Director, IT Business Partner - Commercial

Alumis•South San Francisco, CA

3d•$200,000 - $240,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Business Partner, IT Commercial is a director-level role responsible for aligning IT capabilities with the strategic and operational needs of the commercial organization. This individual serves as the primary technology partner for pre-commercial and commercial functions — including Sales, Marketing, Market Access, and Medical Affairs — translating business requirements into scalable IT solutions during a critical phase of company growth. Operating within a small to medium-sized biotech or pharmaceutical environment, this role requires both strategic vision and hands-on execution. The Business Partner will lead the evaluation, implementation, and optimization of commercial systems (CRM, ERP, data & analytics platforms) while ensuring readiness for launch and beyond.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Life Sciences, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
10+ years of IT experience, with at least 5 years in a business partner, IT lead, or equivalent role supporting commercial functions in biotech or pharma.
Demonstrated experience supporting pre-commercial or launch-stage activities at a small to mid-sized life sciences company.
Deep expertise with commercial systems such as Veeva CRM, Salesforce, SAP, or equivalent platforms.
Strong understanding of pharmaceutical commercial operations, including field force, commercial strategy, marketing, market access, and medical affairs.
Hands-on experience delivering IT solutions across Commercial Strategy, Marketing Technology, Market Access, and Medical Affairs functions, with a clear understanding of the business workflows and data needs unique to each.
Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives in a fast-paced, resource-constrained environment.
Proven track record of managing and developing direct reports, including setting goals, providing coaching, and building high-performing teams in a dynamic environment.
Experience managing external vendors, system integrators, and managed service providers — including contract negotiation, performance management, and holding partners accountable to delivery commitments and SLAs.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting the commercial launch of one or more pharmaceutical or biologic products.
Familiarity with specialty pharma or rare disease commercial models.
Knowledge of data privacy regulations (HIPAA, GDPR) and industry compliance standards (PDMA, OIG).
Experience with master data management (MDM) and data governance in a commercial context.
Familiarity with commercial analytics tools (e.g., IQVIA, Symphony Health data integrations, Tableau, Power BI).
PMP, ITIL, or equivalent certification.

Responsibilities

Own the IT strategy and roadmap for commercial-facing systems, including CRM (e.g., Veeva, Salesforce), ERP, contract management, and master data management (MDM) platforms.
Lead end-to-end delivery of commercial technology initiatives — from requirements gathering and vendor selection through implementation, validation, and go-live.
Ensure systems are configured to support pre-commercial activities such as field force deployment, sample management, HCP/HCO data management, and promotional materials tracking.
Serve as the primary IT liaison for Commercial, Market Access, Marketing, and Sales Operations stakeholders.
Partner with business leaders to identify technology gaps, define requirements, and prioritize the IT portfolio in alignment with launch timelines and commercial goals.
Translate complex technical concepts into clear business value for non-technical audiences.
Partner with commercial leadership to shape the long-term IT strategy that enables go-to-market planning, competitive positioning, and portfolio decision-making.
Support business intelligence and reporting capabilities that provide insights into market trends, sales performance, and customer engagement.
Oversee IT solutions supporting multichannel marketing execution, including digital engagement platforms, content management systems (CMS), and marketing automation tools.
Ensure integration between marketing platforms and CRM systems to enable coordinated customer engagement across channels.
Support technology solutions for payer and account management, including contract management, formulary tracking, and gross-to-net analytics platforms.
Partner with Market Access stakeholders to ensure data flows and reporting capabilities support reimbursement strategy and pull-through activities.
Enable IT solutions for Medical Affairs functions, including medical information platforms, KOL engagement tracking, scientific exchange tools, and congress/event management.
Ensure Medical Affairs systems meet compliance and regulatory requirements for appropriate off-label and on-label scientific communication.
Drive IT readiness activities in support of product launch, including system build-out, user acceptance testing (UAT), training, and hypercare support.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Regulatory, Legal, Compliance, and Finance to ensure commercial systems meet applicable requirements (e.g., PDMA, OIG guidelines, data privacy regulations).
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of IT professionals supporting commercial functions, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Define roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations; support career development and succession planning within the team.
Manage relationships with third-party vendors, system integrators, and managed service providers supporting commercial technology.
Negotiate contracts and SLAs; hold vendors accountable to delivery commitments and quality standards.
Ensure commercial systems adhere to IT governance, data integrity, and security standards.