Associate Principal IT Product Lead - Digital Applications

Role Summary

The Associate Principal IT Product Lead, Digital Applications, will lead a portfolio of digital products critical to Exelixis's success and ambition to launch innovative medicines for patients. This role drives the strategy, development, and operational excellence of the digital application ecosystem, ensuring alignment with business objectives and a strong focus on user experience and value delivery. Operating within a product-centric model, the role defines product roadmaps, fosters cross-functional collaboration, and leads agile product teams to deliver innovative and impactful digital solutions that accelerate drug discovery, development, and commercialization.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and execution of the vision, strategy, and roadmap for digital products within the Digital Applications job family (e.g., R&D, Clinical, Regulatory and Quality Applications).
• Partner with senior product leads and business stakeholders to gather insights, understand user needs, and translate them into clear product requirements and user stories.
• Contribute to market research, competitive analysis, and technology assessments to inform product planning and identify innovation opportunities.
• Assist in prioritizing product initiatives by evaluating business impact, technical feasibility, compliance needs, and resource constraints.
• Collaborate with architecture and engineering teams to ensure digital solutions are designed and built securely and in alignment with enterprise standards.
• Support the Principal Product Lead in mentoring Business Analysts and other digital application team members, encouraging ownership, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Contribute to managing the product lifecycle from ideation through launch and post-launch optimization, applying Agile methodologies to ensure efficient delivery.
• Assist in defining clear user stories, acceptance criteria, and product specifications that align with the product vision and business objectives.
• Collaborate with engineering, architecture, and quality assurance teams to ensure timely delivery of scalable, secure, and high-quality digital applications.
• Coordinate with external vendors and service providers to support alignment on product roadmaps and delivery operations.
• Promote user-centric design by incorporating user research, usability testing, and feedback into product enhancements.
• Act as a key liaison between IT and business functions, translating technical concepts into business language and vice versa.
• Build collaborative relationships with stakeholders to support alignment of product vision, priorities, and outcomes.
• Facilitate communication and coordination across product, business, and IT teams to support effective decision-making.
• Represent the product team in cross-functional discussions and contribute to strategic initiatives as needed.
• Support efforts to maintain operational stability, performance, and security of digital applications in collaboration with IT operations and infrastructure teams.
• Assist in managing vendor relationships and third-party software solutions that support the digital application portfolio.
• Help ensure compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g., GxP, HIPAA, GDPR) and internal quality and security standards across product releases.
• Contribute to quality assurance processes to ensure product releases meet defined standards.
• Contribute to data management and AI practices to protect sensitive information and ensure its accuracy and reliability.
• Track and report on KPIs to assess product success, adoption, and business impact, and support continuous improvement efforts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline and 11 years of related experience; or Master's degree in mathematics or statistics or engineering, and 9 years of related experience; or PhD with 5 years of related experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience supporting Enterprise IT enabling business functions.
• Minimum of 8+ years of progressive IT experience, with at least 6+ years in a leadership role focused on digital applications or product management within life sciences or pharmaceutical industry.
• Proven experience leading product development teams in an agile/product-centric operating model.
• Strong understanding of the drug discovery or clinical development or commercialization lifecycle within a pharmaceutical/biotechnology company.
• Experience delivering complex digital products that drive significant business value.
• Experience with relevant technologies/platforms (e.g., SaaS platforms, cloud solutions, QMS, RIM, TMF, EDC, CTMS, IRT) as used in pharma.
• Experience with regulatory frameworks and compliance in a GxP environment.

Skills

• Exceptional leadership and team-building skills with the ability to inspire diverse teams.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving with a data-driven approach.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills; ability to influence at all levels.
• Deep understanding of product management methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Kanban) and product lifecycle management.
• Solid technical acumen with the ability to understand complex IT architectures and development processes.
• Experience with platforms such as Veeva Vault, Medidata, SAS, cloud computing.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment; occasional travel may be required.

Education

• As listed in Qualifications above.

Additional Requirements

• Occasional travel (5–10%) to other company sites, conferences, or vendor locations. On-call availability for critical escalations.