Novartis Posted July 24, 2026

Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) Data42

Basel (City), Switzerland Regular
Data & Digital

Novartis is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Location: Basel, Switzerland #LI-Hybrid 3 days/week in officeInternal job title: Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) Data42About the Role:The Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) at Data42 is an embedded technical delivery leader who partners directly with domain teams to turn high-value problems into working data and AI applications. You will rapidly prototype, iterate, and productionize solutions on Palantir Foundry, bridging users, product, and platform engineering to deliver measurable outcomes. This role blends software engineering, data engineering, and product-oriented problem solving, with a strong emphasis on user workflow adoption and operational durability.

Key Responsibilities:  Embedded delivery and problem solving: Embed with domain teams to understand workflows, define success criteria, and translate needs into shipped capabilities; Lead discovery, solution framing, and iterative delivery from prototype to production.Build on Palantir Foundry: Design and implement end-to-end solutions in Foundry, including data pipelines, transformations, ontology alignment, and application workflows; Configure and optimize Foundry-based applications to support operational decision-making and repeatable analytics;  Apply Foundry-native patterns for permissions, auditability, performance, and release management.Data engineering and modeling: Ingest, transform, and model diverse datasets to make them usable and trustworthy for analytics and applications; Define data quality checks and ensure datasets are fit for intended use (document assumptions and limitations).Application development and integration: Build user-facing applications or workflow experiences and integrate with upstream and downstream systems as needed; Support deployment, monitoring, and ongoing improvement of production applications.Cross-functional leadership: Partner closely with product managers, data scientists, data engineers, governance, and platform teams to align scope, timelines, and standards; Communicate trade-offs clearly and unblock delivery through technical and stakeholder influence.Enablement and reuse: Create reusable templates, components, and patterns to accelerate future deliveries across Data42; Mentor teammates and contribute to internal documentation, playbooks, and delivery standards.Essential Requirements:Bachelors degree in Biology, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Biostatistics or related discipline.8+ years of experience working in biomedical research, bioengineering, bioinformatics or related domain.Hands-on experience with Palantir Foundry building and operationalizing solutions (pipelines, ontology, applications, and access controls), with a Foundry-first engineering and delivery mindset.Solid experience in partnering with stakeholders to understand challenges and define effective solutions, developing and delivering Proof of Concepts to validate ideas and demonstrate business value.Demonstrated experience delivering software, data, or analytics products in a fast-paced, user-facing environment, with expertise in rapid prototyping to production execution.Strong programming skills and comfort working across data and application layers.Strong user empathy and workflow orientation, with proven ability to work directly with end users, clarify ambiguous requirements, and deliver iteratively.Excellent communication skills and stakeholder management skills, with strong reliability and operational discipline.Desirable requirements:Experience delivering solutions in regulated or sensitive-data environments, with strong attention to access control and audit needs.Familiarity with product discovery methods (problem framing, value definition, iterative MVP delivery).Experience with analytics, AI, or machine learning enablement within production applications.​Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:We are committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.Benefits & Rewards  At Novartis, we’re committed to reimagining medicine together - and rewarding the people who make it happen. Expected Annual Base Salary Range for role:  CHF 129,500 to CHF 240,500 .The base salary offered is determined based on gender-neutral objectives, such as relevant skills, competencies and experience in accordance with the Novartis pay setting policy and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. In addition to your base salary, you may be eligible for a performance-based bonus depending on certain performance parameters. The rewards of being part of our team go far beyond base pay and incentives. We also offer a variety of competitive benefits in kind to help you thrive personally and professionally, such as insurance plans, retirement plans, wellbeing resources and global recognition programs. In addition, we provide flexible and hybrid working options, where possible, and minimum 14 weeks paid parental leave. Why Novartis?Our purpose is to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives and our vision is to become the most valued and trusted medicines company in the world. How can we achieve this? With our people. It is our associates that drive us each day to reach our ambitions. Be a part of this mission and join us! Learn more here: https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-cultureJoin our Novartis Network: If this role is not suitable to your experience or career goals but you wish to stay connected to learn more about Novartis and our career opportunities, join the Novartis Network here: https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/network

Job details

Seniority
Not listed
Function
Data & Digital
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Basel (City), Switzerland
Employment type
Regular

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Data & Digital role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 292 comparable Data & Digital roles across 41 biopharma companies.

292Comparable roles tracked
273Currently active
41Companies hiring similar roles
20Countries represented

Salary context

60 of 292 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function. This posting doesn't list a seniority level, so peers aren't narrowed by seniority either -- the range below may span more levels than usual.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Data Engineer, PDS&T CMC · AbbVie $65,500/yr – $125,500/yr
Peer group range $95,500 – $339,950 (median $198,000)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 292 comparable roles

India112
United States85
France22
Spain16
United Kingdom8
Canada7

+ 14 more countries

Seniority mix

158 of 292 peers have a known seniority level

Senior57
Manager31
Associate Director20
Director16
Principal16
Associate8
Executive/VP7
Senior Director3

Therapeutic area mix

6 of 292 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Immunology3
Oncology2
Ophthalmology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

40%similar
Novartis Basel (City), Switzerland Director
Same function Same country
40%similar
Novartis Basel (City), Switzerland Director
Same function Same country
40%similar
Novartis Basel (City), Switzerland Principal
Same function Same country
40%similar
Novartis Basel (City), Switzerland
Same function Same country
40%similar
Novartis Basel (City), Switzerland
Same function Same country
25%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
Same function

Matched on job function only -- seniority, specialty, and location weren't confirmed as aligned.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

40%
Director & Group Head (AI-Systems & Scale)
Novartis · Basel (City), Switzerland · Director
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
40%
AI Scientist – AI-Driven Target Identification
Novartis · Basel (City), Switzerland · Seniority not listed
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
25%
Sr. Scientist / APS, Data Compliance & Governance Management
AstraZeneca · Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
25%
Senior Expert Data Scientist - Translational Medicine
Novartis · Hyderabad (Office), India · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.