Head of Solutions Engineering H/F - Sanofi - Gentilly (CDI)

Job Title: Head of Solutions Engineering

Location: Paris, FR

About This Role

Sanofi is building the pharmaceutical industry's first AI-powered operating system-and we need a Head of Solutions Engineering (a Technology Principle) to make it happen. You'll lead a specialized team of 5-7 solution engineers while partnering directly with our Agentic AI core team to accelerate cloud transformation, modernize API frameworks, and dramatically improve infrastructure reliability across our global pharmaceutical operations.

This isn't a traditional technology role. You'll build and lead a cross-functional team with full hiring authority while maintaining the technical depth to challenge specialists and drive architectural coherence. Your decisions will impact 130K+ users, 21,000 hosts, 4,000 databases, and 5,000 applications supporting life-saving medicine development worldwide.

Reporting Structure: Direct report to Global Head of Digital Technology with dotted line to Enterprise Architecture

We are an innovative global healthcare company with one purpose: to chase the miracles of science to improve people's lives. We're also a company where you can flourish and grow your career, with countless opportunities to explore, make connections with people, and stretch the limits of what you thought was possible. Ready to get started?

What You'll Lead

Build Your Technical Dream Team

- Recruit 5-7 specialized solution engineers across Cloud, API/Integration, Database, Network, and Observability
- Establish cross-domain collaboration frameworks that eliminate technical silos
- Drive professional development and career growth for high-performing technical talent
- Lead through influence and technical credibility in a matrix organization

Enable AI-Powered Pharmaceutical Innovation

- Partner with Agentic AI core team to design infrastructure supporting intelligent automation
- Architect cloud-native solutions optimized for AI/ML workloads with pharmaceutical compliance
- Establish real-time data pipelines enabling AI-powered drug discovery and manufacturing
- Implement API frameworks supporting agent-to-agent communication and automated decision-making

Accelerate Critical Technology Transformations

- Cloud Transformation: Lead hybrid cloud migration with AWS/Azure governance and FinOps
- API Modernization: Design an enterprise API strategy enabling seamless pharmaceutical data flows
- Database Evolution: Modernize data architecture supporting AI/ML analytics and regulatory compliance
- Observability & SRE: Implement monitoring platforms targeting 50% incident reduction, 70% MTTR improvement
- Network Security: Deploy a zero-trust architecture across global pharmaceutical operations

Drive Strategic Technology Governance

- Co-develop enterprise standards with Enterprise Architecture, balancing innovation and compliance
- Guide technology evaluation and vendor strategies for pharmaceutical-scale implementations
- Establish architectural decision frameworks, ensuring consistency across global operations
- Integrate GxP, SOX, and pharmaceutical regulatory requirements into all technology practices

About you

Required Experience

- 15+ years enterprise technology leadership including 5+ years leading technical teams with hiring authority
- Deep expertise across 3+ domains: Cloud Architecture, API/Integration, Database, Network, and Observability
- Large-scale transformation leadership in organizations with 10,000+ users
- Regulated industry experience with GxP, SOX, HIPAA, or equivalent compliance frameworks
- AI/ML infrastructure experience, including data pipelines and cloud-native ML platforms
- Multi-platform integration and strategic technology planning at enterprise scale
- Travel: 30% domestic and international travel required for global team collaboration and stakeholder engagement
- Language: Fluid in English

Highly Valued Experience

- Agentic AI or intelligent automation platform implementation
- Multi-cloud expertise (AWS/Azure) with FinOps and governance
- Site Reliability Engineering with observability platform implementation
- Global technology operations across distributed teams and regulatory environments

Essential Leadership Capabilities

- Cross-Domain Technical Leadership: Guide specialists while maintaining architectural coherence
- AI-Technology Translation: Bridge AI/ML requirements with foundational technology capabilities
- Pharmaceutical Business Acumen: Understand how technology impacts drug development and patient outcomes
- Strategic Communication: Translate complex technical concepts for C-level executives
- Innovation-Compliance Balance: Drive cutting-edge adoption while maintaining regulatory adherence

Education & Credentials

Required

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, Systems Analysis, or related field; OR
- Equivalent: 20+ years of progressive enterprise technology leadership may substitute the degree

Preferred

- Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering Management, or MBA with a technology/healthcare focus
- Cloud certifications: AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert
- Enterprise Architecture: TOGAF, Zachman Framework
- Additional certifications: DevOps, Automation (Terraform, Kubernetes), Networking, Security, AI/ML platforms

Why Choose Us?

- Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team.
- Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it's through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally.
- Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact.
- Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs and at least 14 weeks' gender-neutral parental leave.

La diversité et l'inclusion sont les piliers de la manière dont Sanofi fonctionne et font partie intégrante des valeurs de la société. Nous respectons la diversité de nos collaborateurs, tout comme celle de leurs parcours et expériences. Afin de bénéficier de la richesse qu'apporte la diversité, Sanofi s'engage à donner l'exemple en matière d'inclusion et à favoriser un environnement de travail où les différences peuvent prospérer et contribuer à aider les patients à retrouver une vie meilleure.

Dans le cadre de son engagement diversité, Sanofi accueille et intègre des collaborateurs en situation de handicap.