Staff and Team Lead, Onyx Application Engineering

GlaxoSmithKline; London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the pharmaceutical sector seeks a Staff and Team Lead for Onyx Application Engineering. This role combines leadership and technical expertise to develop data-driven applications, manage a skilled engineering team, and ensure high performance. Candidates should have a strong background in application development, team management, and cloud technologies, with a focus on innovation and quality standards.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in IT or Pharma.
• Proven track record in large-scale application development.
• Experience managing and developing engineers or technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a team of skilled engineers.
• Design, develop, and maintain full-stack, data-driven applications.
• Support applications in production, transforming mock-ups into MVPs.

Skills

Communication

Time Management

Project Delivery

Team Management

Web Backend Languages

Cloud Deployment

Development Tools

Front-end Technologies

API Development

CI/CD Pipelines

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Master’s degree or higher (preferred)

Tools

Git/GitHub

DevOps

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Staff and Team Lead, Onyx Application Engineering

The Onyx Research Data Tech organization is a major investment by GSK R&D and Digital & Tech, aimed at enhancing our ability to leverage data, knowledge, and prediction for new medicine discovery. We are a full-stack team comprising product and portfolio leadership, data engineering, infrastructure and DevOps, data/metadata/knowledge platforms, and AI/ML and analysis platforms, all focused on:

• Creating a next-generation data experience for GSK’s scientists, engineers, and decision-makers to boost productivity and minimize data handling time.

• Offering top-tier AI/ML and data analysis environments to accelerate predictive capabilities and attract leading talent.

• Scaling data engineering efforts to unlock the value of our combined data assets.

• Developing scientific technology products that utilize the data and capabilities provided by Onyx.

The Staff Application Engineer and Team Lead will be crucial in advancing GSK’s technological landscape, focusing on designing, delivering, and supporting state-of-the-art data-driven applications. This role combines leadership with technical expertise, overseeing the development, deployment, and maintenance of high-performance applications tailored to our scientific users. Responsibilities include collaborating with cross-functional teams to understand requirements, designing scalable architectures, and integrating advanced data analytics. Staying updated on latest technological trends in application development and software engineering practices is essential to ensure our applications remain current and forward-compatible.

This role also involves building and leading a high-performing engineering team, managing resources, fostering employee development, and ensuring adherence to best practices. The role includes maintaining existing applications, ensuring security, availability, reliability, and performance. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in large-scale application development, system design expertise for robust, scalable architectures, and excellent communication skills to liaise effectively with stakeholders at all levels.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build and lead a team of skilled engineers, ensuring impactful solutions and high execution standards.

• Design, develop, and maintain full-stack, data-driven, cloud applications for scientific use.

• Develop and monitor key metrics for applications and services, iterating for continuous improvement.

• Support applications in production, transforming mock-ups into MVPs and production solutions.

• Mentor engineers to enhance their technical and interpersonal skills.

• Promote quality software standards through test automation and best practices.

• Collaborate with product teams on roadmaps and user requirements.

• Foster a culture of innovation, feedback, and high performance.

• Manage external development partners to ensure capacity and timely delivery.

Why You!

We seek professionals with these essential skills:

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a communication-related or Computer Science field, with significant experience in IT or Pharma.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Effective time management, organization, and project delivery skills.

• Experience managing and developing engineers or technical teams.

• Strong knowledge of at least one web backend language (Python, Scala, Java, JavaScript/Node.js) and associated toolchains.

• Experience deploying applications in cloud environments like Google Cloud (preferred), AWS, or Azure.

• Proficiency with modern development tools (git/GitHub, DevOps, monitoring).

• Proficiency in front-end technologies: JavaScript, Typescript, React.js, Angular.js.

• Experience with API development (REST, GraphQL, gRPC).

• Experience with open-source web frameworks in Python, Java, Scala, etc.

• Knowledge of authentication mechanisms like OAuth2.

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines.

• Experience working in agile environments using Jira and Confluence.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree or higher.

• Leadership experience in cross-functional projects.

• Experience embedding operational excellence in teams.

• Knowledge of database modeling, SQL, and data visualization tools.

Interested in Joining the Team?

Please apply via our online portal with your CV and Cover Letter. Remember to keep a copy of this job description, as it will not be available online after the application closes.

Closing Date: 30th May 2025

This role offers hybrid working, with 2-3 days onsite per week.