Senior Manager, Laboratory Design & Space Planning

ROLE SUMMARY
The Laboratory Designer & Space Planner serves as Pfizer’s global scientific-workplace authority, accountable for setting laboratory planning strategy, governance, and design standards and for translating evolving research and development (R&D) priorities into portfolio-level laboratory, support, and associated office-space solutions across Pfizer’s global research portfolio.
Operating at the intersection of scientific fluency, design excellence, data-driven space planning, and stakeholder engagement, the role partners with R&D leaders and scientists to program, plan, and continuously optimize laboratory environments that are safe, flexible, efficient, and purpose-built for the science they support. It owns and governs Pfizer’s global laboratory planning and design standards and drives their evolution as scientific priorities, technologies, sustainability expectations, and ways of working change, and it delivers programming and technical planning inputs — feasibility, scope, assumptions, and risks — that inform integrated workplace strategies, capital planning, and investment recommendations.
Reporting to the Director, R&D Workplace Strategy Lead, the role also serves as the team's senior laboratory space specialist and liaison to Global Workplace Design & Change Management (DCM) and to the Sustainability & Hospitality Center of Excellence (COE), upholding their standards across laboratory projects and feeding laboratory insights back into Pfizer's global design standards.
ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES
Scientific requirements translation & lab space programming — Lead Execute engagement with R&D leaders and scientists to understand current and future portfolio-wide scientific requirements and translate them into practical laboratory, support, and associated office-space solutions. Facilitate programming with scientists, laboratory operations, Engineering, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), and Digital to capture workflows, equipment, headcount, capacity, adjacencies, and personnel/material flows, and produce space programs, blocking-and-stacking concepts, and phase-appropriate planning narratives, also assessing how automation and emerging technologies affect laboratory requirements.
Ownership & evolution of global laboratory design standards — Own and govern maintain Pfizer's laboratory planning and design standards — across laboratories, hybrid workspaces, and shared support functions — driving their evolution and keeping them current and shared with the COE. Maintain a high global design bar by integrating evidence-based insights, inclusive design, sustainability, well-being, safety, and operational feedback into standards. Also help establish practical, safety-driven lab standards.
Flexible, adaptable & colleague-centered design — Identify opportunities for flexible, adaptable laboratory design as science priorities evolve, applying metrics and standards while customizing for colleague needs and intended use. Balance generational, accessibility (ADA), and neurodivergent-design considerations with functionality, and balance technology and operational efficiency against cost to ensure efficient use of financial resources.
Master planning, demand forecasting & utilization analytics — Support site, campus, and network master planning and strategic portfolio planning — forecasting laboratory and workplace demand; providing capacity, utilization, and feasibility analysis; and evaluating renovation, consolidation, expansion, and new-build options and their tradeoffs. Maintain accurate space records in the CAFM / IWMS environment (e.g., TRIRIGA) and use that data, with approved analytics and AI-enabled tools, to produce scenario-planning insights that inform capital investment and occupancy decisions.
Cross-functional stakeholder liaison — Serve as the primary liaison among scientists, project teams, architects, engineers, and planners for lab space design and planning initiatives, and as the team's liaison to DCM and the Sustainability & Hospitality COE. Build relationships across GWE operations, laboratory operations, Engineering, Digital, Real Estate, capital planning, and project delivery teams (and external consultants), and partner with each site's EHS and Laboratory Instrument Services (LIS) teams to confirm safety requirements and the services needed when moving or populating labs.
Design & construction project delivery — Develop project scopes and support design and construction teams (internal staff and external architects, engineers, and construction managers) through design, construction, commissioning, start-up, and occupancy. Work in Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) to test laboratory layouts — corewalls, assets, and equipment; identify equipment-related utility, structural, environmental, containment, and digital requirements with Engineering and EHS; and review design deliverables against approved programs, providing scope, assumptions, and risks to inform cost estimates, schedules, and investment planning.
Small-project management & construction oversight — Manage multiple concurrent small projects (typically under $50K) on time, on budget, and safely — covering feasibility and test fits, proposals, logistics, work orders, Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), construction oversight, and multi-trade coordination — and manage approved budgets (purchase orders, Ariba, Statements of Work). Estimate move and reconfiguration costs for proposed laboratory changes.
Innovation, sustainability & change management — Bring innovative practices that keep Pfizer ahead of workplace-design and change-management trends, and embed sustainability, resilience, and operational continuity — energy efficiency, waste reduction, eco-friendly materials, and colleague well-being — into laboratory recommendations.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Interior Design, Engineering, a scientific discipline, or a related built-environment field (equivalent professional qualification or experience accepted in lieu).
7+ years of progressive experience in laboratory design & planning, space planning, or workplace/occupancy planning, including programming and design across multiple project phases and facility types.
Demonstrated expertise in pharmaceutical or biotechnology research environments and specialized laboratory types (e.g., biology, chemistry, analytical and pharmaceutical sciences, process development, vivarium, clean room, containment), including the scientific equipment, workflows, and operational, safety, and regulatory (e.g., cGMP) considerations that shape laboratory design.
Demonstrated ability to translate user and scientific requirements into laboratory space programs, adjacency diagrams, test fits, and workflow-driven layouts, with the ability to read and produce architectural drawings.
Proficiency with AutoCAD and Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC); working knowledge of CAFM / IWMS and space-management platforms (e.g., TRIRIGA); and proficiency with Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Ariba.
Strong data-analysis and space-benchmarking skills, including cost estimating for laboratory builds, moves, and reconfigurations.
Knowledge of construction practices, applicable building codes, and laboratory EHS, life-safety, and egress requirements, with the ability to apply current guidance when planning and rearranging labs.
Strong communication, presentation, influencing, and facilitation skills, with sound judgment, the ability to work independently, and the ability to lead cross-functional, multi-trade discussions.
Ability to analyze alternatives and technical / operational tradeoffs and to manage multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities across a matrixed, global organization.
A flexible, collaborative team player who listens well and adapts in ambiguous, evolving environments.
Candidate demonstrates a breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, develop and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Proficiency with Revit, Bluebeam, building information modeling (BIM), and other industry-standard design / space-planning software.
Experience coordinating laboratory programming with containment, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems, casework, and equipment planning, and reviewing external consultant deliverables against approved programs.
Experience with master planning and strategic portfolio planning across multi-site or geographically dispersed portfolios.
Knowledge of sustainability frameworks relevant to laboratory and workplace design (WELL, LEED, BREEAM) and their application in corporate real estate.
Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) experience — structured design, data collection, and findings synthesis.
Formal project- and change-management experience or certification.
Master's degree in architecture, engineering, facilities management, life sciences, or a related discipline, and / or relevant professional licensure or accreditation.
PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Primarily office-based role requiring use of standard office equipment and digital collaboration tools. Requires travel to R&D sites and periodic walkthroughs of office, laboratory, facility, and project
environments. Must demonstrate sound judgment, analytical thinking, stakeholder influence, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a f