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Director of Information Technology

US - Cambridge, MA

Arena BioWorks, located in Cambridge, MA, is a new biomedical research institute focused on uncovering the mechanisms of human disease to identify opportunities for therapeutic intervention. The Institute's private funding model allows Arena to advance novel therapeutics by forming and supporting biotech companies up to the early clinical/series B stage.

Arena BioWorks is looking for a dynamic, experienced Director of Information Technology to lead the development of the next phase of our IT systems and operations. The Director will be responsible for maturing and standardizing IT operations, managing the external contractors who provide office and laboratory IT support, and guiding projects to deploy new capabilities. This position will partner closely with Arena’s AI/ML & Data Sci/Eng teams to support cutting-edge computational science with minimal friction against enterprise and office IT.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

IT Strategy and Planning:

Partner with business and scientific leadership to develop written strategies, policies, and metrics for IT services that align and support Arena’s objectives. Plan and implement IT projects and initiatives, including policy applications, infrastructure upgrades, and software deployments. Report regularly to a stakeholder group on IT performance, user satisfaction, and contractor efficiency.

User-Facing Engagement:

Serve as the ultimate point of resolution for end-user inquiries and issues related to IT services. While Arena does employ a managed services team, the Director should expect to remain strongly hands-on with day-to-day IT operations.

Foster a strong working relationship with staff throughout Arena to provide effective solutions that advance their end-goals.

Support innovation in research computing and data-engineering efforts while still guiding the organization towards a coherent and compliant technology framework.

Meet regularly with stakeholders at all levels within the organization to gather feedback and assess satisfaction with IT services. The Director is expected to be directly available to and engaged with the team.

Arena is an in-person company. The Director is expected to be in the office most working days.

Contractor Management:

Manage technology contractors who provide onsite and remote help desk, audio-visual, printing, information security, and cloud services. Coordinate to ensure prompt resolution of issues and effective service delivery. As above, the Director is expected to be the last point of resolution and will be accountable for results.

Regularly review contractor performance and capability and recommend adjustments, as necessary.

Technical Oversight:

Arena’s technology environment is complex, with laboratory and office environments, PC/Mac/Linux on the desktop, and a hybrid terrestrial/cloud environment as the back-end. The Director should have a comprehensive understanding of the overall architecture and should be confident in applying the best technology to advance Arena’s goals.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree: Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field preferred.

10 years professional experience in firsthand IT roles that show progression and growth, including at least one position responsible for the entire IT function.

Understanding of identity management and system administration in mixed operating environments (PC, Mac, Linux)

Familiarity with cloud (AWS) infrastructure engineering and DevOps practices.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and projects effectively.

Desired Skills:

Experience in IT strategy development and implementation.

Experience supporting research and scientific computing.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

 

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