Director, Business Application Platforms

Overview

The Director of Business Application Platforms serves as the strategic and technical leader for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s enterprise application ecosystem, with a primary focus on Workday and UKG. This role defines and executes the technical vision, architecture, and delivery strategy to ensure platforms are secure, scalable, and aligned with institutional goals. By establishing governance frameworks and architectural standards, the Director of Business Application Platforms drives consistency, resilience, and performance across critical business systems. The position collaborates closely with cross-functional teams and IT leadership to enhance process maturity in areas such as development, release management, and change control. This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership opportunity ideal for an experienced enterprise systems architect with a strong background in SaaS platforms and navigating the complexities of regulated environments.

This is an exciting time to join the DFCI Business Applications team as we drive critical digital transformation initiatives that power our entire organization. With cutting-edge platforms like Workday and UKG at the core, the team is shaping the future of how business processes and technology intersect. There’s a unique opportunity to influence key enterprise systems, lead innovation in automation and integrations, and collaborate across diverse teams to deliver high-impact solutions. Join us to be part of a dynamic, fast-growing environment where your expertise directly accelerates organizational success and growth.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Responsibilities

Strategic Platform Leadership

• Define and execute the long-term technical strategy for the Workday, UKG and related platforms to align with enterprise goals in HR, Finance, Supply Chain, and Workforce Management.
• Drive architectural decisions that ensure platform scalability, performance, and adaptability to changing business and regulatory requirements.

Enterprise Integration and Automation

• Lead architecture and integration design to ensure scalable, secure, and efficient cross-system connectivity
• Establish architectural standards and integration frameworks to ensure resilience, scalability, and reusability across the business application ecosystem.

Application Innovation and Optimization

• Drive platform innovation through Workday Extend, Prism, and automation to streamline workflows and unlock business value.
• Continuously assess platform performance and enhancement opportunities, driving system optimization through configuration, custom development, and adoption of newly released functionality.

Technical Team and Capability Development

• Build and mentor a high-performing technical team with strong focus on application development, integration, and platform support.
• Define and communicate clear expectations, provide regular constructive feedback, and evaluate performance against objectives. Oversee team’s compliance with organizational policies and procedures. Monitor work for efficiency, effectiveness, and quality. Work with senior management and Human Resources to address performance issues, as appropriate. Promote and foster a healthy and productive work environment within the team and with groups across the Institute.

Stakeholder Engagement and Governance

• Establish governance, performance metrics, and compliance standards to ensure data integrity and operational excellence.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to business and IT leaders, translating requirements into actionable, value-driven solutions.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• This role has direct leadership responsibility for a team of technical developers for the Workday and UKG platforms. The Director will oversee hiring, coaching, performance management, resource allocation, and professional development, while fostering a high-performing, collaborative, and customer-focused team culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in a relevant field.
• 10 years of experience in technical leadership roles within software engineering or IT, ideally in healthcare or other highly regulated, complex environments.
• Hands-on experience with Workday, UKG, or comparable enterprise platforms such as Oracle, SAP, or PeopleSoft.
• Proven expertise in software development practices, cloud-based technologies, DevOps methodologies, system integration, and cybersecurity principles.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Proven ability to define and execute technical strategy for enterprise business applications in complex, matrixed stakeholder environments.
• Deep understanding of cloud-based SaaS platforms, with a strong focus on ERP architecture, integrations, security, and performance.
• Experience developing technical governance models, solution architecture frameworks, and integration strategies across multiple enterprise systems.
• Experience establishing and managing technical support models, including incident management, root cause analysis, release management, and change control processes.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and executive leadership.

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff that offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.