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Executive Director, Head of R&D IT

Sana Biotechnology

Sana Biotechnology

IT
Cambridge, MA, USA
Posted on Jan 24, 2024

Senior Director, Head of R&D IT

Sana Biotechnology is growing, and we are hiring new team members who believe in the potential of engineered cells as medicines, who want to challenge status quo, and who lead with the desire to work on novel ideas. As the Head of R&D IT you will report to the VP, Head of IT and will lead the planning, design, implementation, documentation, and support of various R&D systems. We are looking for an experienced R&D leader with deep knowledge in data management including data sources, data models and data standards; research, /clinical data systems and platforms, software and program development and implementation with ability to create and deliver technical and methodology projects and guides them to implementation across R&D.

What you’ll do

  • Partner with R&D Computational Scientists, Data Scientists, and technology teams to advance complex and/or highly novel use-cases with cross-functional dependencies
  • Serve as a key thought leader in data strategy, driving thought leadership and inspiring innovation
  • Contributes to overall strategic direction of the company and the role of clinical data management in maintaining the company's competitive advantage and differentiation
  • Holds overall accountability for meeting the strategic aims, and annual objectives, for both internal and external relationships for Clinical Data Management (CDM)
  • Serves as the Data Management leader representing R&D during regulatory inspections and submissions, and internal audits pertaining to R&D activities
  • Collaborate with scientists within Discovery and across R&D to identify and lead projects involving the aggregation and analysis of large data sets to identify key trends and insights that advance scientific understanding
  • Partner with internal IT teams to plan and deliver IT infrastructure, projects, and systems in support of R&D operations
  • Manage projects, design solutions & production support related to R&D applications.
  • Manage external vendors/service providers
  • Manage Budget related to R&D systems & experienced people manager & team builder

What we’re looking for

  • PhD with 8-12+ years’ experience or MS with 12-15 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry or healthcare sector, with joint experience / degree in Computer Science, Medical Informatics or Bioinformatics
  • 10+ years of supervisory experience required
  • Experience in multiple R&D functions and data domains (e.g., preclinical, genomic, Comp biology, clinical, safety, regulatory, real-world data, etc.). Considered to have in depth knowledge of drug discovery and development
  • Health care business acumen with a comprehensive understanding of the pharmaceutical industry
  • Good understanding of regulations and GCP & GLP requirements for drug development, advanced knowledge of Electronic Data Capture/related applications and industry standards, Risk Based Monitoring, and advanced skills partnering with CROs and other third-party vendors
  • Advanced experience working on Phase I-IV studies; capable of leading DM activities to support regulatory submissions and inspections.
  • Highly competent in clinical data management, various EDC systems, CDASH/CDISC standards and medical coding dictionaries
  • Robust understanding of the data analytics value chain from data to decision
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including process mapping/project management tools such as Jira, Smartsheet’s, Visio and Project
  • Veeva, LabVantage, Benchling experience is a plus
  • Familiarity with ERP and Clinical Data Management systems a plus
  • Understands cloud-based/SaaS systems
  • Ability to communicate effectively and professionally, both orally and in writing, while also articulating and translating technical language to non-technical customers

What will separate you from the crowd

  • Experience with modern data technologies/stack such as cloud services (AWS, Azure, GCP), Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), Databases (Redshift, Snowflake), Programing languages (R, Python, SAS), VCS and CICD (GitHub, GitLab)
  • Experience in machine learning workload and AI powered products
  • Experience with core IT domains like infrastructure, operations, and cybersecurity

What you should know

  • Some travel will be required
  • The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $250,000 - $290,000/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience

How we work together

  • Lead from every seat – we seek to understand, act with honesty, and engage in the crucial conversations
  • Thrive as a team – we hire amazing people, are intensely curious, and cultivate inclusion and personal connectivity
  • Make it happen – we value vigorous debate, alignment around our decisions, and resilient execution

Get to know us

At Sana, we believe that a diverse workforce strengthens us as a company and helps us to achieve our mission to meaningfully change the outcome of many human diseases. This belief is a pillar of our business and is critical to our success. Our goal is that Sana is the place for talented people to bring their authentic selves to work, to have a great career and to deeply, positively impact patients.

Core to our values, we believe there is nothing more important than the health and wellness of you and your family. For benefit eligible employees, we cover 100% of the cost for employee health coverage and offer generous time-off (various paid time off benefits, such as holidays, vacation, sick time, and parental leave), short- and long-term disability, employer paid basic life insurance, additional voluntary life insurance protection, financial wellness programs including financial planning resources, a 401(k) Plan with an immediately vested employer match, Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, commuter subsidy and a variety of wellness offerings to support each person individually. For more details on our benefits, visit Sana’s Benefits Portal.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental or sensory disability (including the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability), genetic information, actual or perceived HIV or Hepatitis C infection, medical condition (cancer or a record or history of cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), disability, veteran status, political ideology, social class (including caste/caste identity), taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The job description listed above is representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions described above.