Senior Staff IT Product Lead - Microsoft 365 Enterprise

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

Job summary

Exelixis, Inc. in Alameda, CA is seeking a Senior Staff IT Product Lead for Enterprise Platforms to own the Microsoft 365 portfolio, with emphasis on Exchange Online and EntraID.

The role drives product strategy, roadmaps, governance, and cross‑functional collaboration to deliver secure, scalable digital solutions that support drug discovery, development, and commercialization. You will lead agile teams, align with business objectives, and ensure regulatory compliance while advancing automation

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline; 5+ years supporting enterprise-wide platforms; 7+ years in IT with digital workplace/product management.
• Experience leading product development teams in an agile/product-centric model.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Define product roadmaps for Enterprise Platforms; focus on Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, and EntraID.
• Lead agile product teams through the full lifecycle from concept to launch and post-launch support.
• Collaborate with architecture, engineering, and QA to deliver secure, scalable enterprise applications.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) and maintain data protection practices.
• Drive user experience improvements based on usability feedback and analytics.

Skills

Product management

Agile methodologies

Stakeholder management

Cloud platforms

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master's degree (optional)

Tools

Microsoft 365

EntraID

Exchange Online

Proofpoint Email Security

PowerShell

Microsoft Graph

Job description

SUMMARY/JOB PURPOSE

The Senior Staff IT Product Lead – Enterprise Platforms will lead a portfolio of digital products, with a primary focus on Microsoft 365—especially Exchange Online—critical to Exelixis' success and ambition to launch innovative medicines for patients. This role is pivotal in driving the strategy, development, and operational excellence of our Microsoft 365 platform ecosystem, ensuring alignment with business objectives and a strong focus on user experience and value delivery. Operating within a product-centric model, the 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):
  • Assist in understanding and executing the vision and strategy for digital products within the Enterprise Platforms job family (e.g., Communication, Content Management, Collaboration, Enterprise Productivity, Data and Analytics etc.).
  • Collaborate with product leads and business stakeholders to gather user needs and contribute to the development of product requirements and user stories.
  • Participate in basic market research and technology reviews to support product planning and identify potential areas for improvement.
  • Support the evaluation of product initiatives by helping assess business value, technical feasibility, and compliance considerations.
  • Work with architecture and engineering teams to help ensure digital solutions are aligned with enterprise design and security standards.
• Product Development & Delivery (Agile/Product Team Support):
  • Participate in product development activities across the lifecycle—from concept to launch and post-launch support—using Agile practices (e.g., Scrum, Kanban).
  • Assist in drafting user stories and acceptance criteria under the guidance of more senior team members.
  • Collaborate with engineering, architecture, and QA teams to support the delivery of secure, scalable, and high-quality enterprise applications.
  • Help coordinate with vendors and service providers to support product delivery timelines and operational needs.
  • Contribute to user experience improvements by incorporating feedback from usability testing and user research.
• Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Support communication between IT and business teams by helping translate technical concepts into business-friendly language.
  • Build working relationships with stakeholders to support alignment on product goals and deliverables.
  • Participate in team meetings and cross-functional discussions to stay aligned on priorities and progress.
  • Contribute to planning sessions and provide input on product-related decisions as appropriate.
• Operational Excellence, Quality & Compliance:
  • Assist in maintaining the stability, performance, and security of enterprise applications in collaboration with IT operations and infrastructure teams.
  • Help manage vendor interactions and support the use of third‑party software solutions.
  • Support compliance efforts by helping ensure product features and processes meet regulatory and internal standards (e.g., GxP, HIPAA, GDPR).
  • Contribute to quality assurance activities to help ensure product deliverables meet expectations.
  • Contribute to the Implementation and maintenance of robust data management & AI practices to protect sensitive information and ensure its accuracy and reliability.
  • Help monitor product performance metrics and KPIs to support continuous improvement efforts.
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Complies with all policies and standards

TECHNICAL AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Own Microsoft 365 and EntraID as the primary digital product, with specific emphasis on Exchange Online, including vision, strategy, and roadmap execution.
• Own Proofpoint Email Security platform as a digital product.
• Conduct market research and technology assessments to support planning and identify areas for innovation within Microsoft 365·
• Drive evaluation and prioritization of Microsoft 365 product initiatives based on business impact, technical feasibility, and compliance considerations.
• Own the architecture and design of Microsoft 365 solutions, ensuring secure, scalable implementation of platform and related services.
• Drive evaluation and prioritization of Microsoft 365 product initiatives based on business impact, technical feasibility, and compliance considerations.
• Own the architecture and design of Microsoft 365 solutions, ensuring secure, scalable implementation of platform and related services.
• Own the strategy, architecture, governance, and lifecycle management of Exchange Online, Proofpoint Email Security, and enterprise messaging services, ensuring secure, scalable, and compliant communication platforms.
• Lead architecture and operational excellence across Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Azure, and AI‑enabled services, integrating messaging capabilities with identity, security, compliance, cloud, and enterprise AI strategies.
• Design, implement, and support secure, highly available messaging solutions, including mail flow, domains, connectors, SMTP relay, hybrid integrations, email security controls (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS), and critical incident resolution.
• Drive large‑scale messaging and platform transformation initiatives while advancing automation, monitoring, governance, operational intelligence, documentation, disaster recovery, and engineering standards through PowerShell, Microsoft Graph, Copilot, and related technologies.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS & ABILITIES

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in related discipline and 8 years of related experience; or
• Master's degree in mathematics or statistics or engineering and 7 years of related experience.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience supporting enterprise-wide platforms.
• Minimum of 7+ years of progressive experience in IT, focused on digital workplace or product management.
• Proven experience in leading product development teams in an agile/product-centric operating model is essential.
• 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, Microsoft) or cloud solutions (AWS, Azure).
• Experience with regulatory frameworks and compliance.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Preferred:

• 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.
• 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.

Travel Requirements

• 5% Occasional travel may be required to