The Inflammation & Immunology Clinical Excellence & Innovation organization is seeking an experienced and enterprise-minded clinical development leader to serve as Senior Director, Clinical Excellence Group Lead. This highly visible role provides strategic clinical, scientific, operational, and people leadership across a portfolio of complex clinical development programs.
The successful candidate will lead and develop a team of clinical scientists while ensuring clinical integrity, scientific quality, patient safety, and disciplined execution across studies. This leader will also help advance new ways of working, including the responsible integration of AI-enabled, digital, data, and advanced analytics capabilities to improve clinical development quality, speed, and decision-making.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Team Leadership & Change Management
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of high-performing clinical scientists, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous learning, intellectual curiosity, and agility.
- Act as a change champion, guiding a highly tenured organization through digital transformation and new ways of working.
- Drive change management initiatives that encourage the adoption of innovative tools and process optimizations without compromising scientific rigor.
- Build strong, collaborative partnerships with Clinical Operations, Data Science, Biostatistics, Digital/Technology, Regulatory, Medical Affairs, Portfolio Strategy, and Business Operations to align clinical science objectives with broader enterprise goals.
Business Operations & Enterprise Strategy
- Apply strong business acumen to identify operational bottlenecks within clinical development and lead cross-functional workstreams to design and implement scalable solutions.
- Develop and implement fit-for-purpose operating practices, tools, and governance approaches that enable a well-controlled, flexible organization with strong fiscal management, cross-team communication, and efficient workflows.
- Establish and leverage standardized frameworks to evaluate clinical program designs, resource needs, and workflows through an operational efficiency lens, ensuring resources are optimized and key milestones are supported.
- Partner with Finance and Corporate/Portfolio Strategy functions to build financial models and scenario analyses that inform program- and portfolio-level decision-making.
- Develop business insights, metrics, and dashboards to inform decision-making, monitor therapeutic area performance, and identify opportunities to improve quality, speed, productivity, and portfolio impact.
- Navigate a complex matrix environment with an enterprise mindset, ensuring that innovation strategies in I&I can scale and align with broader Pfizer corporate objectives.
AI-Enabled Clinical Development & Innovation
- Lead the identification, strategic development, and implementation of AI/ML and advanced analytics tools to optimize clinical trial design and execution.
- Direct applied AI/ML approaches across the continuum, including:
- Protocol design and optimization
- Site selection and feasibility assessment
- Patient recruitment and enrollment strategies
- Query management and workflow automation
- Data cleaning, anomaly detection, and signal identification
- Safety risk prediction and proactive mitigation
- Partner closely with data science, digital, and technology teams to translate complex AI use cases into practical, scalable, compliant workflows for study teams.
- Incorporate AI-derived insights and data-driven approaches into overarching clinical strategy and regulatory deliverables.
Core Clinical Leadership
- Oversee the clinical execution and integrity of a portfolio of medium- to high-complexity clinical studies within the I&I pipeline.
- Provide senior-level clinical oversight in protocol design, development, and strategic clinical documentation (protocols, CSRs, regulatory submissions).
- Oversee clinical data review, safety surveillance, and risk management at the program level.
- Serve as a senior clinical escalation point and strategic partner for Product Team Leads, Global Development Leads, investigators, and internal study teams.
- Contribute to evaluation of external opportunities, business development assessments, or due diligence activities as needed, based on clinical expertise, therapeutic area knowledge, and project-specific needs.
Basic Qualifications
- Education: Advanced scientific or clinical degree required; MD, PhD, PharmD, or equivalent advanced degree strongly preferred.
- Experience: 10+ years with a MBA/MS or 7+ years with PhD of progressive clinical research and development experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, including demonstrated experience supporting global clinical programs in regulated GxP environments.
- Leadership: Proven people leadership experience with a track record of building, mentoring, developing, and inspiring high-performing clinical or cross-functional teams.
- Business Acumen: Demonstrated ability to bridge clinical science with business operations, successfully leading cross-functional workstreams to solve complex operational challenges.
- Communication: Exceptional executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to influence without authority across all levels of a matrixed organization.
AI & Digital Expertise
- Demonstrated strategic or applied experience using AI, machine learning, automation, digital tools, or advanced analytics to improve clinical development, research, or operational workflows.
- Familiarity with AI-enabled clinical development use cases, such as protocol optimization, recruitment and enrollment planning, data review, query management, safety risk prediction, or workflow automation.
- Proven ability to partner with data science, digital, technology, clinical operations, bioinformatics, commercial, medical affairs, and other business stakeholders to define requirements, shape use cases, and support deployment of technical solutions.
- Strong understanding of data governance, model risk, compliance, privacy, and ethical AI considerations in pharmaceutical development.
Preferred Qualifications
- Demonstrated strategic experience applying AI, machine learning, automation, digital tools, or advanced analytics to optimize clinical development, research, or portfolio decision-making.
- Deep subject matter expertise in Inflammation & Immunology therapeutic areas.
- Direct experience leading organizational change management or digital transformation initiatives.
- Experience with real-world data, digital endpoints, and decentralized or innovative clinical trial technologies.
- Experience in portfolio strategy, resource planning, financial modeling, or business analytics.
Work Location Assignment: Hybrid
The annual base salary for this position ranges from $214,900.00 to $358,100.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 22.5% 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 [email protected]. 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.
To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on Pfizer Careers.
MedicalSkills Required
- Advanced scientific or clinical degree (MD, PhD, PharmD, or equivalent)
- 10+ years with MBA/MS or 7+ years with PhD of progressive clinical research and development experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology, including global clinical programs in GxP environments
- Proven people leadership experience building, mentoring, and developing high-performing clinical or cross-functional teams
- Demonstrated business acumen bridging clinical science with business operations and leading cross-functional workstreams
- Exceptional executive presence and communication skills with ability to influence across a matrixed organization
- Demonstrated strategic or applied experience using AI, machine learning, automation, digital tools, or advanced analytics to improve clinical development or operational workflows
- Familiarity with AI-enabled clinical development use cases (protocol optimization, site selection, recruitment, data review, safety risk prediction, workflow automation)
- Proven ability to partner with data science, digital, technology, clinical operations, biostatistics, bioinformatics, medical affairs, and commercial stakeholders
- Strong understanding of data governance, model risk, compliance, privacy, and ethical AI considerations in pharmaceutical development
- Deep subject matter expertise in Inflammation & Immunology therapeutic areas
- Experience leading organizational change management or digital transformation initiatives
- Experience with real-world data, digital endpoints, and decentralized or innovative clinical trial technologies
- Experience in portfolio strategy, resource planning, financial modeling, or business analytics
What the Team is Saying
Pfizer Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Multiple U.S. medical plan options include telehealth, comprehensive mental‑health support, fertility/family‑building benefits, transgender‑inclusive coverage, and certain Pfizer medications at no cost. A Wellbeing Wallet and wellness resources broaden the health and wellbeing offering.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with company matching is paired with an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, alongside company‑paid life and disability insurance. One‑on‑one financial planning support is provided through Fidelity.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off spans vacation, holidays, and personal days, with additional caregiver and medical leave. U.S. parental leave commonly includes 12 weeks paid with options for additional unpaid bonding time and a return‑to‑work transition.
Pfizer Insights
What We Do
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.
Why Work With Us
We are the inventors, the problem solvers, the big thinkers — those who surmount any hurdle to deliver breakthrough medicines to the people who are counting on them the most.
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