Otsuka Pharmaceuticals

Associate Director, IT Senior Engineer

Otsuka Pharmaceuticals$169K — $253K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10-12+ years of hands-on experience in AI/ML Platform Engineering, LLMOps/MLOps, DevOps with proven production-grade AI systems.
  • In-depth knowledge of cloud AI platform services on Azure and AWS with sound build-vs-buy judgment.
  • Strong Python engineering skills and proficiency in FastAPI or Flask for AI services.
  • Experience with Dataiku for workflow orchestration and model integration.
  • Familiarity with Agentic AI frameworks like LangChain and Semantic Kernel with multi-agent workflow experience.
  • Knowledge of prompt engineering for LLMs and iterative prompt refinement.
  • Working knowledge of containerization (Docker), CI/CD tooling, and vector databases.

Responsibilities

  • Design and engineer reusable Agentic AI components and multi-agent workflows.
  • Apply emerging AI interaction standards to support scalable multi-agent systems.
  • Lead small partner teams to deliver CI/CD blueprints and observability dashboards.
  • Drive enablement of the Agentic AI Center for Excellence by creating knowledge articles and leading office hours.
  • Contribute to enterprise AI reference architectures, standards, and governance controls.
  • Implement evaluation frameworks for LLMs and performance metrics.
  • Collaborate with Platform Engineering to align deployments with operational standards.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
  • Company-provided life, accidental death & dismemberment, and disability insurance.
  • Tuition reimbursement and student loan assistance.
  • Generous 401(k) match and flexible time off.
  • Paid holidays and leave programs.
Full Job Description
We are seeking a hands on Sr. AI Platform Engineer (Associate Director) to collaborate and drive platform aligned AI outcomes across the enterprise. The role provides engineering leadership and AI solution architecture oversight for platform and framework deliverables - reference patterns and guardrails, CI/CD & IaC blueprints, governance by design controls, observability, and cost/performance posture - delivered on approved platforms (Dataiku, Azure AI, AWS Bedrock/AgentCore, Snowflake Cortex). Operating in a regulated pharmaceutical environment, you will lead small delivery teams and collaborate with Data Science, Cloud/Infrastructure, and IT to guide use cases onto secure, reliable, compliant production pathways, while building reusable components and agentic enablement patterns adopted across domains.

  • Design and Engineer reusable Agentic AI components and multi-agent workflows for planning, reasoning, memory, and tool orchestration using LangChain, LangGraph, AutoGen, and Semantic Kernel.
  • Apply emerging AI interaction standards including Model Context Protocol (MCP) and A2A (Agent-to-Agent) communication to support scalable multi-agent systems.
  • Lead small platform/ partner teams to deliver framework components: CI/CD blueprints, IaC modules, prompt/model versioning, evaluation harnesses, policy-as-code, observability dashboards (telemetry/drift/safety), and incident runbooks.
  • Help and drive enablement of the Agentic AI C4E by creating practitioner knowledge articles, supporting and leading office hours, and engaging on project scoping, architecture reviews, and governance alignment.
  • Contribute and operationalize enterprise AI reference architectures, standards, and guardrails to align teams on consistent patterns and quality.
  • Implement evaluation frameworks for LLMs, prompts, safety/guardrails, hallucination risk, and performance metrics; de-emphasize RAG where not required.
  • Contribute to enhancing internal AI frameworks, orchestration templates, and reusable components to improve scalability and delivery consistency.
  • Collaborate with Platform Engineering to align deployments with enterprise CI/CD, observability, governance, and operational standards; advance reliability for AI workloads (SLOs, telemetry, incident prevention) with SRE/SecOps.
  • Ensure solutions follow Responsible AI practices, security requirements, privacy-by-design, and pharma regulatory controls (GxP, 21 CFR Part 11); embed security-by-design and policy enforcement with documentation and traceability.
  • Influence technical priorities, sequencing, and trade-offs across partner teams; provide inputs to vendor selection and adoption decisions where relevant.
  • Guide solution teams onto approved platform pathways (Dataiku automation, Azure/AWS AI services, Snowflake Cortex), ensuring scalability, reliability (SLOs), security, and governed delivery in a regulated setting.
  • Influence priorities and sequencing, unblock delivery risks, and communicate progress, risks, and value to senior stakeholders.


Qualifications
  • 10-12+ years of hands-on experience in AI/ML Platform Engineering, LLMOps/MLOps, DevOps with a proven track record of building and deploying production-grade AI systems.
  • Depth with cloud AI platform services on Azure (OpenAI, Azure AI/ML, Cognitive Search) and AWS (Bedrock, AgentCore, Comprehend, SageMaker), with sound build-vs-buy judgment.
  • Strong Python engineering skills and proficiency with FastAPI or Flask for building AI-powered services.
  • Hands-on with Dataiku for workflow orchestration, automation scenarios, model integration, or plugin-based extensions.
  • Deep familiarity with Agentic AI frameworks - LangChain, LangGraph, AutoGen, Semantic Kernel - with demonstrated experience building multi-agent workflows, autonomous task orchestration, and tool-enabled agent systems. (RAG familiarity is valued but not the primary emphasis.)
  • Experience with prompt engineering and iterative prompt refinement for internal LLM use cases.
  • Working knowledge of containerization (Docker), CI/CD tooling, and vector database integrations (e.g., OpenSearch, Pinecone).
  • Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work closely with data scientists, engineers, security/compliance partners, and business stakeholders in a regulated environment.
  • Effective communication, technical storytelling, and problem-solving skills; able to influence technical direction across teams.
  • Self-motivated, hands-on, and results-oriented, with continuous learning in GenAI, Agentic AI, and modern orchestration patterns.


Educational Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).


  • Preferred Certifications (nice to have):
  • Cloud/GenAI: AWS or Azure AI / AWS or Azure Developer / AWS Solutions Architect; AWS Bedrock or Generative AI, Machine Learning Specialty.
  • Agentic/AI Tooling: LangChain / Semantic Kernel badges or equivalent micro-credentials.

Competencies
Accountability for Results - Stay focused on key strategic objectives, be accountable for high standards of performance, and take an active role in leading change.
Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving - Make decisions considering the long-term impact to customers, patients, employees, and the business.
Patient & Customer Centricity - Maintain an ongoing focus on the needs of our customers and/or key stakeholders.
Impactful Communication - Communicate with logic, clarity, and respect. Influence at all levels to achieve the best results for Otsuka.
Respectful Collaboration - Seek and value others' perspectives and strive for diverse partnerships to enhance work toward common goals.
Empowered Development - Play an active role in professional development as a business imperative.

Minimum $169,222.00 - Maximum $253,000.00, plus incentive opportunity: The range shown represents a typical pay range or starting pay for individuals who are hired in the role to perform in the United States. Other elements may be used to determine actual pay such as the candidate's job experience, specific skills, and comparison to internal incumbents currently in role. Typically, actual pay will be positioned within the established range, rather than at its minimum or maximum. This information is provided to applicants in accordance with states and local laws.

Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 5 business days.

Company benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, company provided basic life, accidental death & dismemberment, short-term and long-term disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, student loan assistance, a generous 401(k) match, flexible time off, paid holidays, and paid leave programs as well as other company provided benefits.

Come discover more about Otsuka and our benefit offerings; https://ah-prod.com/multi/videoplayer/player.html?v=[redacted].

Join Our Talent Community: Stay connected with Otsuka by joining our Talent Community. Tell us about your interests, and we'll notify you about future opportunities that align with your background. https://community.hireez.com/cielo-otsuka/82cb3591

About Otsuka Pharmaceuticals

Otsuka Pharmaceutical is a Japanese pharmaceutical company that develops and markets a range of products including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and nutritional supplements. The company was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Otsuka Pharmaceutical has a strong research and development program and has developed several innovative drugs for the treatment of various diseases. The company is committed to sustainability and has implemented several initiatives to reduce its environmental impact. Otsuka Pharmaceutical has a global presence and operates in several countries around the world.
Learn more about Otsuka Pharmaceuticals
Size
9,171 employees
Industry
Founded
1989
NASDAQ

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals

More Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Jobs

Find similar Associate Director, IT Senior Engineer jobs: