptance, Production) processes, portfolio management, and funding models.
Manage organizational change by developing and executing a concrete change management plan aligned with all stakeholders, including SAFe training acceleration.
Build and maintain strategic external technology partnerships (e.g., key vendors, advisory ecosystems) to accelerate innovation and delivery outcomes.