Head of IT Delivery Excellence

Join the Spark Team

We were born of innovation, springing from the curiosity, imagination and dedication of remarkable scientists and healthcare visionaries. Our shared mission is to challenge the inevitability of genetic disease by discovering, developing, and delivering treatments in ways unimaginable – until now.

We don’t follow footsteps. We create the path.

The Head of IT Delivery Excellence is responsible for the IT Organization Strategy & Planning, Supplier Delivery Management, Portfolio and Project Management, and Continuous Improvement capabilities. 

This includes strategic planning, capital planning and investment control, workforce planning, policy standards development, portfolio planning, resource management, knowledge management, and supplier management. They are responsible for leading IT Governance, IT processes and frameworks adoption, and facilitating development of the IT strategy and associated roadmap/blueprint, which sets a long-term vision for the future. The Head of Delivery Excellence guides continuous improvement of their associated IT capabilities.

Reporting to the Head of IT, the Head of Delivery Excellence will proactively engage throughout the organization to enable IT Solutions that advance company objectives through systems and business optimization. The overall goal of this role and their team will be to leverage strategic delivery vendors, an business processes to delivery effective solutions and drive operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead the IT organization’s strategic planning, budget and financial planning, portfolio and project management, supplier delivery management and knowledge management activities
• Collaborate with the Heads of IT Functions across the organization to define the overall operating vision which effectively aligns with current and future business needs
• Draw up an actionable plan and determine IT budget to reach the goals set out in the IT strategy/ annual planning
• Facilitate evaluation of organizational model (e.g. outsource vs. insource) and workforce planning (e.g. FTE activity analysis) to align to organizational needs and to minimize gaps in IT talent) in partnership with human capital
• Guide, monitor, and align on continuous improvement of IT governance, IT management processes and quality frameworks and ensure adherence to enterprise-wide standards
• Monitor process integration and follow up with the different IT functional areas to ensure that the defined processes are adhered to across the organization
• Supports portfolio planning process in coordination with business and defines operating strategies based on industry benchmarks
• Continuously measure the impact of governance across IT, provide consultative support to improve process integration and process performance, IT controls, solutions and services based on internal and external best practices
• Ensure adherence to enterprise-wide standards through audit and peer reviews
• Maintain 3-5 year strategic planning horizon (year 1 detailed, years 2-5 higher-level)
• Review business case for new projects including benefit/impact realization, and expected project returns (e.g., ROI, IRR)
• Oversee the IT organization’s performance management activities across all IT Functions and report back to Head of IT on the realization of success metrics (KPI/SLAs) and progress against targets
• Manage the IT Delivery Excellence team to achieve business goals and objectives.
• Foster Spark’s Culture.  Role model the Spark Values. Create an environment where team members thrive by living our truths, always in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Emphasize to employees that “how” they achieve performance objectives is just as important as “what” they accomplish.
• Hire & Integrate.  Know what skills, experiences and capabilities are needed to achieve current and future business goals. Take an active role in attracting and selecting talent who are inspired by our Mission, Vision and Values.  Consciously create a team with diverse backgrounds, experiences, skill sets and perspectives.  Help new team members successfully integrate into Spark so they can actively contribute and add value as quickly as possible.
• Manage performance.   Ensure every team member knows what is expected of them, what it takes to be successful, and how they are progressing.  Provide team members with continuous and on-going performance feedback, holding everyone accountable to achieve results while demonstrating the Spark Values. Help team members understand how their work contributes to the overall success of Spark by continuously communicating priorities, decisions and changes; adjusting goals as needed.
• Develop people.   Understand each individual team member’s career goals. strengths and motivators.  Partner with your employees to identify areas for development, conduct coaching conversations regularly and provide guidance on ways to develop through on the job experiential learning and stretch opportunities

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• 15+ years of experience in leading Information Technology initiatives and IT service delivery
• 5+ years of experience working in a life science company
• 5+ years in and IT leadership role with experience coaching, managing and leading multi-functional teams.
• Ability to work in a matrixed environment
• Previous experience in leading enterprise-wide (5 or more business functions) portfolio of major technology initiatives
• Experience in managing capital and operational budgets
• Key Skills, Abilities, and Competencies
• Strong experience in demand management / portfolio management
• Deep understanding of solution portfolio, IT strategy, and business priorities
• Proven skills in financial management
• Experience in contract management
• Strong business acumen
• Ability to tie together solutions across systems
• Strong Experience in performance management
• Understanding of current and future technology portfolio
• Knowledge of quality methodologies -- Lean / LSS / Six Sigma
• Understanding of software development lifecycle and maintenance lifecycles
• Six Sigma Black belt a plus
• PMP Certification a plus

Behavioral Skill

• Ability to set and manage priorities judiciously
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Strong negotiations skills
• Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills
• Proven leadership skills -- Effectively leads teams & people
• Ability to present ideas in business-friendly and user-friendly language
• Exceptionally self-motivated and directed
• Keen attention to detail
• Ability to motivate in a team-oriented, collaborative environment
• Complexity and Problem Solving
• Describe the decisions made by the incumbents on a regular basis. Include decisions within the Incumbent’s authority to make as well as those decisions that must be referred to a higher level.
• Demonstrates competence in key areas of leadership expertise including: relationship management, communications, staff direction and motivation, financial planning and control, quality management, risk management, and the setting and achievement of targets
• Can communicate technology solutions/obstacles in terms of business value, impact and risk

Please be aware that Spark mandates COVID-19 vaccination of all employees regardless of work location.  Accommodations may be made in accordance with applicable law.

Spark Therapeutics does not accept unsolicited resumes/candidate profiles from any source other than directly from candidates.   Any unsolicited resume/candidate profile submitted through our website or to personal email accounts of employees of Spark Therapeutics are considered property of Spark Therapeutics and are not subject to payment of agency fees.