Senior Director, Software Engineering

Work Schedule

Environmental Conditions

Job Description

At Thermo Fisher’s PPD clinical research business, we’re using digital innovation, data science, and AI to reimagine how life-changing therapies reach patients. Our teams combine deep scientific expertise with advanced analytics, automation, and digital platforms to make research smarter, faster, and more connected.

We know that innovation happens when diverse minds meet. Our Digital Science, Data, and AI professionals collaborate closely with scientists, clinicians, and operational experts to solve real-world challenges in clinical research. Alongside our partnership with Open AI, you can be part of the collaboration that will help to improve the speed and success of drug development, enabling customers to get medicines to patients faster and more cost effectively.

You’ll join a culture that values experimentation, learning, and collaboration — where your ideas can help shape how we deliver life-saving solutions and improve global health outcomes. Whether you’re a data engineer, product manager, software developer, or AI scientist, you’ll find opportunities here to apply your skills to work that truly matters — improving global health outcomes. 

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Senior Director, Software Engineering, leads a global engineering group responsible for delivering secure, reliable, and differentiated digital products. This leader defines engineering strategy, establishes strong operating mechanisms, and builds a high-performance culture grounded in customer outcomes, quality, and predictable delivery. The role partners closely with Digital Product Management, UX, Data Science, Security/Compliance, and business leaders to translate strategy into scalable platforms and exceptional end-user experiences while accelerating execution through modern engineering practices and AI-enabled productivity.

Key Responsibilities: 

Engineering Leadership:

• Define and implement strategic technical direction and engineering best practices.
• Foster a culture of quality, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement within the engineering teams.
• Oversee the architecture and technical decisions, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, and align with the organization’s long-term vision.
• Stay abreast of AI and machine learning technologies to optimize engineering workflows, enhance developer productivity and streamline development processes.

Global Talent Development and Management:

• Recruit, mentor, and retain high-performing engineering talent.
• Drive career development, set clear performance objectives, and establish a supportive environment for professional growth.
• Manage growth and expansion of engineering capabilities in strategic global locations.
• Provide coaching, leadership, and technical guidance to engineering teams and managers.

Engineering Excellence:

• Lead the adoption and execution of modern software development methodologies (e.g., Agile, CI/CD, DevOps, Cloud-native practices).
• Establish robust QA practices, including automation and testing strategies, to ensure delivery of reliable and high-quality software products.
• Ensure adherence to industry standards, compliance regulations, security best practices, and performance benchmarks.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Collaborate closely with stakeholders to ensure alignment on product goals, timelines, and deliverables.
• Clearly communicate engineering strategies, plans, and progress to executives, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams.
• Act as a trusted advisor on technical matters to senior leadership and peers across the organization.

Operational Excellence:

• Manage budgets, resource planning, and vendor relationships related to engineering activities.
• Implement metrics-driven management, defining clear KPIs to measure team performance, product delivery success, and operational effectiveness.
• Proactively manage risks and challenges, driving prompt resolution to maintain timelines and quality.

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Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in healthcare, life sciences, computer science, business, or related field preferred. 
• Progressive engineering leadership experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job (comparable to 12+ years’ experience) 
• 5+ years in leadership roles managing software engineering teams.
• In some cases, an equivalency, consisting of appropriate education, training, and/or directly related experience will be considered sufficient for an individual to meet the requirements of the role.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience leading engineering teams in a product-driven, customer-centric environment.
• Background in healthcare, clinical research, life sciences, or related regulated industries (desirable but not required).
• Proven success in establishing new functions or scaling early-stage engineering teams within large, complex organizations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Proven experience driving large-scale digital transformations and building robust, scalable platforms.
• Demonstrated expertise in modern software development practices, cloud technologies, microservices architecture, DevOps practices, and security frameworks.
• Strong track record in talent development, mentoring, and building high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, able to clearly articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

At Thermo Fisher Scientific, we are committed to fostering a healthy and harmonious workplace for our employees. We understand the importance of creating an environment that allows individuals to excel. Please see below for the required qualifications for this position, which also includes the possibility of equivalent experience:

• Able to communicate, receive, and understand information and ideas with diverse groups of people in a comprehensible and reasonable manner.
• Able to work upright and stationary for typical working hours. 
• Ability to use and learn standard office equipment and technology with proficiency.
• Able to perform successfully under pressure while prioritizing and handling multiple projects or activities. 
• May require as-needed travel (0-25%). 

Location: Remote US (East Coast preferred). Relocation assistance is NOT provided.  

*Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.
 
*Must be able to pass a comprehensive background check, which includes a drug screening.

The annual salary range estimated for this position in North Carolina is $160,000- $240,000 USD. This position may also be eligible to receive a variable annual bonus based on company, team, and/or individual performance results in accordance with company policy.