Senior Director, IT Product Management - SAP Platform

Role Summary

The Senior Director IT Product Management, SAP Platform, will oversee and lead a portfolio of digital products critical to Exelixis's success and ambition to launch innovative medicines for patients. This role defines and drives the strategy, development, and operational excellence of the Enterprise Resource Planning ecosystem, focusing on user experience and value delivery. You will define product roadmaps, foster cross-functional collaboration, and lead agile product teams to deliver digital solutions that accelerate drug discovery, development, and commercialization.

Responsibilities

• Define, evangelize, and drive the enterprise vision and multi-year strategy for a portfolio of digital products (ERP, Financial Reporting and Analytics, Supply and Demand Planning, SAP S/4HANA Platform), aligning with corporate objectives and IT goals.
• Engage senior business leaders across Finance, Accounting, Strategic Sourcing, and Pharmaceutical Supply Chain to shape product direction and translate opportunities into roadmaps.
• Conduct market research, competitive analysis, and technology trends assessment to identify opportunities and keep enterprise applications competitive in life sciences.
• Prioritize product initiatives based on business value, technical feasibility, regulatory compliance, and resource availability, balancing short-term wins and long-term investments.
• Review and approve architecture and design patterns to ensure secure and properly built enterprise solutions.
• Inspire and lead cross-functional teams, fostering strategic ownership, innovation, and continuous improvement across the product lifecycle.
• Provide executive oversight from ideation to launch and post-launch optimization using Agile/Scrum/Kanban processes.
• Set standards for user stories, acceptance criteria, and product specifications reflecting business priorities and user needs.
• Partner with engineering, architecture, and quality leaders to deliver secure, scalable, high-quality enterprise applications.
• Shape and govern vendor relationships to align external capabilities with roadmaps and delivery timelines.
• Champion a user-centric design approach with user research and usability testing to improve UX across enterprise products.
• Manage a data management & AI practice to protect information and ensure accuracy across products.
• Serve as executive liaison between IT and business functions, translating strategies into outcomes.
• Foster strategic partnerships with stakeholders to align on vision, investment priorities, and measurable outcomes.
• Facilitate communication and decision-making across product teams, multiple business units, and IT groups.
• Represent IT in executive steering committees and enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Ensure operational stability, performance, and security of digital applications; establish governance for vendor partnerships and third-party software.
• Ensure regulatory compliance (GxP, HIPAA, GDPR, SOX) and internal quality/security standards for releases.
• Define and monitor KPIs and dashboards for product adoption, impact, and continuous improvement.
• Shape and execute a strategic talent agenda for IT, attracting and developing top talent; mentor and coach leaders; foster innovation and continuous growth.
• Manage budgets for product portfolio within Digital Applications; influence budgeting across products.
• Recruit staff and plan succession; lead an organizational structure to achieve unit objectives.
• Oversee a direct team of managers and senior ICs; coach and train for effective management.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline with 15 years of related experience; or Master’s degree with 13 years; PhD with 12 years; or equivalent combination.
• Experience: 10+ years supporting Enterprise IT enabling business functions; 12+ years IT experience with 8+ years in leadership focused on enterprise applications or product management in life sciences/pharma; proven leading product development in agile/product-centric models; strong Finance, Supply Chain, and Procurement domain knowledge in pharma/biotech; extensive SAP S/4HANA experience (Finance, Supply Chain, analytics); experience with Kinaxis or similar planning solutions; experience with integration platforms (CPI/Integration Suite); familiarity with SOX and GxP IT controls.
• Skills: Leadership and team-building; strategic thinking; data-driven decision-making; excellent communication and stakeholder management; deep understanding of product management methodologies (Agile/Scrum/Kanban); technical acumen for IT architectures; ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline; or Master’s/PhD as noted in Qualifications.

Additional Requirements

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