Talent.com
Senior Director, Data and Analytics Platforms
Senior Director, Data and Analytics PlatformsExelixis • Alameda, CA, US
Senior Director, Data and Analytics Platforms

Senior Director, Data and Analytics Platforms

Exelixis • Alameda, CA, US
18 hours ago
Job type
  • Full-time
Job description

Senior Director, Data And Analytics Platforms

The Senior Director, Data And Analytics Platforms, will lead a portfolio of cloud products critical to Exelixis's success and ambition to launch innovative medicines for patients. Operating within a product-centric model, the Senior Director, IT Product Management - Cloud Platform will be responsible for defining product roadmaps, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and leading agile product teams to deliver innovative and impactful solutions that accelerate drug discovery, development, and commercialization.

Essential Technical Duties And Responsibilities :

  • Drive adoption of data mesh principles, self-service data access, and federated data governance.
  • Design and manage large-scale data processing solutions leveraging Databricks, AWS (S3, Glue, EMR, Lambda, Redshift, IAM, Airflow, KMS, etc.), and other cloud-native services
  • Design and manage AWS EKS for scaling compute for data applications and data processing
  • Design and manage scalable data ingestion pipelines for log analytics and observability
  • Design and manage data access controls on AWS using IDC, IAM roles and permissions
  • Establish and manage technical data governance controls using tags, data catalogs and other system metadata
  • Establish and manage data security, data protection, and access controls across multiple platforms (AWS, Databricks, SaaS apps, AI)
  • Implement and optimize data model using dbt, CI / CD workflows, and automated testing for data transformations.
  • Drive adoption of data engineering best practices and infrastructure as code (Terraform) for repeatable, auditable deployments.
  • Design scalable CI / CD processes with GitHub for source control, pull requests, and pipeline automation
  • Design and manage data access using Databricks Unity catalog

Experience / Knowledge & Skills :

Experience :

  • Proven ability to architect and operate large, complex, and secure data environments
  • Deep, hands-on expertise in AWS data services, and Databricks
  • Strong knowledge of data security, access management, encryption, and compliance frameworks
  • Experience implementing data mesh concepts and federated governance at scale.
  • Experience managing data access and governance across multiple data technologies such as AWS Redshift and Databricks
  • Experience integrating data visualization tools such Tableau, and Spotfire at part of heterogeneous data platform
  • Experience with data catalog technologies such as Atlan or Alation for data governance
  • Experience managing data platforms in a Pharma GxP regulated environment
  • Proficiency in dbt, GitHub, CI / CD tools (GitHub Actions, Jenkins), and infrastructure as code (Terraform)
  • Design and oversee large-scale data processing solutions leveraging Databricks, AWS (S3, Glue, EMR, Lambda, Redshift, IAM, EKS, KMS, etc.), and other cloud-native services.
  • Hands on experience programming / scripting with a modern data engineering language (Python, SQL, Spark, etc.)

    • Essential Duties / Responsibilities :

    Product Strategy And Roadmap :

  • Define, evangelize, and drive the enterprise vision and multi-year strategy for a portfolio of cloud products.
  • Engage senior business leaders and functional executives across R&D, Clinical, Commercial, G&A, and Medical Affairs to shape product direction, uncover unmet needs, and translate strategic opportunities into actionable product roadmaps.
  • Design and conduct the market research, competitive analysis, and technology trends assessment to identify new opportunities and ensure our data platform remains cutting-edge and competitive within the life science landscape
  • Ensure a balanced portfolio of short-term wins and long-term strategic investments by prioritizing product initiatives based on business value, technical feasibility, regulatory compliance, and resource availability.
  • Serve as a consultant for architecture and design patterns review to build the data solutions in right and secured manner.

    • Product Development And Delivery :

  • Own the entire development lifecycle from ideation to launch and post-launch optimization, recommending and implementing improvements where needed (e.g., Agile Scrum, Kanban).
  • Set the standard for product definition and delivery by guiding the creation of high-impact user stories, acceptance criteria, and product specifications that reflect business priorities and user needs.
  • Partner at a strategic level with engineering, architecture, and quality leaders to ensure the delivery of secure, scalable, and high-quality data platform that meet evolving business demands.
  • Shape and govern strategic vendor relationships, ensuring alignment of external capabilities with internal product roadmaps, delivery timelines, and operational excellence standards.
  • Champion a user-centric design approach, leveraging user research, usability testing, and feedback loops to continuously improve the user experience and effectiveness of cloud solutions.
  • Lead and manage to sustain a robust data management & AI practice to protect sensitive information and ensure its accuracy and reliability.
  • Inspire and lead cross-functional teams, including Business Analysts, Product Lead(s) and data platform specialists, by cultivating a culture of strategic ownership, innovation, and continuous improvement across the data lifecycle.

    • Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Collaboration :

  • Forge and sustain strategic partnerships with key stakeholders across the organization to ensure alignment on product vision, investment priorities, and measurable outcomes.
  • Identify key stakeholders and ensure alignment and decision-making across product teams, business units, and IT functional groups.
  • Represent the team in executive steering committees, strategic planning councils, and enterprise wide to cross-functional initiatives.
  • Serve as an executive liaison between IT and various business functions, translating complex technical strategies into actionable business outcome.

    • Operational Excellence, Quality & Compliance :

  • Accountable for the operational stability, performance, and security working closely with IT teams.
  • Establish and lead governance frameworks for vendor partnerships and third-party software solutions, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture, compliance mandates, and business continuity objectives.
  • Define and enforce processes to ensure all feature releases comply with relevant regulatory requirements (e.g., GxP, HIPAA, GDPR) and internal quality and security standards.
  • Ensure that all product releases meet rigorous quality standards and compliance requirements.
  • Design and operationalize strategic KPIs and performance dashboards, enabling executive visibility into product adoption, business impact, and continuous improvement opportunities driven by data and stakeholder feedback.

    • Team Leadership & Development :

  • Shape and execute a strategic talent agenda for the organization, attracting, developing, and retaining top-tier talent to build a resilient, high-performing team aligned with enterprise goals.
  • Provide visionary leadership and mentorship, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous growth through structured coaching, feedback, and career development frameworks.
  • Champion a culture of digital innovation and learning agility, embedding continuous improvement, adaptability, and inclusion into the team's operating model to meet evolving business and technology demands.

    • Budget Management :

  • Influence budget allocation
  • Manage budget allocation and financial planning across all products and sub product lines in their functional areas of support.

    • Supervisory Responsibilities :

  • Manage a direct team of managers and high-level individual contributors.
  • Coach and train managers to ensure consistent and effective management of highly performing teams.
  • Recruit staff to meet the unit's immediate objectives and create succession planning to meet function's longer-term objectives.
  • Develop and recommend an organizational structure to accomplish objectives of the unit.

    • Education / Experience / Knowledge & Skills :

    Education :

  • PhD in a relevant field and 12 years of related experience; or
  • Master's degree in a relevant field and 13 years of related experience; or
  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 15 years of related experience; or
  • Equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Technical certification may be required

    • Experience :

  • Minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in IT, with at least 8 years in a leadership role focused on cloud infrastructure and / or platforms.
  • Proven experience in
    • Create a job alert for this search

    Senior Data Platform • Alameda, CA, US