Associate Director, Data Management & Governance, GPSO IT

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and with offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Dublin, Ireland, Ionis has been at work for more than three decades discovering medical breakthroughs that have redefined life for people with serious diseases. We’re pioneers in RNA-targeted medicines, and our platform continues to revolutionize drug discovery and transform lives for patients with unmet needs.  With multiple marketed medicines and a leading pipeline in neurology, cardiology and select areas of high patient needs, we continue to drive innovation in RNA therapies in addition to advancing new approaches in gene editing to provide greater value to patients and are well positioned financially to deliver on our strategic goals.

At Ionis, we pride ourselves on cultivating a challenging, motivating and rewarding environment that fosters innovation and scientific excellence. We know that our success is a direct result of the exceptional talents and dedication of our employees. 

With an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of human health, we look to add diverse individuals, skill sets and perspectives to our exceptional team. We continue to invest time, money and energy into making our onsite, hybrid and remote work environments a place where solid and lasting relationships are built and where our culture and employees can thrive. 

We’re building on our rich history, and we believe our greatest achievements are ahead of us. If you’re passionate about the opportunity to have meaningful impact on patients in need, we invite you to apply and join us. Experience and contribute to our unique culture while you develop and expand your career!

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, DATA MANAGEMENT & GOVERNANCE

SUMMARY:

We are seeking an Associate Director, Data Management & Governance to serve as a domain-driven, techno-functional lead within the Global Product Strategy and Operations (GPSO) IT team.  This critical role involves managing customer data and overseeing data governance and analytics for Commercial and Medical business units.

This cross-functional role is ideal for someone who combines deep domain knowledge with operational excellence across all aspects of commercial and medical affairs and thrives on identifying how data can support business outcomes.

The candidate will drive the adoption of data governance tools and practices to improve data discoverability, accessibility, and auditability across the commercial landscape. A strong understanding of customer domains including HCP, HCO, Payer, Provider, Provider, Product etc. is critical to support use cases across all field-facing functions.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

MDM Ownership

• Product ownership of the end-to-end MDM strategy and operations across HCP, HCO, payer, provider, and patient domains using Veeva Network for both Commercial and Medical business units.
• Manage and own the support and evolution of alignment and roster modules
• Lead Data stewardship, data quality monitoring, and standards enforcement in alignment with enterprise and field analytics needs.
• Integrate and master third-party data sources (e.g., IQVIA, Komodo, Compile, Symphony, HCP lists, RWE providers) and orchestrate enrichment flows for real-world applicability.

Data Governance 

• Design, implement and lead a scalable data governance framework for GPSO, including policies, data ownership models, stewardship processes, and metadata management
• Serve as the IT owner for data domain councils and data stewardship communities, facilitating collaboration across business and technical teams
• Contribute to the broader data strategy by aligning MDM/governance capabilities with enterprise architecture, security, and analytics infrastructure
• Collaborate with data privacy, security, and compliance teams to ensure adherence to regulations (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA).

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Commercial (business units such as Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Patient Services, HEOR) and Medical (Medical Affairs and Field medical) business stakeholders to define use cases and ensure high-quality, fit-for-purpose data delivery.
• Collaborate with IT teams supporting data warehouse, omnichannel, and reporting platforms to maintain integrated, high-quality data flows.
• Participate in enterprise data governance councils and represent GPSO IT in cross-functional data working groups as needed.

Operational Execution

• Lead vendor management for MDM services in support of adhering to quality SLAs and timely issue resolution.
• Lead and support both intra- and inter- application integrations for GPSO applications like MDM, CRM, Omnichannel and analytics systems
• Document processes, standards, issue logs, and metrics related to MDM operations and governance.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree in information technology, Computer Science, or related field.
• At least 12 years with a bachelor’s degree; 8+ years with a master’s; or 5 years with a PhD with experience in data management and at least 7+ years in life sciences 
• Proven hands-on expertise with Veeva Network, including mastering logic, affiliations, change requests, and hierarchy management.
• Deep subject matter expertise in core data domains, including:
  • HCP/HCO: Credential validation, specialty, practice affiliation, address management, and territory mapping.
  • Payer: Plan hierarchies, formulary status, reimbursement structures, and payer-plan influence models.
  • Provider: Institutional relationships, referral networks, site capabilities, and group practice linkages.
  • Patient (is a plus but not required): Relevant to data flows from specialty pharmacy, hubs, or external data partners.
• Understanding and experience with how these domains power field analytics, segmentation, targeting, omnichannel strategy, and insight generation
• Understanding Veeva CRM, Salesforce, Omnichannel or other commercial/medical CRM platforms.
• Experience leading data governance, stewardship, and quality programs
• Experience implementing cloud-native MDM pipelines using Databricks, SQL, Python, Delta Live Tables, and APIs.
• Knowledge of HIPAA, Sunshine Act, and regulatory data handling requirements for pharmaceutical companies.
• Strong stakeholder communication skills and the ability to translate business needs into technical design.
• Excellent communication skills to translate data topics to business stakeholders and vice versa.
• Comfortable working in Agile and product-driven development environments

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Familiarity with Power BI/Tableau, or other reporting tools.
• Experience working with or supporting field teams in rare disease or specialty pharma environments.
• Familiarity with third-party data vendors (e.g., MMIT, SHS, LexisNexis, Definitive Healthcare) for payer/provider enrichment.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., ITIL, PMP)
  
  

Please visit our website, http://www.ionis.com for more information about Ionis and to apply for this position; reference requisition # IONIS003735

Ionis offers an excellent benefits package! Follow this link for more details: Ionis Benefits

Full Benefits Link: https://www.ionis.com/careers/working-at-ionis/#:~:text=our%20employee%20spotlight-,Benefits,-Employees%20are%20rewarded

The pay scale for this position is $138,744 to $200,000

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. PRINCIPALS ONLY.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and all its subsidiaries are proud to be EEO employers.

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