Job Description

Job Description

Research & Development Sciences IT (RaDS IT) delivers the digital solutions that power the research half of our company, spanning drug discovery, CMC development, preclinical research and translational medicine.   RaDS IT Laboratory Operations & Platforms provides the products and services that enable research operations across the laboratories and pilot plants.   Its mission is to deliver and operate digital solutions and platforms that enable safe, efficient and compliant lab and pilot plant operations.   RaDS IT Digital Solutions and RaDS IT Data & Analytics are key partners:  Digital Solutions composes domain‑specific end‑to‑end scientific solutions that consume these platforms and Data & Analytics builds the data foundations, integrations and analytics capabilities that make platform data discoverable, reusable and fit for insight and regulatory needs.

The Executive Director, Laboratory Operations & Platforms will be accountable for the full suite of digital capabilities that enable laboratory management and execution.  This accountability includes overseeing the digital platforms, services, and practices needed to effectively run research labs — spanning sample inventory, registration, materials management, laboratory notebooks, workflow orchestration, digital instrument enablement, lab automation, data capture and data archiving.

This key leader will partner closely with RaDS IT -Digital Solutions in order to understand opportunities to enable reusable platform components to enable agility and sustainability in end-to-end digital solutions, defining and delivering the services to enable commercial informatics platforms and custom solutions to be utilized as components of end-to-end digital solutions.  The role will also partner closely with the RaDS IT Data & Analytics team to understand data standards and meta data requirements needed to be enabled as part of data capture to realize the organization’s data strategy.

This role leads both product management and engineering/architecture functions across the lab management product lines, ensuring that capabilities are delivered in a scalable, integrated, and sustainable way. The Executive Director will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategy for research operations, ensuring that laboratories have the digital and technical foundation to accelerate discovery and development.

Key Activities

• Own accountability for all lab management capabilities, covering sample and inventory workflows, lab execution and planning, and data and device management.

• Manage & lead both product management and engineering/architecture functions for the lab management product lines.

• Define the long-term strategy and roadmap for research operations, ensuring platforms and services enable modern, automated laboratories.

• Partner with research, development, and data teams to align lab management capabilities with enterprise strategy and emerging scientific needs.

• Ensure architectural integrity, scalability, and interoperability across systems supporting laboratory operations.

• Drive adoption, usability, and continuous improvement of lab management tools and services.

• Build, mentor, and lead cross-functional teams of product managers, engineers, and architects.

• Establish standards, best practices, and governance models to ensure reliability, compliance, and quality across the lab management ecosystem.

Education Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related discipline.

Required Skills and Experience

Technical Expertise

• Deep knowledge of laboratory operations and associated informatics systems (e.g., LIMS, ELN, sample/inventory management, lab execution systems), or other biopharmaceutical R&D systems, including regulated implementations.

• Experience overseeing both product management and engineering/architecture teams, driving modern architectural and engineering best practices, as well as agile product discovery and effective product management.

• Strong understanding of data management, system interoperability, and compliance in research environments.

Leadership and Management