Business Technology Solutions Manager (Drug Discovery)

Zs Associates; India; Hybrid; INR 4,500,000 - 7,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working model

Travel opportunities

Job summary

ZS Associates in India (Pune preferred) is seeking a Manager-level technology delivery leader to build and own the offshore delivery function for data and technology. You will lead 20-30+ engineers delivering data engineering, pipelines, and platform work for global clients.

This is a non hands-on leadership role focused on delivery model, scope, and quality. You will oversee staffing, cross-geography coordination, and asset development, including Gen AI-driven tools, to drive efficiency and

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant experience in technology delivery, data engineering, or platform implementation in pharma/biotech/life sciences context.
• Hands-on understanding of data engineering and pipeline technologies including ETL concepts and cloud data infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Own the offshore delivery model for data excellence and technology implementation.
• Manage and develop a 20-30+ data engineers, developers, and consultants across multiple client engagements.
• Coordinate across offshore/offshore delivery teams, R&D tech infra, and onshore client leads.
• Participate in client calls, present progress, and discuss technical approaches.
• Contribute to internal asset development and Gen AI related initiatives; ~20-25% of time.
• Drive delivery excellence: financial controls, risk management, and quality.
• Build a community for the offshore team and provide senior leadership.

Skills

Data engineering

Team leadership

Delivery management

Cross-geography coordination

English fluency

Client-facing

Innovation

Problem solving

Collaboration

Strategic thinking

Tools

AWS

Databricks

S3

Informatica

Job description

ZS is a place where passion changes lives. As a management consulting and technology firm focused on improving life and how we live it, we transform ideas into impact by bringing together data, science, technology and human ingenuity to deliver better outcomes for all. Here you’ll work side-by-side with a powerful collective of thinkers and experts shaping life-changing solutions for patients, caregivers and consumers, worldwide. ZSers drive impact by bringing a client-first mentality to each and every engagement. We partner collaboratively with our clients to develop custom solutions and technology products that create value and deliver company results across critical areas of their business. Bring your curiosity for learning, bold ideas, courage and passion to drive life-changing impact to ZS.

ZS Discovery partners with pharmaceutical and biotech clients to accelerate the discovery of safer, more effective therapeutics. The team brings hands-on scientific expertise, advanced analytics, AI, and strategic consulting to help research organizations become more productive, more data-driven, and more confident in their decisions. As a venture within ZS building toward practice status, Discovery combines agility and innovation with the resources and knowledge of the broader firm.

We are looking for a Manager-level technology delivery leader based in India (Pune preferred) to build and own the offshore delivery function for our data and technology practice. You will manage a team of 20-30+ people delivering data engineering, pipeline development, and platform work for pharmaceutical and biotech clients across the US and Europe. You will also contribute to internal asset development and work involving Gen AI-related technologies.

This is a delivery leadership role, not a hands-on technical role. You will run the team, own the operating model, coordinate across geographies, and ensure quality and efficiency across a growing portfolio of client engagements. The work sits in the drug discovery and preclinical research space, so familiarity with R&D data and scientific workflows is a strong advantage.

What You’ll Do

• Own the offshore delivery model for ZSD’s data excellence and technology implementation work. You will establish processes for staffing, coordination, and quality across the portfolio.
• Manage and develop a team of 20-30+ data engineers, developers, and consultants delivering across multiple concurrent client engagements.
• Coordinate across three organizational boundaries: the offshore delivery team, the broader R&D technology infrastructure team, and onshore client engagement leads in the US and Europe.
• Participate in client calls, present delivery progress, and discuss technical approaches. You will not own client relationships, but you will be visible and expected to be credible.
• Contribute to internal asset development and innovation. Roughly 20-25% of your time will involve building reusable tools and accelerators for data excellence work, including Gen AI-related technologies.
• Drive delivery excellence: financial controls, risk management, efficiency improvements, and consistent quality across the team’s output.
• Build a community for the offshore team. You will be the senior leader these people report to and rally around.

What You’ll Bring

• 8+ years of relevant experience in technology delivery, data engineering, or platform implementation in a pharma, biotech, or life sciences context.
• Hands-on understanding of data engineering and pipeline technologies: ETL concepts, cloud data infrastructure (AWS, Databricks, S3, or equivalent), and enterprise data platforms (Informatica or similar).
• Experience managing delivery teams of 10+ people across geographies. You have run teams, not just participated on them.
• Familiarity with drug discovery, preclinical research, or R&D informatics is a strong preference. You do not need to be a scientist, but you should be able to learn the domain quickly and engage credibly with onshore leads and clients.
• Delivery management orientation. You think in terms of team capacity, project risk, financial controls, and process improvement, not just technical execution.
• Cross-geography coordination. You have worked across time zones and organizational boundaries and can manage the complexity that comes with distributed delivery.
• Client-facing comfort. You can participate in client meetings, present work, and discuss technical approaches without needing extensive preparation or hand-holding.
• Innovation instinct. You are interested in building reusable assets and applying new technologies (including Gen AI) to improve how delivery teams operate.
• People leadership. You want to build a team, develop people, and create a sense of community and purpose, not just manage tasks.
• Fluency in English
• Client-first mentality
• Intense work ethic
• Collaborative spirit and problem-solving approach

How you’ll grow:

• Cross-functional skills development & custom learning pathways
• Milestone training programs aligned to career progression opportunities
• Internal mobility paths that empower growth via s-curves, individual contribution and role expansions

Perks & Benefits:

At ZS, your growth matters. We offer a comprehensive total rewards package that supports your health and well-being, financial future, time away, and professional development. With robust skills-building programs, multiple career progression paths, internal mobility, and a deeply collaborative culture, you’ll have the opportunity to do meaningful work, expand your capabilities, and thrive as part of a global community. For details on total rewards in India, visit ZS India office locations | Where we work | ZS.

Hybrid working model:

We are committed to giving our employees a flexible and connected way of working. A flexible and connected ZS allows us to combine work from home and on-site presence at clients/ZS offices for the majority of our week. The magic of ZS culture and innovation thrives in both planned and spontaneous face-to-face connections.

Travel:

Travel is a requirement at ZS for client facing ZSers; business needs of your project and client are the priority. While some projects may be local, all client-facing ZSers should be prepared to travel as needed. Travel provides opportunities to strengthen client relationships, gain diverse experiences, and enhance professional growth by working in different environments and cultures.

ZS is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment and advancement opportunities without regard to any class protected by applicable law.