Associate Principal IT Product Lead - Digital Applications

Exelixis; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Exelixis is seeking an Associate Principal IT Product Lead - Digital Applications to guide a portfolio of digital products supporting drug discovery, development, and commercialization. You will shape the strategy, define roadmaps, and lead agile teams to deliver high-impact digital solutions aligned with business goals.

In this senior role, you will partner with business stakeholders, drive user-centered design, ensure regulatory compliance, and mentor IT product teams to achieve scalable,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline with extensive IT leadership experience.
• Proven track record in leading agile product teams in life sciences or tech industries.

Responsibilities

• Own portfolio strategy and roadmap for inscope digital products within Digital Applications.
• Lead cross-functional teams across engineering, architecture, QA to ensure timely delivery of digital products.

Skills

Leadership

Product management

Agile methodologies

Strategic thinking

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related discipline

Master's degree in math/statistics/engineering

PhD in related discipline

Tools

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

SaaS platforms (Veeva, Salesforce)

Cloud solutions (AWS/Azure)

Job description

Summary/Job Purpose

The Associate Principal IT Product Lead - Digital Applications, will lead a portfolio of digital products critical to Exelixis's success and ambition to launch innovative medicines for patients. This role is pivotal in driving the strategy, development, and operational excellence of our digital application ecosystem, ensuring alignment with business objectives and a strong focus on user experience and value delivery. Operating within a product-centric model, the Associate Principal IT Product Lead will be responsible for defining product roadmaps, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and leading agile product teams to deliver innovative and impactful digital solutions that accelerate drug discovery, development, and commercialization.

• Product Strategy & Roadmap (Product-Centric Focus):
• Own a portfolio of products coupled with the development and execution of the vision, strategy, and roadmap for inscope digital products within the Digital Applications job family.
• Partner with senior product leads and business stakeholders to gather insights, understand user needs, and translate them into clear product requirements and user stories.
• Lead and drive market research, competitive analysis, and technology assessments to inform product planning and identify innovation opportunities.
• Engage and lead in the prioritization of product initiatives by evaluating business impact, technical feasibility, compliance needs, and resource constraints.
• Own the architecture and design of a portfolio of products and ensure digital solutions are aligned and built securely and comply with enterprise standards.
• Product Development & Delivery (Agile/Product Team Leadership):
• Own the management of the product lifecycle from ideation through launch and post-launch optimization, applying Agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) to ensure efficient delivery to a portfolio of Digital Products.
• Ensure the user stories, acceptance criteria, and product specifications are well defined and are aligned with the product vision and business objectives to a portfolio of digital products
• Lead the partnerships with engineering, architecture, and quality assurance teams to help ensure timely delivery of scalable, secure, and high-quality portfolio of digital applications.
• Lead the coordination with external vendors and service providers to support alignment on product roadmaps and delivery operations to a portfolio of digital products
• Promote user-centric design by incorporating user research, usability testing, and feedback into product enhancements to a portfolio of digital products
• Support the Principal Product Lead in mentoring other digital application team members, encouraging a culture of ownership, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Collaboration:
• Act as a key liaison between IT and business functions, helping to translate technical concepts into business language and vice versa across multiple functional areas.
• Build collaborative relationships with stakeholders to support alignment of product vision, priorities, and outcomes across two or more functional areas.
• Facilitate communication and coordination across product, business, and IT teams to support effective decision-making.
• Own and drive the digital products roadmap in cross-functional discussions and contribute to strategic initiatives as needed.
• Operational Excellence, Quality & Compliance:
• Lead the support efforts to maintain the operational stability, performance, and security of digital applications in collaboration with IT operations and infrastructure teams.
• Lead the vendor relationships and third-party software solutions that support the digital application portfolio.
• Lead compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g., GxP, HIPAA, GDPR) and internal quality and security standards across product releases.
• Accountability to quality assurance processes to ensure product releases meet defined standards to two or more Digital Products.
• Actively contribute to the Implementation and maintenance of robust data management & AI practices to protect sensitive information and ensure its accuracy and reliability.
• Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess product success, adoption, and business impact, and support continuous improvement efforts.
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Complies with all policies and standards

Summary/Job Purpose

The Associate Principal IT Product Lead - Digital Applications, will lead a portfolio of digital products critical to Exelixis's success and ambition to launch innovative medicines for patients. This role is pivotal in driving the strategy, development, and operational excellence of our digital application ecosystem, ensuring alignment with business objectives and a strong focus on user experience and value delivery. Operating within a product-centric model, the Associate Principal IT Product Lead will be responsible for defining product roadmaps, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and leading agile product teams to deliver innovative and impactful digital solutions that accelerate drug discovery, development, and commercialization.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Product Strategy & Roadmap (Product-Centric Focus):
  • Own a portfolio of products coupled with the development and execution of the vision, strategy, and roadmap for inscope digital products within the Digital Applications job family.
  • Partner with senior product leads and business stakeholders to gather insights, understand user needs, and translate them into clear product requirements and user stories.
  • Lead and drive market research, competitive analysis, and technology assessments to inform product planning and identify innovation opportunities.
  • Engage and lead in the prioritization of product initiatives by evaluating business impact, technical feasibility, compliance needs, and resource constraints.
  • Own the architecture and design of a portfolio of products and ensure digital solutions are aligned and built securely and comply with enterprise standards.
• Product Development & Delivery (Agile/Product Team Leadership):
  • Own the management of the product lifecycle from ideation through launch and post-launch optimization, applying Agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) to ensure efficient delivery to a portfolio of Digital Products.
  • Ensure the user stories, acceptance criteria, and product specifications are well defined and are aligned with the product vision and business objectives to a portfolio of digital products
  • Lead the partnerships with engineering, architecture, and quality assurance teams to help ensure timely delivery of scalable, secure, and high-quality portfolio of digital applications.
  • Lead the coordination with external vendors and service providers to support alignment on product roadmaps and delivery operations to a portfolio of digital products
  • Promote user‑centric design by incorporating user research, usability testing, and feedback into product enhancements to a portfolio of digital products
  • Support the Principal Product Lead in mentoring other digital application team members, encouraging a culture of ownership, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Stakeholder Management & Cross‑Functional Collaboration:
  • Act as a key liaison between IT and business functions, helping to translate technical concepts into business language and vice versa across multiple functional areas.
  • Build collaborative relationships with stakeholders to support alignment of product vision, priorities, and outcomes across two or more functional areas.
  • Facilitate communication and coordination across product, business, and IT teams to support effective decision-making.
  • Own and drive the digital products roadmap in cross‑functional discussions and contribute to strategic initiatives as needed.
• Operational Excellence, Quality & Compliance:
  • Lead the support efforts to maintain the operational stability, performance, and security of digital applications in collaboration with IT operations and infrastructure teams.
  • Lead the vendor relationships and third‑party software solutions that support the digital application portfolio.
  • Lead compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g., GxP, HIPAA, GDPR) and internal quality and security standards across product releases.
  • Accountability to quality assurance processes to ensure product releases meet defined standards to two or more Digital Products.
  • Actively contribute to the Implementation and maintenance of robust data management & AI practices to protect sensitive information and ensure its accuracy and reliability.
  • Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess product success, adoption, and business impact, and support continuous improvement efforts.
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Complies with all policies and standards

Supervisory Responsibilities

• No supervisory responsibilities.

Education/Experience/Knowledge/Skills & Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline and 11 years of related experience; or
• Master's degree in mathematics or statistics or engineering, and 9 years of related experience.
• PhD degree in a related discipline and 5 years of related experience; or
• Equivalent combination of education and experience.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline and 11 years of related experience; or
• Master's degree in mathematics or statistics or engineering, and 9 years of related experience.
• PhD degree in a related discipline and 5 years of related experience; or
• Equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience

• Minimum of 6 years of experience supporting Enterprise IT enabling business functions.
• Minimum of 8+ years of progressive experience in IT, with at least 6+ years in a leadership role focused on digital applications or product management within the life science or pharmaceutical industry.
• Proven experience leading product development teams in an agile/product-centric operating model is essential.
• Strong understanding of the drug discovery or clinical development, or commercialization lifecycle within a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company.
• Demonstrated success in defining and delivering complex digital products that drive significant business value.
• Experience with one of the mentioned specific technologies or platforms as relevant to the specific role, [e.g., SaaS platforms (Veeva, SalesForce) or cloud solutions (AWS, Azure), or functional capabilities specific to business function such as LIMS, SAP ERP, EDC, CTMS, CRM systems widely used in pharma].
• Experience with regulatory frameworks and compliance in a GxP environment.
• Experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud configuration, deployment, and implementation is preferred.
• Experience in implementing and supporting MarTech applications within the pharmaceutical industry is preferred.

Required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Exceptional leadership and team-building skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate diverse teams.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities, with a data-driven approach to decision-making.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively at all levels of the organization.
• Deep understanding of product management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Kanban) and product lifecycle management.
• Solid technical acumen with the ability to understand complex IT architectures and development processes.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.Occasional travel may be required to other company sites, conferences, or vendor locations.

Travel Requirements

• Occasional travel (5–10%) may be required to other company sites, conferences, or