IT Director

Company Overview:

Protara Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to advancing transformative therapies for people with cancer and rare diseases. Protara’s portfolio includes its lead candidate, TARA-002, an investigational cell-based therapy in development for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and lymphatic malformations (LMs). The Company is evaluating TARA-002 in an ongoing Phase 2 trial in NMIBC patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) who are unresponsive or naïve to treatment with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), as well as a Phase 2 trial in pediatric patients with LMs. Additionally, Protara is developing IV Choline Chloride, an investigational phospholipid substrate replacement for patients on parenteral support who are otherwise unable to meet their choline needs via oral or enteral routes.

Job Overview:       

Seeking a hands-on IT Director with 8+ years of leadership experience to oversee IT operations, infrastructure, and security for our growing company. This role is crucial in ensuring the performance, reliability, and security of our IT systems while supporting business expansion and technological innovation.

The IT Director will play a key role in governance, decision-making, and long-term IT strategy to support the Company’s growth towards commercialization. This position requires a balance of technical expertise, leadership, and strategic planning to drive business success. The ideal candidate will also be responsible for managing the current IT-managed service provider (MSP) and other external vendor relationships and staying ahead of emerging technologies to keep the company competitive and future-ready.

**Please note this is not a remote role.  This person must be able to come into the NYC Office at least two or three times a week.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following (other duties may be assigned):

IT Strategy & Planning

• Play a key role in governance and IT decision-making, ensuring technology investments align with company objectives.
• Play a leadership role in the company’s cybersecurity program, assessing risk, defining mitigation plans, and leading day-to-day Cybersecurity monitoring and incident response activities.
• Develop and implement IT policies, procedures, and best practices to align with business growth.
• Develop plan for IT organization to support a commercial-stage company
• Prepare systems, processes and controls for a SOX 404b compliant company
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to assess IT needs and deliver scalable solutions.
• Research and recommend new technologies, tools, and strategies to drive the company’s growth and keep systems up to date.
• Maintain strong relationships with external vendors and service providers, negotiating contracts and ensuring optimal service delivery.

IT Infrastructure Management

• Oversee the design, deployment, and maintenance of IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, networks, and servers.
• Ensure optimal performance, scalability, and security of all IT systems to support manufacturing operations.
• Continuously monitor system health and troubleshoot technical issues.
• Coordinate IT support services, ensuring the efficient resolution of technical problems.

Security & Compliance

• Ensure IT systems and operations comply with best practices, applicable regulations, and industry standards (e.g., SOX, HIPAA, FDA regulations, GDPR).
• Implement and maintain cybersecurity measures to protect company data, intellectual property, and proprietary research.
• Oversee user access onboarding and offboarding processes and ensure appropriate access controls.
• Implement and/or manage existing data backups, incident response plans, disaster recovery plans, and business continuity strategies.

Project Management

• Lead IT projects, including system upgrades, migrations, and new technology implementations.
• Maintains comprehensive documentation related to server and network topology, equipment, applications, and configurations.
• Responsible for maintaining relevant IT documentation and regularly reviewing and enforcing the Company’s IT policies and procedures

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field

 Qualifications:

• At least 8 years in relevant IT role
• Experience with commercial-stage pharmaceutical company required
• Experience with public SOX compliant company required
• Start-up Biotech or healthcare experience is a plus
• Experience with Microsoft 365, Intune, and Active Directory and service desk applications
• Experience with networking, firewalls, VPNs, and cybersecurity best practices
• Knowledge of IT frameworks such as NIST cybersecurity standards

Supervisory Responsibilities:  

• None

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

• Certifications such as CompTIA Security +, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator, or similar are a plus

Other Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
• Exhibits superior customer service skill
• Comfortable working in dynamic, fast-paced & changing environment
• Ability to multi-task, adjust priorities and work autonomously
• Ability to deal with all levels of employees in a courteous and efficient manner

• Strong communication and problem-solving skills

*Salary Requirements are between $200,000 - $220,000 based on experience and qualifications.

Physical Demands: 

The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Must be able to move hardware devices among communications and server racks (lift up to 15 lbs.).

 Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

• No specific work demands.

*To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

Why You’ll Love Working at Protara

• Friendly, open, and fun team-oriented culture that values unique & diverse perspectives.
• Company-wide dedication to profoundly impacting patients’ lives.
• Amazing culture whereby core values and behaviors are shared cross-functionally.
• Competitive Salary and Benefits package includes incentive bonus, equity compensation, medical, dental, vision, commuter, and fertility benefits.
• Matching 401(k) Retirement Plan.
• Flexible working hours/schedule.
• Generous Paid Holidays and Unlimited PTO.

Protara is committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace. Protara is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed in policy and in practice to recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job qualifications without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, sex or gender, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.