Senior Director, Core Technology and IT Operations

Title: Senior Director, Core Technology and IT Operations

Location: Brisbane, California

About Us:

Vera Therapeutics (Nasdaq: VERA), is a late-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for serious immunological diseases. Vera’s mission is to advance treatments that target the source of immunologic diseases in order to change the standard of care for patients. Vera’s lead product candidate is atacicept, a fully humanized fusion protein self-administered at home as a subcutaneous injection once weekly that blocks both B-cell Activating Factor (BAFF) and A Proliferation Inducing Ligand (APRIL), which stimulate B cells and plasma cells to produce galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) and associated autoantibodies, which together form immune complexes that are fundamental in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Vera is also considering evaluating the role of atacicept in other immunologic disorders. Additionally, Vera is developing MAU868, a monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize infection with BK Virus, a polyomavirus that can have devastating consequences in certain settings such as kidney transplant. For more information, please visit: www.veratx.com.

Our values are the cornerstone of our culture. Our values inspire us every day and guide everything we do—from how we hire great people, to advancing our mission together, to achieving our ultimate goal to improve medical treatment for patients suffering from immunological diseases.

Position Summary:

The Senior Director Core Technology and IT Operations will report to the Vice President, Information Technology and will be responsible for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of the company’s core technology platforms, IT infrastructure, and the management of our help desk function. The role will be a key member of the IT Leadership team, with oversight of multiple vendors and will assure that all technology initiatives and service level agreements are delivered with the appropriate focus on our corporate and functional OKRs.

Responsibilities:

• Lead a team that is responsible for ensuring the reliable and secure operations of company’s IT core systems and infrastructure, including desktops, servers, printers, network, telecommunications and conference room AV.
• Ensure harmonized, consistent IT Operations and reliable end user support experiences for HQ and remote users.
• Perform capacity planning and management, including budgetary responsibilities, for company’s IT technology infrastructure, ensuring that capacity and performance is in line with organizational needs.
• Provide guidance and counsel on new technology investment opportunities that drive capability improvements consistent with business direction.
• Lead contract negotiations with vendors to assure optimal pricing on projects and services; ensure vendors are executing to agreed upon SLAs and pricing.
• Perform ongoing Infrastructure assessments to ensure proper compliance (e.g., GxP, SOX, GDPR, HIPAA, PII, PHI) and appropriate controls are implemented for both new solutions and improvements to existing systems.
• Update and author IT policies, SOPS and governance documents as required in partnership with business and IT team members.
• Own and oversee key IT related crisis management plans (i.e. Incident Response and Disaster Recovery plans) and activities, ensuring integrity and reliability of system backups, restorability, and disaster preparedness of company’s computer systems.
• Provide guidance, mentorship, and overall career development of direct reports.
• Develop and manage budget for IT Operations expenditures and potential investments.
• Build and maintain strong business relationships with key stakeholders to understand corporate priorities. Align the development and deployment of infrastructure and support services with business need.
• Responsible for timely delivery of project initiatives, achieved through a combination of experience driven planning, hands-on work, and external vendor management.
• Work to continuously improve operational effectiveness while ensuring scalability and accessibility of IT core services and applications.
• Work closely with Cybersecurity leader to operationalize support of security tools and processes
• Ensure new FTE and contractors have a positive on-boarding experience
• Ensure the proper off-boarding steps and controls related to IT are taken when colleagues depart the company, including the prompt removal of access to systems and return of assets.
• Help ensure IT is seen as a valuable business partner and that the IT value proposition is aligned to our OKRs.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in the field of computer science, information systems or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• Minimum of 12 years of IT experience in positions of increasing responsibility, with a minimum of 8 years of leadership experience in technical operations/support environment.
• Minimum 10 years of experience managing corporate infrastructure, security within a regulated Life Science/Biotech environment.
• Strong leadership and mentorship skills, specifically with leading a team of highly skilled technical resources.
• Long term technical roadmap planning for core infrastructure and IT operations
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically while also able to act decisively and tactically.
• Strong project management skills and ability to work to deadlines successfully managing multiple business-driven initiative.
• Strong and effective communication to staff and management for major issues and/or outages.
• Self-motivated with a strong ability to operate in new and/or unfamiliar and ambiguous situations.

Vera Therapeutics Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer.

Vera Therapeutics is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices and we strive to provide employees with total compensation packages that are market competitive. For this role, the anticipated base pay range begins at $190,000. The exact base pay offered for this role will depend on various factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s geography, qualifications, skills, and experience.

At Vera, base pay is only one part of your total compensation package. The successful candidate will be eligible for an annual performance incentive bonus, new hire equity, and ongoing performance-based equity. Vera Therapeutics also offers various benefits offerings, including, but not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k match, flexible time off, and a number of paid holidays.

Notice to Recruiters/Staffing Agencies

Recruiters and staffing agencies should not contact Vera Therapeutics through this page. All recruitment vendors (search firms, recruitment agencies, and staffing companies) are prohibited from contacting our hiring manager(s), executive team members, or employees.

We require that all recruiters and staffing agencies have a fully executed, formal written agreement on file.

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Fraud Alert

To all candidates: your personal information and online safety are a top priority for us. At Vera Therapeutics, recruiters only direct candidates to apply through our official career page at https://veratx.com/careers/.

Recruiters will always contact you using the domain of veratx.com. We will never request payments, ask for financial account information or sensitive information like social security numbers. If you are unsure if a message is from Vera Therapeutics, please email human resources.