Executive Director - Scientific Computing

Executive Director, Scientific Computing

The mission of the Allen Institute is to unlock the complexities of bioscience and advance our knowledge to improve human health. Using an open science, multi-scale, team-oriented approach, the Allen Institute focuses on accelerating foundational research, developing standards and models, and cultivating new ideas to make a broad, transformational impact on science.

The mission of the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is not only to provide state of the art engineering infrastructure to the Allen Institute as a whole, but to also address high-risk, high-reward questions in biology through AI.

We are seeking an independent and motivated Executive Director of Scientific Computing to define and execute the long-term scientific computing strategy that powers the Allen Institute’s research programs , with a sustainable approach towards democratizing access to data, tools and computing infrastructure for the larger scientific community . Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, The Executive Director will oversee the development of scalable computing platforms, data infrastructure, and engineering capabilities that support petascale biological datasets and large foundation models.

At the Allen Institute, we believe that science is for everyone – and should be open to everyone. We are dedicated to combating biases and reducing barriers to STEM careers more broadly.

We also believe that science is better when it includes different perspectives and voices. We strive to make the Allen Institute a place where everyone feels like they belong and are empowered to do their best work in a supportive environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for our open positions.

Essential Functions

• Define and execute the Institute’s long-term strategy to scale computing platforms, data infrastructure, and data processing capabilities to support petascale biological data
• Serve as a senior technology leader, collaborating closely with scientific, operational, and administrative teams
• Establish governance frameworks and best practices for data management, infrastructure usage, and engineering standards
• Lead institute cloud strategy, ensuring scalability, performance, cost-effectiveness, and alignment to scientific priorities
• Organize, lead, and/or coordinate the Allen Institute’s technology advisory council meetings
• Build and lead a high-performance scientific computing and engineering team that upholds institute values and operational excellence
• Foster strategic collaborations with academic institutions, nonprofits, technology companies, and community standards bodies to leverage cutting-edge technologies and strengthen the Allen Institute’s role as a life science technology hub
• Establish central expertise in extracting features from petascale multimodal biological data, leveraging state-of-the-art methods for images, timeseries, and omics data
• Build and operate performant, configurable data processing pipelines for core data acquisition platforms, ensuring adoption of cloud-native community standard data formats
• Identify and adopt emerging technologies to ensure that Allen Institute stays at the forefront of technology, computing, and AI advancements
• Partner with scientific and engineering teams across the Institute to enable breakthrough discovery at the intersection of biology and computation and advancing integrated, multimodal data platforms and resources that support open science and broad community use
  
  

Note: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Required Education And Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent combination of degree and experience
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in computer science, data engineering, software development, machine learning or related fields
• Proven experience in scaling tools and algorithms for large datasets
• Strong expertise in cloud computing, including strategy, deployment, and management
• Experience managing and leading engineering teams across multiple departments
• Proven excellent strategic and operational planning skills
• Demonstrated success in forming and maintaining partnerships with technology companies
• Strong leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• In-depth understanding of software engineering best practices
• Experience in mentoring and career development
  
  

Preferred Education And Experience

• Experience in strategic planning and organizational vision and mission alignment , integrating scientific priorities with enterprise technology capabilities and operational excellence
• Experience in integrating multimodal data, AI/ML, and scalable computing into scientific workflows
• Extensive experience in managing large-scale and complex technology operations and multi-disciplinary teams
• Demonstrated capability in financial planning and oversight, people management, and meeting aggressive timelines
• Up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in data engineering
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in a multidisciplinary team environment, and being a spokesperson for the organization
  
  

Physical Demands

• Fine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computers and other office equipment
  
  

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• This role is currently able to work both remotely and onsite in a hybrid work environment. We are a Washington State employer, and the primary work location for all Allen Institute employees is 615 Westlake Ave N.; any remote work must be performed in Washington State.
  
  

Travel

• Attendance and participation in national and international conferences as appropriate
  
  

Additional Comments

• **Please note, this opportunity offers relocation assistance**
• **Please note, this opportunity may offer work visa sponsorship**
  
  

Annualized Salary Range

$249,500 - $336,850*

• Final salary depends on the required education for the role, experience, level of skills relevant to the role, and work location, where applicable.
  
  

Benefits

• Employees (and their families) are eligible to enroll in benefits per eligibility rules outlined in the Allen Institute’s Benefits Guide. These benefits include medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees are also eligible to enroll in the Allen Institute’s 401k plan. Paid time off is also available as outlined in the Allen Institutes Benefits Guide. Details on the Allen Institute’s benefits offering are located at the following link to the Benefits Guide:? https://alleninstitute.org/careers/benefits .
  
  

It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Allen Institute will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities