Senior Director, Data and Analytics Platforms

Role Summary

The Senior Director, Data and Analytics Platforms leads a portfolio of cloud products essential to Exelixis's goals, defining product roadmaps, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and leading agile teams to deliver data solutions that accelerate drug discovery, development, and commercialization.

Responsibilities

• Drive adoption of data mesh principles, self-service data access, and federated data governance.
• Design and manage large-scale data processing solutions using Databricks, AWS services, and other cloud-native tools.
• Design and manage AWS EKS for scalable data processing.
• Design and manage scalable data ingestion pipelines for log analytics and observability.
• Design and manage data access controls on AWS with IAM roles and permissions.
• Establish and manage technical data governance using tags, data catalogs, and metadata.
• Establish and manage data security, data protection, and access controls across platforms (AWS, Databricks, SaaS, AI).
• Implement and optimize data models using dbt, CI/CD workflows, and automated testing for data transformations.
• Promote data engineering best practices and infrastructure as code (Terraform) for repeatable deployments.
• Design scalable CI/CD processes with GitHub for source control, PRs, and pipeline automation.
• Design and manage data access using Databricks Unity Catalog.

Qualifications

• 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 technologies (AWS Redshift, Databricks).
• Experience integrating data visualization tools (Tableau, Spotfire) as part of a heterogeneous data platform.
• Experience with data catalog technologies (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).
• Hands-on programming/scripting experience with Python, SQL, Spark, etc.

Education

• PhD in a relevant field with substantial related experience; or
• Master’s degree in a relevant field with substantial related experience; or
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with substantial related experience; or
• Equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Technical certification may be required.

Experience

• Minimum of 12 years IT experience with at least 8 years in a leadership role focused on cloud infrastructure and/or platforms.
• Proven experience leading product development teams in an agile/product-centric model.
• Strong understanding of the drug discovery, clinical development, or commercialization lifecycle within pharma/biotech.
• Demonstrated success delivering complex cloud products that drive business value.
• Experience with regulatory frameworks and compliance in a GxP environment.
• Knowledge of AWS, Databricks, and related data technologies.

Skills

• AWS expertise and Databricks proficiency.
• Product management methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Kanban) and product lifecycle management.
• Technical acumen to understand complex IT architectures and development processes.
• Leadership and team-building capabilities; strategic thinking with a data-driven approach.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills across all organizational levels.

Additional Requirements

• Minimal travel.
• Work environment description may apply; this role may require on-site collaboration as needed.