Job description
Site Name:London The Stanley Building, Poznan Business Garden, Warsaw
Posted Date:Nov 19 2024

The Onyx Research Data Tech organization is GSK’s Research data ecosystem which has the capability to bring together, analyze, and power the exploration of data at scale. We partner with scientists across GSK to define and understand their challenges and develop tailored solutions that meet their needs. The goal is to ensure scientists have the right data and insights when they need it to give them a better starting point for and accelerate medical discovery. Ultimately, this helps us get ahead of disease in more predictive and powerful ways.

Onyx is a full-stack shop consisting of product and portfolio leadership, data engineering, infrastructure and DevOps, data / metadata / knowledge platforms, and AI/ML and analysis platforms, all geared toward:​

• Building a next-generation, metadata- and automation-driven data experience for GSK’s scientists, engineers, and decision-makers, increasing productivity and reducing time spent on “data mechanics”​

• Providing best-in-class AI/ML and data analysis environments to accelerate our predictive capabilities and attract top-tier talent​
• Aggressively engineering our data at scale, as one unified asset, to unlock the value of our unique collection of data and predictions in real-time​

The Onyx Application Engineering organization represents the construction of the ‘digital laboratory’ that powers GSK research.  Deliverables range from interfaces for our core platform offerings to full-fledged, data and prediction powered experiences for accelerating GSK’s Research and AI/ML organizations in their missions to find new medicines.

This role is a hands-on technical leader, accountable for building and leading a high-functioning engineering team within the Onyx organization that:

• Ensures success of the Onyx platform teams by partnering with them to produce simple, intuitive user interfaces for spinning up new data and analytics projects, monitoring job results, and accessing core platform services such as search

• Builds best-in-class data-powered experiences for our partners in research and AI/ML, tackling high-value use-cases that significantly improve their ability to discover new targets and medicines

• Integrates best-in-class third party scientific applications with the core knowledge and data services of the Onyx platform, on top of the Onyx infrastructure and DevOps platforms

• Partners with the Infrastructure, DevOps, and Support (IDS) organizations to ensure their roadmap covers core services/capabilities that significantly accelerate software development projects and to ensure a robust support model for each application through the lifecycle of that application

• Ensure delivery, efficient operation, maintenance, enhancement and decommissioning of the applications within scope aligned to the agreed roadmaps and product expectations

The Sr. Director, Onyx Application Engineering is an externally credible deep technical leader who is expected to build strong relationships across the scientific and tech communities; to also provide a strong voice for development standards and modern architecture both within their organization as well as across the entirety of Onyx.  Partnership with the other Onyx heads will be fundamental to the role to ensure we have a single Onyx culture as well as a single roadmap designed to serve downstream delivery teams in Onyx and elsewhere in R&D Digital and Tech.  The roadmap will also need to accurately represent the needs and delivery plans of decision makers, scientists, and engineers at GSK R&D; partnering with Product teams to ensure we are executing effectively and transparently.

Key Responsibilities

• Recruit, lead, develop, and retain a high-functioning organization of engineers focused on excellence in full-stack software delivery.  Be detail driven, and able to manage their own or team’s time across several projects at the same time

• Partner with Onyx’s Infrastructure, DevOps, and Support organization to ensure robust automation, operability, and support are core to all services from day one, and with Onyx Data & Knowledge Platforms to build closed loops: data feeds ways of working, and ways of working generate more data.

• Work with the Product team to build a comprehensive product roadmap that will evolve over time during the end to end lifecycle of that application.  Ensuring the Application Engineering team executes on that roadmap and provides world-class experiences to our customers. 

• Lead the development and execution of a framework for usability tests with users to gather direct feedback and work with product teams to ensure feedback loop drives continuous improvement of data powered experiences

• Partner with heads of the Platform groups to build intuitive, simple and elegant interfaces for access to their core services, creating a single-pane-of-glass view of the entire Onyx platform for our customers

• Along with other Heads of Engineering on Onyx, provide a strong voice for modern architecture across the Onyx organization and beyond.  Representing Onyx in technical blog posts and similar to aid awareness of the Onyx mission and recruiting

Knowledge/Education Required

Minimum Level of Education Required

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

• Data Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related discipline

• Specialized knowledge in the creation of quality software at scale and with quality / operations designed in from the start

Preferred Level of Education

• Master’s or equivalent work experience

• Data Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related discipline

• Specialized knowledge in the creation of quality software at scale and with quality / operations designed in from the start

Previous Experience Required

• 8 years job-related experience with an established track record of developing and operating software platforms / services, particularly in the data space

• At least 4 years building and managing teams, including indirect management

• The incumbent is expected to guide and oversee implementation of all of our in scope application, both for answering R&D questions and for core access to Onyx platforms.

• Be able to show a portfolio showcasing delivery of best in class applications and data products with high quality user experience leading to measurable organisational value

• An understanding of quality management through the lifecycle of application/software development to decommissioning

• Demonstrated expertise in software delivery on top of major cloud providers including managed services, with Google Cloud Platform certification strongly preferred

• Experience in delivering applications and software packages with quality UI/UX to real users that produce real impact

• Industry visibility and credibility to act as talent magnet

• Deep experience in software engineering, quality management systems and managing applications through the end to end lifecycle using common dev stacks (e.g. javascript / typescript, React, Angular for front-end, python / go / rust for back-end, common database stacks)

• Deep experience with modern DevOps-forward CI/CD ways of working and associated toolchains (e.g. GitHub + GitHub actions, GitLab, CircleCI, GCP Cloud Build, Azure DevOps, etc)

• Experience partnering with Product Management both for roadmap development and for continuous product lifecycle management – you measure yourself not just by what has been built, but also what has been operated and what has been turned off

• Experience with agile ways of working, including velocity measurement, backlog management, resource estimation, etc.

#GSKOnyx, #LI-GSK and #GSKTech1

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a special purpose – to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together – so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns – as an organisation where people can thrive. We prevent and treat disease with vaccines, specialty and general medicines. We focus on the science of the immune system and the use of new platform and data technologies, investing in four core therapeutic areas (infectious diseases, HIV, respiratory/ immunology and oncology).

Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it’s also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a place where people feel inspired, encouraged and challenged to be the best they can be. A place where they can be themselves – feeling welcome, valued, and included. Where they can keep growing and look after their wellbeing. So, if you share our ambition, join us at this exciting moment in our journey to get Ahead Together.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are open to all talent. In the US, we also adhere to Affirmative Action principles. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to neurodiversity, race/ethnicity, colour, national origin, religion, gender, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, disability, genetic information, military service, covered/protected veteran status or any other federal, state or local protected class*(*US only).

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

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