AI Data Engineer-LLMs / Agentic Systems

AI Data Engineer – LLMs / Agentic Systems
United States - Massachusetts - Cambridge

We are seeking a data engineer to combine software engineering with AI to build next-generation knowledge work automation tools that directly impact pharmaceutical research outcomes.

In this innovative role, you will collaborate with Medicinal Chemists and Biomedical Scientists to design, develop, and deploy intelligent systems that enhance productivity and accelerate decision‑making in drug discovery. The role bridges modern web technologies with Large Language Model (LLM) capabilities to create intuitive user experiences and contribute to pioneering research in semantic frameworks.

This is a hybrid role requiring you to live within commuting distance and work on‑site an average of 2.5 days per week or more as needed.

Responsibilities

Design and implement production‑grade full‑stack applications that seamlessly integrate LLM and AI capabilities into scientific workflows

Work directly with medicinal chemists, biomedical researchers, and domain experts to translate scientific challenges into technical solutions and deliver user‑centric applications

Develop scalable backend services in Python for data processing, embedding generation, vector search, and LLM orchestration that power AI‑driven research tools

Create responsive, modern frontend interfaces using React and TypeScript that provide exceptional user experiences and enhance researcher productivity

Implement retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) systems, conversational AI interfaces, and agentic LLM architectures that automate knowledge work in pharmaceutical research

Deploy and maintain production systems on AWS cloud infrastructure with an emphasis on reliability, performance, scalability, and optimal user experience

Iterate rapidly and continuously improve based on user feedback, evolving scientific needs, and emerging AI/LLM capabilities

Integrate semantic search technologies, vector databases and embedding models to enable intelligent information retrieval

Contribute to the development of novel semantic frameworks and conceptual research that advances AI‑driven knowledge systems for drug discovery

Strengthen cross‑functional collaboration and knowledge sharing through clear communication, documentation, and engagement with the broader research community

Basic Qualifications

PhD in Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, Computer Science, or a related discipline OR Master’s degree and 2+ years of experience building AI‑powered research applications

Strong technical problem‑solving skills with the ability to translate complex scientific requirements into elegant technical solutions

2+ years of programming experience in Python and TypeScript with production‑quality software

Portfolio of production‑grade full‑stack applications with Python backends and React frontends (GitHub portfolio required)

Experience with modern web frameworks, including FastAPI and React.js

Excellent communication and collaboration skills with cross‑functional teams

Strong written, verbal, and presentation communications skills

Preferred Qualifications

Background or demonstrated interest in life sciences, pharmaceutical research, drug discovery, or cheminformatics

Hands‑on experience with LLM frameworks and libraries (OpenAI API, Hugging Face Transformers, Anthropic Claude)

Practical knowledge of prompt engineering, LLM optimization techniques, and best practices for building LLM‑powered applications

Experience building conversational AI interfaces, chatbots, or agentic systems with autonomous decision‑making capabilities

Familiarity with vector databases and semantic search technologies for similarity search and retrieval

Familiarity with MongoDB, PostgreSQL or other modern database technologies for data persistence and retrieval

Experience implementing, training, fine‑tuning, or applying deep‑learning models to NLP or computer‑vision problems using PyTorch

Experience with AWS cloud infrastructure and services (EC2, S3, CloudFormation, RDS) and DevOps best practices

Knowledge of containerization and orchestration tools (e.g., Docker) for scalable application deployment

Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and deployment automation tools (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI)

Physical / Mental Requirements

Ability to perform complex technical problem‑solving and system design requiring sustained concentration and analytical thinking

Ability to rapidly context‑switch between different technical domains (frontend, backend, AI/ML, infrastructure) and scientific problem spaces

Non‑Standard Work Schedule, Travel, or Environment Requirements

Flexibility to collaborate across time zones with global research teams as needed

Occasional travel may be required for team meetings, scientific conferences, or collaborative workshops

Salary & Benefits
The annual base salary for this position ranges from $106,000.00 to $176,600.00. The role is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 15.0% of the base salary and participation in our share‑based long‑term incentive program.

Benefits include a 401(k) plan with Pfizer matching contributions and additional retirement savings contributions, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits covering medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision. Learn more at Pfizer Candidate Site – U.S. Benefits.

Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

Candidates must be authorized to be employed in the United States 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, 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 disabilityrecruitment@pfizer.com. 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.

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