Associate Director, Information Technology

About us:

Ventus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company deploying leading-edge structural biology and computational chemistry tools to create novel small molecule medicines for challenging targets in immunology, inflammation, and neurology.

Our proprietary drug discovery platform, ReSOLVE, gives us the ability to discover and develop medicines through unique insights into protein targets and to create dynamic blueprints that can guide the development of differentiated therapies at a fast pace. We aim to use the ReSOLVE platform to improve the way medicines are discovered and developed, with the ultimate goal of restoring the health of people facing serious illnesses.

Position Overview:

Reporting to the SVP, Finance and Accounting, the Associate Director, IT will manage the Ventus Information Technology Infrastructure and End User Services. This person will also supervise Ventus’ Managed Services Provider (MSP) to ensure the user community has a highly productive work environment, dynamic mobility capabilities, and an effective support model.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Systems Implementation and Maintenance

• Perform desktop support for remote and onsite personnel. Specify and deploy hardware for new and existing employees
• Manage overall effectiveness and efficiency of Ventus infrastructure systems and End User Services (EUS) by leveraging Ventus’ MSP
• Plan and manage the installation of new organization-wide systems and applications. For more specialized functions, assists departments in planning and executing the installation of new systems
• Collaborate with scientists to integrate lab equipment and ensure appropriate data security measures are in place
• Maintain and troubleshoot local and cloud server and network infrastructure, and peripherals

IT Security and Compliance

• Work with leadership to establish and enforce IT security policies, procedures, and protocols to protect sensitive data, intellectual property, and critical infrastructure
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards, such as HIPAA, GxP, FDA guidelines, and data privacy laws as required
• In collaboration with Ventus’ MSP and partners, conduct regular security audits, vulnerability assessments, and risk analyses to identify and address potential security threats

Vendor Management

• Manage MSPs to ensure service-level agreements (SLAs) are met and maximum value is attained from the MSPs
• Interact with and assist in managing outside vendors, outsourcers, and service providers to procure and deliver technology products, services, and contracts as required
• Collaborate with Ventus Contracts Manager to negotiate contracts and SLAs to ensure cost-effectiveness, quality, and timely delivery of IT solutions and services

Cost Management

• Manage IT expenditures
• Identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency in areas such as hardware standardization, software consolidation, and license management

Job Requirements:

• Provides Tier I to III/other support per request from various constituencies
• Technical lead on IT projects to enhance/streamline company efficiencies, processes, and collaboration
• Perform daily on-premises and cloud system monitoring, verifying the integrity and availability of all hardware, server resources, systems, and key processes
• Perform regular security monitoring and oversight to ensure Ventus security defenses act as desired
• Work with the Computational Sciences team as required to ensure seamless integration with Enterprise IT infrastructure
• Specify IT hardware requirements for Enterprise IT systems and users and manage hardware inventory
• This position is located in Waltham, MA; must be willing to work onsite a minimum of 3 days per week, and as required based on business needs

Qualifications and Skills:

• 7+ years of proven experience managing IT of a small to medium-sized company, preferably in the Biotechnology or Pharmaceutical industry
• Degree in Computer Science and Engineering or a related field preferred; relevant experience may be considered in place of a degree
• Experience with lab systems and associated IT requirements, preferably in biotechnology or pharmaceutical research
• Extensive technical knowledge of Windows network/server architectures, Active Directory, M365, and Teams/SharePoint; knowledge of Linux a plus
• Knowledge of server and storage hardware
• Knowledge of Microsoft Hyper-V
• Familiarity with on premise and cloud backup solutions
• Strong analytical ability, translating business and user requirements into logical architecture or solutions
• Knowledgeable with Microsoft Cloud/Server technologies, M365, internal and voice networks.
• Scripting experience a plus
• Microsoft SharePoint Online and Teams experience
• Experience with Single Sign-on (SSO) solutions
• Certifications are a plus