Discovery IT Business Partner

Position: Discovery IT Business Partner

Location: Cambridge MA - Hybrid

Job Type: Full-Time

What You’ll Do

Are you passionate about leveraging technology, data, and automation to transform pharmaceutical research? As a Discovery IT Business Partner, you will partner with Discovery, Data Science, and R&D teams to deliver innovative technology and automation solutions, expand Discovery Informatics capabilities, and ensure operational excellence.

You will work closely with Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, Translational Research, Data Sciences, and other Discovery functions to define technology strategies, manage critical laboratory informatics platforms, lead technology projects, and drive digital transformation across the research organization.

If you enjoy working at the intersection of Discovery Science, Data, and IT in a fast-paced biotech environment, this role provides an opportunity to help build the lab of the future.

Essential Duties:

· Serve as the IT Business Partner for Discovery, supporting Biology, Data Sciences, Lab Systems, Medicinal Chemistry, Translational Research, Research Pharmacology, and Preclinical functions

· Partner with Discovery business users to gather requirements, define business processes, create user stories, and translate scientific needs into technology solutions

· Serve as Product Owner for critical laboratory informatics systems, managing the full lifecycle from requirements and implementation through production support, upgrades, enhancements, and retirement

· Lead Discovery technology initiatives including lab automation, SDMS, robotics, non-clinical/toxicology/biology data lakes, and LIMS programs

· Lead change management activities for major platform upgrades and new technology implementations, including communication, training, and user adoption

· Manage technology support activities for key research systems and coordinate Tier 1–3 support with managed service providers

· Work with Discovery business users, Product Managers, Scrum/Kanban teams, and development teams to prioritize requirements and deliver technology solutions

· Develop and maintain technology roadmaps aligned with Discovery business priorities

· Lead or co-lead cross-functional initiatives involving scientific workflow digitization, FAIR data implementation, research capacity scaling, and data-driven decision making

· Coordinate software upgrades and implementations with technology vendors and managed service partners

· Establish controls and processes for efficient and effective collection and management of scientific experiment, assay, reagent, inventory, and laboratory data

· Facilitate training, onboarding, knowledge-sharing sessions, and user enablement programs

· Prepare compliance, operational, and project status reports and ensure appropriate follow-up and escalation

Required Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s degree in Information Management, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field required

· 7 years of experience in the Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology industry

· Minimum 5 years of experience working within Discovery/R&D

· 5–8 years of experience as an IT Business Analyst, R&D Product Specialist, Product Owner, or similar role

· Strong experience with Discovery/Laboratory Informatics systems

· Experience with eLNB/ELN, compound registration, pipeline tools, inventory management, and laboratory automation

· Experience leading Discovery IT projects and/or working directly with Discovery business teams

· Strong knowledge of Computer Systems Validation (CSV) and GAMP

· Working knowledge of FDA/EMA regulations and GxP requirements, including 21 CFR Part 11, 21 CFR Part 210/211, and EU Annex 11

· Strong requirements gathering, business analysis, stakeholder management, project management, and communication skills

Preferred Technical Experience & Business Skills:

· Experience with Dotmatics, CLIMB, Lab Voice, LIMS, ELN, SDMS, or similar Discovery/Lab Informatics platforms

· Experience with lab automation, robotics, and scientific workflow digitization

· Experience supporting Medicinal Chemistry, Biology, Translational Research, Pharmacology, or Preclinical Research

· Experience with AWS/cloud-based technologies

· Knowledge of analytics, data pipelines, scientific data lakes, and data integration

· Experience implementing FAIR data principles and establishing scientific data governance

· Experience with Agile methodologies including Scrum and Kanban

· Strong product ownership and technology lifecycle management experience

· Experience managing vendors, MSPs, and external technology partners

· Strong change management, training, and user adoption experience

· Excellent leadership, communication, relationship-building, collaboration, problem-solving, organizational, and analytical skills

Ideal Candidate Profile:

· Pharma/Biotech IT professional with strong Discovery/Lab Informatics experience

· 5 years supporting Discovery/R&D organizations

· Hands-on experience with ELN/LIMS, compound registration, inventory, and lab automation

· Proven experience as an IT Business Partner, Business Analyst, Product Owner, or R&D IT specialist

· Strong understanding of GxP, CSV, GAMP, and laboratory systems

· Comfortable working with scientists, IT teams, vendors, and senior Discovery leadership