Senior Director Of Research Computing And AI Solutions

The Opportunity

Healthcare is undergoing a huge transformation. There are numerous contributing factors such as policy/ reimbursement changes, aging of the population and a renewed focus on the patient experience. Increasingly sophisticated digital technologies (e.g. AI, cloud, smart devices and novel sensors) are also transforming the way we deliver patient care. As one of the leading integrated academic healthcare delivery systems, Mass General Brigham is dedicated to enhancing patient care, to teaching and research and to serving the community. Furthermore, Mass General Brigham seeks to build new care delivery models, to develop and translate breakthrough ideas and innovations, and generate new revenue streams. Emerging technologies, as well as co-developing new technology solutions with technology vendors and startups are critical to achieving these strategic aims.

At Mass General Brigham Digital, we pride ourselves on our ability to create maximum strategic, clinical, and operational value from established and emergent technologies for our patients, care teams, researchers, and employees. Digital health will not only enhance the equity and efficiency of healthcare delivery, but will also help make medicine more personalized and precise.

We recognize that increasing value and continually improving quality while maintaining an inclusive focus are essential to organizational excellence, and we invite you to join us on this journey. The work we do in Digital is a strategic imperative, and there is a strong and growing understanding of how together we will transform Mass General Brigham in innovative and impactful ways.

Research-infused care sets Mass General Brigham apart

As a national leader in innovation, our patient-centered mentality and systemwide collaborative approach are the keys to research breakthroughs that drive medical innovation, gain new knowledge, and improve patient outcomes. Our physician-scientists-in the lab, in the clinic, and at the bedside-work tirelessly to understand the effects of debilitating diseases and our patient's needs to help guide our studies and improve patient care.

Mass General Brigham has over 200 years of leading innovative science, with 13 Nobel Laureates for research achievements and medical firsts. As a world-recognized leader in research, we are home to one of the largest hospital system-based research medical centers in the U.S., with an annual research budget of over $2 billion. Our researchers and clinicians are conducting thousands of studies in every major medical therapeutic and technology discipline. We are currently enrolling our patients in over 2,700 ongoing clinical trials to accelerate bringing new treatments and therapies to our patients and the world.

Mass General Brigham is seeking an exceptional candidate to serve as Director, Research Computing & AI Solutions

A new Digital Research Operations function was created in Digital in 2023 to enable and accelerate biomedical research and discovery through the provision of exceptional technology and data services to researchers and investigators. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Digital Research Operations, the Director, Research Computing & AI Solutions will be a critical member of the Digital Research Operations leadership team.

The Sr. Director, Research Computing & AI Solutions will be responsible for the development, implementation and operation of integrated, enterprise-wide research technology services, including high performance computing and storage, end-to-end data and AI solutions, pre-built software and software engineering services. They will be overall accountable for advancing MGB research by meeting the current & future technology needs of the academic research function and serving as a strong partner to the Research community.

The Sr. Director will collaborate with the data, cloud and innovation teams in Digital, external collaborators/technology partners and stakeholders across Research to co-create the vision, strategy and roadmap for the research technology platforms. They will act as a custodian and subject matter expert within Digital for the technology needs and opportunities of Research. They will manage the delivery of technology services to Research, working across Digital to increasingly integrate with and leverage enterprise platforms in the Cloud.

Success in the role will be measured by technology platform usage/penetration, research outcomes, service delivery and feedback from the Research community.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Build diverse and high performing team to deliver services across the following areas, adjusting skill mix and developing individuals as needed:

o High Performance Computing & Storage solutions

o Software & Services

o Research Software Engineering

o End-to-End Data & AI Solutions

• Lead the Research Computing & AI Solutions group guided by the following principles:

o Research First: understand researchers needs and build relevant solutions

o Innovative: drive new solutions and new approaches, staying at the cutting edge of AI and research computing

o Iterative: build iterative solutions that meet research needs in the short-term, iterate and evolve for the long-term

• Build partnerships with MGB research groups, understanding the diverse range of needs and working together to build short, medium and long term demand forecasts for technology services

• Collaborate with the enterprise teams in Digital and stakeholders across Research to co-create the vision, strategy and roadmap for research technology platforms

• Build/leverage external relationships with technology partners, start-ups, academic institutes (such as other AMCs, The Broad, Harvard) to develop proposals, build alliances/consortia, influence policy etc. and maximize opportunities for MGB as a world-leader in the provision of digital and AI solutions to academic medical research

• Build advisory partnerships internal and external to MGB e.g. faculty advisors, physician-scientists, to provide input, feedback and guidance to ensure the function is always guided and aligned by needs and future directions/trends

• Work in collaboration with Research support groups (e.g. Human Research Affairs, Research Management, etc.) to ensure proper coordination approvals throughout the grant lifecycle, continuously monitoring external and internal factors changing the research landscape, including the regulatory environment and advances in medical research

• Collaborate with MGB Innovation teams to create opportunities to join research and clinical innovation to improve health outcomes for patients and society as a whole

• Work with colleagues across Research Operations to deliver a 'front door' website for researchers to access services, supported by an outreach and training to skill-up researcher teams in key skills such as high performance computing, Linux, Python, R, Git, databases, scientific engineering, LLMs etc.

• Deliver expert support to Research groups throughout the grant lifecycle, from one-off 'consults' to providing embedded capabilities in large grant-funded programs and partnering with Research groups on grant submissions and healthcare/industry collaborations

• Manage all aspects of technology operations in alignment with ITIL best practice, including incident, problem & change management and maintaining performance, resilience and security

• Drive efficiency in products and services, such as self-service, in order to keep direct and indirect costs as low as possible

• Create, manage, and share an overall platform and service scorecard which articulates the value of the work undertaken

• Use the Mass General Brigham values to govern decisions, actions and behaviors. These values guide how we get our work done: Patients, Affordability, Accountability & Service Commitment, Decisiveness, Innovation & Thoughtful Risk; and how we treat each other: Diversity & Inclusion, Integrity & Respect, Learning, Continuous Improvement & Personal Growth, Teamwork & Collaboration

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in Research technology within Healthcare or aligned field

• Bachelors degree required, advanced degree preferred

• A strong foundation and experience in working in research and a complex healthcare environment

• Experience with infrastructure platforms, including Cloud

• Deep consultative experience with demonstrated ability to translate business needs into technical programs which deliver real business value

• Experience with managing regulatory research requirements including data, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and technology compliance.

• Extensive experience leading large, complex projects, including strategic and tactical planning

• Strong track record of operational excellence in budget, talent, and communication with demonstrated innovation in the field

Skills, Abilities and Core Competencies

• Excellent consultative skills, understanding business needs and translating those needs to technical requirements. Clear communication to business and technical leaders

• Storytelling: ability to communicate complex ideas in a way that is digestible to a broad audience and leads to decision and action

• Results driven: sets challenging goals, motivates colleagues and is accountable for continuously driving improved outcomes, leads change, and ensures high standards

• Strong creative problem solving with ability to craft MGB-specific solutions to meet the wide range of business needs across Research

• Demonstrated competence in leading matrixed people and large projects that cross functional areas and business priorities. Set, communicate, align on, and achieve common goals and objectives

• Adept at establishing trusted relationships at all levels across the organization and collaborating across multi-functional teams to drive accountability

• Strong project and program management skills

• Excellent change management skills with proven track-record of leading enterprise-wide change initiatives

• Will need to demonstrate Mass General Brigham's Leadership Competencies for both Performance Focused Leadership and People-Focused Leadership

• Performance Focused:

• Customer/Patient Focus: Building strong customer/patient relationships and delivering customer/patient centric solutions

• Manage Complexity: Make sense of complex, high quality, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems

• Cultivate Innovation: Create new and better ways for the organization to be successful

• Ensure Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments

• Learning Agility: Actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as a learning folder

• People Focused:

• Drive Equity and Inclusion: Recognizes the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization

• Build Effective Teams: Build cohesive teams that apply their diverse skills and perspective to achieve common goals

• Collaborate: Build partnerships and work collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives

• Communicate Effectively: Develop and deliver multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences

• Instill Trust: Gain the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity

Supervisory Duties

• Manage dedicated Research technology platforms and collaborate with enterprise data, Cloud and innovation teams

• Directly manage ~25-30 staff and indirectly manage in excess of 50 people across Digital contributing to delivery of technology services to Research

• Directly manage operating budgets of $6-8m and additional project budgets as approved through strategy and roadmap planning

• Attract and retain qualified talent and provide leadership development, corrective action, etc.

• Work collaboratively with MGB Digital PMO and Human Resources to assure effective and efficient business practices

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job:

• This position requires occasional local travel to MGB sites, vendors, and/or conferences

• Hospital work environment working conditions include possible exposure to diseases or infections and may require safety gear (PPE) such as gloves and mask.

• Normal office working conditions. The noise level in the work environment is quiet to moderate.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; talk; or hear; use hands to finger; handle; or feel; reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; and stoop; kneel; or crouch. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 5 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and depth perception.

Diversity Statement

As a not-for-profit organization, Mass General Brigham is committed to supporting patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. We place great value on being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization as we aim to reflect the diversity of the patients we serve. At Mass General Brigham, we believe in equal access to quality care, employment and advancement opportunities encompassing the full spectrum of human diversity: race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other forms of human presence and expression that make us better able to provide innovative and cutting-edge healthcare and research.