The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) is seeking a visionary leader to join our team as the Senior Director of Product and Technology, serving our esteemed research community.
This pivotal role reports directly to the Vice President (VP) of Research Informatics Operations (RIO) and plays a critical role in the development, implementation, and continuous enhancement of advanced technology platforms that support our basic research labs, clinical trial informatics, research administration, and scientific computing.
RIO is a key subdivision of Dana-Farber’s Department of Informatics and Analytics (I&A), led by the Chief Data and Analytics Officer (CDAO). RIO is also an integral component of the Clinical Research Support Unit for the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center comprised of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Beth Israel Deaconess, Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in product leadership, with a robust background in systems architecture and a demonstrated passion for propelling cancer research forward through technological innovation. This role demands proficiency in product management, systems integration, data acquisition, and IT infrastructure. The Senior Director will be responsible for steering the strategic planning and successful deployment of innovative products that are aligned with the operational needs of our researchers and the overarching goals of the Institute.
As a strategic visionary, the Senior Director will manage the introduction of new systems implementations and integrations, specifically tailored to meet the requirements of our research stakeholders working in research labs, designing and conducting clinical trials, and developing scientific computing techniques. Collaboration is key to success in this role, requiring close partnerships with collaborators functioning at all levels, including senior executives, faculty, research operational leaders, and business domain experts. The Senior Director will all also lead and influence the work of other Information Technology (IT) and I&A functional leaders to devise comprehensive solutions that address the complex needs of the DFCI research community.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in groundbreaking cancer research and patient care, committed to achieving life-changing breakthroughs. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where compassionate and comprehensive care is provided to patients from all backgrounds. Located in Boston and its surrounding communities, Dana-Farber conducts pioneering research, educates the next generation of physician/researchers, and collaborates with exceptional partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.
This role offers a unique opportunity to significantly impact the capability and scalability of our researchers to conduct innovative research and deliver superior patient care. If you are prepared to take a leading role in transforming cancer research and care, we invite you to apply to join our team at DFCI.
Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.
ResponsibilitiesPRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategic Responsibilities
Partners with VP of RIO to develop a clear product and technology strategy and vision, aligning the product roadmap and product goals with the overall Institute goals, market trends, and various client needs.Oversees the product planning process by leading matrixed, cross-functional teams to prioritize features, define requirements and create roadmaps for every product ensuring a successful product development lifecycle for all research systems and platforms.Leads a large department of directors, associate directors, product managers, developers, integration developers, quality assurance (QA) analysts, and infrastructure specialists. Ensures the department meets key Institute performance indicators (KPIs)s, identifies operational risks, and provides mitigation strategies.Determines the strategic value of utilizing sponsored and outsourced staff for specific talent needs. Directly manages technical development resources located in India.Develops and executes strategy for enterprise data stewardship with DFCI and I&A leadership. Acts as DFCI leader for democratization of data, tools, and analytics and enables stakeholders to embark on that journey.Collaborates regularly with the Senior Director of Architecture and Strategy to align the overall strategic direction for new product designs within the context of the entire research product landscape. Ensures product innovation initiatives are in harmony with the overall architectural vision and strategic goals of the organization.Ensures the team regularly identifies opportunities for leveraging AI technologies, including LLMs, to enhance product innovation and streamline research processes.Leadership Responsibilities
Responsible for the design, development, implementation, scalability, and on-going enhancements of over 30 research systems and platforms with more than 14K users at DFCI and various internal and external research collaborating entities, including the DF/HCC. Provides solutions for all oncology-related work and activities for the DF/HCC.Oversees the entire lifecycle of the full suite of the product portfolio; from ideation and development to launch and continuous improvement. Collaborates closely with RIO Account Services leadership, who support the Basic Research & Research Administration, Translational Research and Clinical Trials Research domains, to identify and prioritize solution delivery across the entire research enterprise including multiple departments, labs, and external collaborators. Collaborates with other I&A client-facing leads to provide platform solutions for clinical and business operations, as needed.Oversees the integration of AI technologies into product management processes, ensuring continuous innovation and alignment with emerging technological advancements.Ensures the product management teams follow a standardized framework for product roadmaps, release management, security, integration, and hardware.Collaborates closely with the Bioinformatics, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Operations (AIOS), Enterprise Analytics, Enterprise Data Warehouse I&A capability teams to provide comprehensive solutions delivery for products and services that require cross-functional support. Provides product leadership for all research-facing systems and services developed within the Bioinformatics and AIOS. Examples include: the Bioinformatics workbench platform, the AI platform for model development and deployment, and the internal DFCI ChatGPT4 platform.Assumes direct responsibility for the Engineering team’s efforts by overseeing product managers who are tasked with the development and management of DFCI in-house software solutions. Provides hands-on leadership to guide and support the product management team, ensuring that engineering projects align with organizational goals and deliver optimal results.Successfully leads enterprise product launches by ensuring the coordination of all key departments. Collaborates with Office of General Counsel (OGC) and the Belfer Office of Dana-Farber Innovation (BODFI) on creating and maintaining system use and data sharing agreements for outside collaborations. Leads the development of system architecture to provide rapid data findability and delivery of new data types for researchers.IDE&E/Social Responsibilities
Utilizes Dana-Farber Cancer Institute values to govern decisions, actions, and behaviors.Demonstrates, strengthens, and embeds inclusive behaviors, and holds team and leaders accountable for the same.Invests in understanding diverse stakeholder cultures, motivations, and practices to enable consensus-based solutions.Human Resources Management Responsibilities
Responsible for employment decisions. Receives input from direct reports on staffing needs and builds business cases for adding FTEs where appropriate to present at position control meetings.Fosters a collaborative and innovative work environment that attracts top talent and encourages professional growth.Teaches/coaches management and leadership skills to develop people managers within the team.
Financial Responsibilities
Acts as a responsible steward of DFCI and I&A financial resources. Consistently complies with DFCI and I&A spending and accounting policies.Develops and manages a budget portfolio of $5 - 10M per year, including capital, operating, and charge back funding; ensures the efficient and effective use of team and departmental resources.
Functional Expertise
Establishes enterprise product management best practices and shares these methods with other I&A leaders of product managers providing products and services to non-research stakeholders.Monitors the industry to stay current on industry trends and latest technology offering to address ever-changing client needs.Ensures the development of consistent and reliable go-live strategies and processes to enable seamless delivery of new solutions and features to the research community.Oversees consistent, high-quality deliverables, data assets, and documentation in alignment with group operating model and I&A principles (e.g., FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable))
Communications/Interpersonal Responsibilities
Communicates consistently and proactively with senior level stakeholders and collaborators.Ensures all department teams provide regular project communication updates through various means: progress reports, status updates at steering committee meetings, departmental updates, etc.Anticipates and addresses stakeholder concerns and teaches team members how to grow this skill.Provides inspiration and leadership to team, group, and collaborators.KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:
Technical
Demonstrates knowledge of product management lifecycle and basic software development fundamentals, such as data structures, algorithm design, problem solving, and complexity analysis.Proficiency in primary tools and methods used in product management, software development, integration and testing; examples include:Product Management Software: Jira, Asana, Trello, Monday.com, etc. Customer Feedback: UserVoice, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, etc. Cloud Computing Platforms: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)Analytics and Data Visualization: Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Tableau, etc.Roadmapping: Aha!, ProductPlan, Roadmunk, etc.Prototyping and Wireframing: Sketch, InVision, Adobe XD, Balsamiq, etc.Integrated Development Environments (IDEs): Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, etc.Version Control Systems: Git, GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, etc.Automated Testing/Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) Tools: Jenkins, CircleCI, Travis CI, GitLab CI, etc.API Design and Testing Tools: Postman, Swagger (OpenAPI), etc.Database Management Tools: Oracle, MySQL Workbench, pgAdmin (for PostgreSQL), MongoDB CompassApplication Performance Monitoring (APM) tools: New Relic, AppDynamics, Dynatrace, etc.Project Management and Issue Tracking: Jira, Asana, etc.Cloud Development Platforms: AWS Cloud9, Microsoft Visual Studio Online, Google Cloud Shell, etc.
Client services, collaboration, communication
Strong client service orientationConsistently leads effective prioritization and re-prioritization discussions with stakeholder groupsRoutinely establishes new projects and collaborations independentlyExpert at presenting results persuasively and accurately, verbally or in writing, and in delivering both positive and challenging news Able to professionally and productively say no when necessaryWorks effectively, collaboratively, and proactively across teams and groups, and institutionallyExcellent interpersonal skills; able to interact effectively with all levels of staff and external contactsCurious and eager to learn about others’ work and perspectives and to develop deep knowledge of client areas servedExcellent at identifying and validating the underlying business need behind a request, using a strategic lens to evaluate the need in a larger context and optimally solve the problem Skillfully influences stakeholders to ask insightful questions and sharpen focus on analyses that will have the highest and broadest impact for DFCI
Mindset
Demonstrates self-awareness, professionalism, agility, a strong work ethic, appropriate humility, and the ability to lead through challenging situationsThinks and acts consistently with a broader “we” mentality, i.e., what’s best for DFCI as a whole vs. self, “my team,” or “my group”, or “my department”Ability to think strategically and make informed decisions about product direction based on client needs, available funding & resources, and alignment with Institute goals.Demonstrates adaptability and flexibility. The research landscape is constantly changing and evolving. It is critical that the incumbent is comfortable with change and able to embrace new technologies, methodologies, and agile strategies.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Manages a group of 20-40+ FTE or budget equivalent, which includes other people managers. Manages multiple cross-functional teams and supervises up to 50 additional FTEs via matrix or vendor partnerships. This role does require the direct oversight of managing both outsourced (within the U.S.) and offshore resources (located in other countries). Assumes client and administrative product and services responsibilities for VP of RIO, as needed.Qualifications
Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree required, ideally in a STEM field. Advanced degree, preferred, ideally in business administration, marketing, computer science, software development or a related field.
Minimum Experience:
15+ years of relevant professional experience, with 10+ in a biomedical or healthcare setting, preferred. A directly relevant advanced degree may substitute for professional experience (Masters 1 yr, PhD 3 yrs).10 years of experience in product management, preferably in leadership roles, with a track record of successfully managing and launching products/software platforms in a large-scale enterprise environment.10 years of direct people management experience.10 years of exceptional planning, strategy, project management, negotiation, and organizational skills, with the demonstrated ability to drive multiple concurrent projects in a complex, deadline-driven environment.7 years of building and managing high-performance product management and software development teams.
At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
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