Principal Administrator - Systems Management
About the job
- At least 8 years of experience in IT operations, infrastructure engineering, or software engineering, including at least 3 years in a dedicated Site Reliability Engineering or platform engineering role.
- Demonstrable expertise with cloud platforms, particularly Microsoft Azure, including compute, networking, storage, and managed services.
- Hands-on experience with artificial intelligence and machine-learning platforms and tooling, including Azure AI Foundry, Azure Machine Learning, OpenAI APIs, or equivalent.
- Strong proficiency in networking technologies, including the TCP/IP stack, DNS, HTTP/S, load balancing, VPN, SD-WAN, and cloud networking constructs.
- Proficiency in at least two programming or scripting languages, such as Python, Go, Bash, or PowerShell, with a portfolio of production-quality automation or tooling.
- Deep experience with observability platforms such as Azure Monitor, Datadog, Grafana, or Prometheus, or equivalent.
- Hands-on expertise with infrastructure-as-code tooling such as Ansible, Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates, and modern continuous integration and continuous delivery platforms such as Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.
- A proven track record in Site Reliability Engineering practices, including SLO/SLI definition, error budgets, chaos engineering, and toil elimination.
- A bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, information systems, engineering, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- At least 8 years of experience in IT operations, enterprise systems engineering, infrastructure architecture, or a related field.
- Own and drive the reliability, availability, and performance of critical production systems, defining and enforcing SLOs, SLIs, and error budgets across services.
- Lead incident response efforts as the escalation point for major outages, conduct thorough post-incident reviews, and drive systemic improvements from blameless retrospectives.
- Design and implement advanced observability strategies, including distributed tracing, structured logging, and metrics-driven alerting using modern observability platforms.
- Identify manual operational work and replace it with automation and self-healing systems to reduce toil.
- Develop and maintain clear, tested, and actionable runbooks, playbooks, and disaster recovery procedures.
- Lead the evaluation, integration, and operationalization of AI-powered tooling, with a focus on platforms such as Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI Service, and related MLOps frameworks.
- Architect and maintain AI/ML infrastructure pipelines, including model deployment, inference endpoints, monitoring, and feedback loops for production AI systems.
- Drive adoption of AI-assisted operations, including intelligent alerting, anomaly detection, predictive capacity planning, and LLM-based automation workflows.
- Collaborate with product and data science teams to translate AI capabilities into reliable, production-grade services with appropriate guardrails and governance.
- Stay current with emerging AI tooling and identify opportunities to apply new capabilities to operational challenges.
- Apply networking principles, including TCP/IP, DNS, BGP, load balancing, CDN, SD-WAN, and zero-trust network architecture, to diagnose and resolve complex infrastructure issues.
- Partner with network engineering teams to ensure resilient, low-latency connectivity for distributed and cloud-native services.
- Design and validate network observability practices, including flow analysis, packet capture, and performance baselining across hybrid cloud environments.
- Contribute to network security posture through familiarity with firewalls, WAFs, DDoS mitigation, and private connectivity patterns such as Azure Private Link and ExpressRoute.
- Write production-quality code and automation in one or more languages, such as Python, Go, or PowerShell, to build internal tooling, infrastructure-as-code, and automation frameworks.
- Apply software engineering best practices, including version control with Git, CI/CD pipelines, code review, testing, and documentation, to operational work.
- Contribute to and govern infrastructure-as-code standards using Terraform, Bicep, or similar tooling across cloud environments, primarily Azure.
- Design and develop APIs and microservices that enhance operational capabilities, integrating with monitoring, ticketing, and AI platforms.
- Serve as a technical authority and mentor, guiding engineers across IT Operations on SRE principles, architectural decisions, and engineering excellence.
- Influence product roadmaps by advocating for reliability and operability as first-class design requirements.
- Engage with senior stakeholders and leadership to communicate risk, reliability posture, and strategic improvements in clear, business-relevant terms.
- Drive alignment across infrastructure, security, application, and AI teams to ensure cohesive and well-integrated operational practices.
- Experience deploying and operating LLM-based workflows or agents in production environments.
- Familiarity with FinOps principles and cloud cost optimization in large-scale environments.
- Knowledge of healthcare, pharmaceutical, or regulated-industry compliance requirements such as SOC 2, HIPAA, or GxP.
- Experience with Kubernetes and container orchestration at scale.
- Relevant certifications such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Certified Kubernetes Administrator, Google SRE, AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX), or equivalent. A master's degree in computer science, information technology, information systems, engineering, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience, is preferred.
About the company
Cencora buys and distributes medicines for pharmacies, hospitals and physician practices, while helping drug manufacturers bring treatments to patients. Its businesses combine wholesale supply networks with specialty distribution for complex therapies and services that support prescribing and patient access. Customers order medicines through its distribution systems, and its teams manage sourcing, storage and delivery alongside pharmacy operations and manufacturer support. It earns revenue from pharmaceutical sales and fees for logistics and healthcare services. The parent company was formed in 2001 through the merger that created AmerisourceBergen, adopted the Cencora name in 2023, and is headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
Founded
2001
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Pharmacy contracts deepen customer ties: Cencora negotiates insurer agreements and handles administrative work through its managed-care networks.
- Eligible US staff gain retirement support: Cencora counts student-loan payments toward its employer match, up to 4% of pay.
- Drug demand expands sales: Cencora reported 5.1% quarterly revenue growth in August 2026, led by higher US volumes.
What critics are saying
- Customer dependence concentrates risk: Walgreens and Boots supplied 25% of Cencora's fiscal 2025 revenue, reported in November 2025.
- Legal liabilities tie up cash: Cencora's November 2025 filing recorded $4.3 billion in opioid settlements, payable over 13 years.
- Warehouse work is physical: Cencora's day-shift associate listing requires repeated lifting up to 50 pounds and overtime availability.
What makes Cencora unique
- Independent pharmacies get a shared brand: Cencora's Good Neighbor Pharmacy franchise supports their merchandising and store identity.
- Specialty shipments use reusable packaging: Cencora's World Courier Cocoon containers combine passive temperature control with live location monitoring.
- Medicines arrive ready for bedside checks: Cencora's American Health Packaging sells barcoded unit doses that support hospital scanning.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Paid Parental Leave
Adoption Assistance
Infertility Coverage
Family Planning Benefits
Behavioral Health Solutions
Professional Development Budget
Training Programs
Company News
Cencora has launched Cell and Gene Therapy Enablement through its Accelerate Pharmacy Solutions division to help health systems develop and expand cell and gene therapy programmes. The service provides support across financial planning, operational readiness, and scalable growth to reduce care barriers and improve patient access to advanced therapies. More than 35 cell and gene therapies have received FDA approval, with over 1,700 clinical trials underway globally. However, only 4% of health system pharmacy leaders report being fully prepared to integrate these treatments, highlighting infrastructure gaps. The offering includes market assessments, readiness evaluations, governance design, and workflow planning. Cencora, ranked number 10 on the Fortune 500 with over $300 billion in annual revenue, already provides specialty pharmaceutical services across the therapy lifecycle.
Cencora reported second-quarter revenue of $84.75 billion, slightly above analyst estimates of $84.43 billion, representing 5.1% year-on-year growth. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $4.48, beating consensus estimates of $4.35 by 3%. Management attributed the performance to strength in specialty pharmaceuticals, particularly through Management Services Organisations like OneOncology and RCA. CEO Robert Mauch highlighted the company's positioning in specialty care, stating, "Our specialty platform supports growth across the healthcare ecosystem." The company raised its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $17.85 at the midpoint. Operating margin held steady at 1.3%, matching the same quarter last year. During the earnings call, analysts questioned management about biosimilar opportunities, specialty logistics competition, and potential policy risks from proposed ASP rule changes.
Cencora reported strong third-quarter results for fiscal year 2026, driven by execution across its business units and investments in its specialty positioning. The pharmaceutical distributor achieved double-digit adjusted operating income growth and 12% earnings per share growth in the quarter. The company conducted $1 billion in opportunistic share repurchases during the period. Based on its performance and confidence in continued execution, Cencora raised its fiscal 2026 EPS guidance. President and CEO Robert Mauch credited the results to the company's team members and their commitment to providing solutions for customers. He highlighted the strength of Cencora's portfolio and its pharmaceutical-centric strategy as the company approaches the end of its fiscal year. The earnings call was held on 5 August 2026, with senior leadership including Mauch and CFO Eva Boratto participating.
Cencora and its subsidiary Innomar Strategies have amended their credit agreement, increasing their multi-currency revolving credit facility from $5.5 billion to $7.0 billion. The facility's maturity date has been extended to July 2031. Interest rates on borrowings range from 69.5 to 110 basis points over various term rates, depending on Cencora's public debt ratings. The agreement includes covenants such as a maximum financial leverage ratio. Separately, on 31 July 2026, Cencora amended its receivables securitisation facility, reducing it from $1.5 billion to $1.0 billion whilst increasing the accordion feature from $500 million to $1.0 billion. This gives the company the option to expand commitments by up to $1.0 billion, subject to bank approval.
Wall Street analysts expect Cencora to report quarterly earnings of $4.37 per share, marking a 9.3% year-over-year increase. Revenues are projected to reach $84.89 billion, up 5.2% from the same quarter last year. Over the past 30 days, the consensus earnings per share estimate has been revised upward by 1.3%. Analysts forecast revenue from Total US Healthcare Solutions at $75 billion, representing 2.9% year-over-year growth. International Healthcare Solutions revenue is expected to remain flat at $7.79 billion. Operating income projections show US Healthcare Solutions at $940.87 million and International Healthcare Solutions at $158.45 million. Cencora shares have risen 5.3% over the past month and hold a Zacks Rank of 2, indicating expected outperformance versus the broader market.