Director, Research Systems

Role Summary

The Director, Research Systems provides strategic, operational, and hands‑on technical leadership for Research Informatics systems that support drug discovery s role includes people leadership and direct technical contribution, and is expected to remain deeply engaged in the design, development, and delivery of production software. This position is intentionally scoped for a principal‑engineer‑style leader—someone who leads through technical ownership, code authorship, and scientific understanding, not solely through delegation or architectural oversight.

• Scientific and Business Impact
  • Accountable for the impact of Research Informatics systems on the end-to-end drug discovery lifecycle, including scientific insight, data quality, and research productivity.
  • Applies deep understanding of drug discovery workflows and scientific decision‑making to define informatics strategies and solutions.
  • Establishes priorities based on scientific value, patient impact, and enterprise benefit, with clear accountability for outcomes.
• Hands‑On Technical Leadership (Director‑Level Expectation)
  • Devotes approximately 30–50% of time to hands‑on software development, including writing, reviewing, and maintaining production code.
  • Regularly authors core services, shared libraries, and foundational components that are critical to Research Informatics platforms.
  • Actively reviews pull requests and technical designs, providing detailed, code‑level feedback and architectural guidance.
  • Maintains direct ownership of technical quality, system reliability, and long‑term maintainability.
  • Serves as the senior technical escalation point for complex scientific and engineering challenges.
• This role is not suited for leaders who prefer to operate solely through management layers or high‑level architecture without direct code ownership.
• Software Design, Development, and Architecture
  • Independently designs and implements software solutions from concept through deployment and adoption.
  • Writes production‑quality code in C#, MVC, ASP.NET, and SQL, and integrates in‑house systems with vendor‑based biological‑ and chemical‑informatics scientific tools.
  • Produces and maintains architecture documentation and technical standards that guide team development.
  • Makes pragmatic engineering decisions appropriate for a regulated pharmaceutical environment.
• Leadership and Team Development
  • Leads and develops a high‑performing team through technical mentorship, code reviews, and hands‑on guidance, alongside traditional people leadership.
  • Sets clear expectations for engineering rigor, scientific understanding, and accountability.
  • Develops talent by modeling best practices in both software engineering and applied scientific informatics.
• Delivery and Operational Excellence
  • Oversees and participates directly in the full software lifecycle: requirements definition, design, development, testing, deployment, and change management.
  • Drives Agile delivery of high‑impact tools while remaining personally engaged in implementation.
  • Identifies gaps in informatics capabilities and translates scientific needs into actionable technical solutions.
  • Contributes to continuous improvement of Research Informatics processes and operational maturity.
• Enterprise Contribution
  • Partners with peers across Research, IT, and other functions to shape informatics strategy across multiple programs and therapeutic areas.
  • Influences department‑level decisions related to infrastructure, digital innovation, and emerging technologies through demonstrated technical credibility.
  • Represents Gilead externally through scientific or technical publications, presentations, and professional engagement.

• Knowledge, Skills, And Experience
  • Demonstrated success as a senior technical leader who remains actively hands‑on in production code.
  • Proven ability to lead through direct technical contribution, architectural ownership, and engineering judgment.
  • Strong proficiency in C#, MVC, ASP.NET, SQL, and integration with scientific informatics platforms and vendor solutions.
  • Deep understanding of drug discovery processes and research informatics.
  • Broad familiarity with modern informatics technologies,…