Associate Director, IT Business Relationship Management - R&D and Product

Job title: Associate Director, IT Business Relationship Management - R&D and Product

About the Role This role serves as a strategic bridge between R&D, Product, and IT, shaping the future of technology in a regulated life sciences environment through forward-looking insights and governance. The role owns multi-year capability roadmaps and platform Run ownership to ensure secure, compliant, scalable, user-centric R&D and Product technology platforms while enabling cross-functional alignment and investment planning.

What You'll Do

• Monitor emerging trends in ELN, LIMS, data science and pipelines; benchmark industry best practices in R&D and Product domains.
• Advise senior R&D, Product, and IT leaders on strategic opportunities, risks, modernization pathways, and investment priorities.
• Facilitate cross-functional forums to align on R&D and Product technology strategy and innovation priorities; translate insights into actionable recommendations.
• Develop multi-year capability roadmaps that advance R&D and Product technology maturity and align with enterprise strategy and regulatory requirements.
• Prioritize investments using a transparent, value-based framework and maintain a living roadmap informing annual planning and sequencing of initiatives.
• Serve as platform Run owner for core R&D and Product systems (ELN, LIMS, data science pipelines); define governance, release strategy, integration approaches, and vendor relationships; drive security, compliance, scalability, and user experience.
• Drive ITIL-based process maturity across the portfolio and oversee technology investments and costs, ensuring high-quality services aligned with business needs and financial targets.

What We're Looking For

• Basic Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, or a related field.

• 8+ years of experience in IT, digital, or technology roles, with at least 5 years supporting R&D, Product Development, or scientific platforms within the life sciences, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical industry.

• 4+ years of management experience.

• Demonstrated experience with core R&D technologies, including Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN), Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), and data science platforms and pipelines.

• Preferred Qualifications: Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Information Technology, Data Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, or a related discipline.

• Experience in precision medicine, genomics, diagnostics, or regulated laboratory environments, with a strong understanding of R&D data workflows and scientific computing needs.

• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale digital transformation or modernization initiatives across R&D and Product domains.

• Hands-on experience managing enterprise platforms, including lifecycle management, integrations, vendor management, and governance.

• Proven track record of developing and executing technology strategies, capability roadmaps, and multi-year investment plans aligned to business objectives.

• Strong knowledge of regulatory requirements and compliance frameworks applicable to life sciences (e.g., GxP, FDA, data integrity, privacy standards).

• Experience driving ITIL-based service management processes, including incident, problem, change, and release management.

• Demonstrated ability to influence and advise senior leadership, translating complex technical concepts into business-aligned recommendations and investment proposals.

• Strong understanding of enterprise architecture principles, data governance, cybersecurity, and system interoperability.

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills, with experience leading cross-functional initiatives and aligning diverse business and technical teams.

• Deep familiarity with modern data architectures, including cloud-native platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), data lakes, data mesh.