Sr. Director, IT - R&D Technology

Baxter • Deerfield, IL

1d • $208,000 - $286,000

About The Position

This is where your work makes a difference. At Baxter, we believe every person—regardless of who they are or where they are from—deserves a chance to live a healthy life. It was our founding belief in 1931 and continues to be our guiding principle. We are redefining healthcare delivery to make a greater impact today, tomorrow, and beyond. Our Baxter colleagues are united by our Mission to Save and Sustain Lives. Together, our community is driven by a culture of courage, trust, and collaboration. Every individual is empowered to take ownership and make a meaningful impact. We strive for efficient and effective operations, and we hold each other accountable for delivering exceptional results. Here, you will find more than just a job—you will find purpose and pride. Your role at Baxter We are seeking a skilled Sr. Director of IT, R&D to join our dynamic team. The Sr. Director of IT, R&D is accountable for the strategy, delivery, and evolution of IT capabilities that enable Baxter’s global R&D organization, spanning Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), R&D applications, software‑enabled products, and capital equipment development. This role plays a crucial role in defining and delivering the technological vision of an organization. This position requires a blend of technical expertise, business savvy, and visionary leadership to drive organizational success through technology.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline required
• 15+ years of relevant and progressive experience in MedTech R&D.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate teams.
• Can influence and inspire change throughout the organization.
• Demonstrated ownership of PLM platforms and complex R&D application ecosystems
• Comprehensive Enterprise Risk Management: Develop and implement strategies to identify, assess, and mitigate organizational technology-related risk.
• Effective Partner Management and Reporting: Prepare and deliver impactful presentations to executive leaders, clearly communicating IT performance, risks, and central initiatives.
• Influential Thought Leadership: Provide strategic direction and inspiration to the entire IT organization, aligning technology initiatives with business goals.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with executive leaders to align IT capabilities with business goals, fostering partnerships that drive competitive advantage and long-term organizational success.
• Persuasive Executive Communication: Articulate complex technical concepts to executives influencing key decisions and securing buy-in for strategic IT initiatives.
• Pipeline and Leadership Development: Develop robust pipeline management strategies and cultivate additional people leaders to ensure organizational growth and succession planning.
• Problem-Solving and Decision-Making: Demonstrate visionary problem-solving and decision-making leadership, adeptly navigating complex organizational challenges and making pivotal decisions that shape company direction.
• Strategic Networking: Cultivate and leverage high-level relationships within the industry to stay ahead of emerging trends and identify potential partnerships or opportunities.
• Transformative Change Leadership: Spearheaded large-scale organizational changes, guiding the IT team through digital transformations and cultural shifts.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree (MBA, MS, PhD) preferred

Responsibilities

• Enterprise-Wide R&D IT Strategy: Lead the development and execution of the Baxter-wide R&D IT strategy, including digital transformation initiatives that align with the organization's vision.
• Comprehensive IT Oversight: Oversee all aspects of the R&D IT space, including operations, innovation, and strategic planning, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
• Collaboration with Executive Leaders: Collaborate with R&D Business leaders to align IT capabilities with business goals driving competitive advantage and long-term success.
• Operational Excellence: Define and implement IT operational excellence strategies, spearhead transformative initiatives to drive innovation and efficiency, and leverage advanced analytics and emerging technologies to simplify and optimize IT operations across R&D.
• Innovation and Emerging Technologies: Drive innovation and the adoption of emerging technologies to enhance business capabilities, improve efficiency, and maintain a competitive edge, specifically in the spaces of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and MedTech Product Design capabilities.
• Pipeline and Leadership Development: Spearhead comprehensive pipeline management initiatives and foster the growth of emerging leaders to drive organizational expansion and ensure effective succession planning.
• Performance Management: Champion the strategic use of our Baxter performance management system across all of R&D, driving innovation in performance evaluation methodologies, aligning performance metrics with long-term organizational goals, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence in IT leadership.
• Vendor and Partner Relationships: Manage relationships with key technology partners, vendors, and industry leaders to ensure effective collaboration and strategic alignment.
• Risk Management: Lead strategic risk management initiatives at the highest level, collaborating with executive leadership to integrate IT risk management with overall enterprise risk strategies and drive organizational resilience.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned, which align with our organization's vision, mission, and values and fall within your scope of practice.

Benefits

• Baxter offers comprehensive compensation and benefits packages for eligible roles.
• Our health and well-being benefits include medical and dental coverage that start on day one, as well as insurance coverage for basic life, accident, short-term and long-term disability, and business travel accident insurance.
• Financial and retirement benefits include the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), with the ability to purchase company stock at a discount, and the 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan (RSP), with options for employee contributions and company matching.
• We also offer Flexible Spending Accounts, educational assistance programs, and time-off benefits such as paid holidays, paid time off ranging from 20 to 35 days based on length of service, family and medical leaves of absence, and paid parental leave.
• Additional benefits include commuting benefits, the Employee Discount Program, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and childcare benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees