Associate Director, IT Service Management

Associate Director of ITSM

The Associate Director of ITSM is a strategic leader responsible for designing, implementing, and improving IT service delivery frameworks that align technology services with business needs. The role emphasizes strong oversight of external partners to ensure effective and reliable service delivery. A key priority is leading the modernization of the DFCI IT Service Catalog, building related workflows in a shared ServiceNow instance, and establishing new ITSM processes and resources. This position also drives adoption of ServiceNow to replace informal request methods with a digital intake culture and to highlight the value of data and metrics for leadership. Additionally, the role manages a blended team of employees, consultants, and contractors to align IT services with clinical, research, and operational needs within a collaborative healthcare partnership.

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.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Service Strategy & Implementation

• Lead the end-to-end development of a user-centric Service Catalog, streamlined ITSM workflows, and the continuous improvement of IT Service Management frameworks.
• Act as the primary liaison with the larger Healthcare Organization (HCO) that owns the ServiceNow instance to ensure technical alignment, platform optimization, and excellent user experience.
• Establish ITSM process owners responsible for new technology requests, Knowledge Base (KB) article creation and curation, CMDB, and catalog maintenance.

Operational Oversight

• Define and monitor KPIs for Incident, Problem, and Request Management to maintain high service availability and performance.
• Oversee, enforce, and audit SLAs, performance reporting, and foundational ITSM data, including CMDB accuracy and compliance needs.
• Identify and drive opportunities for automation, process optimization, and service improvements to enhance the user experience.

Team Leadership

• Direct a diverse team consisting of ITSM process owners, technical analysts, contractors, and external consultants fostering a culture of service excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Manage resource allocation, project budget, and timelines for ITSM changes or upgrades.
• Coordinate closely with business partners and MSP to ensure seamless integration, service alignment, and effective governance across.
• Supervises staff. Hires, develops, and manages staff to achieve organizational goals. Sets clear expectations, delivers feedback, and monitors performance for quality, efficiency, and compliance with policies and procedures. Mentors staff, fosters career growth, and cultivates a positive and productive work environment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of Agile, Lean, and DevOps methodologies and their integration with traditional ITSM practices.
• Advanced skill in developing, managing, and monitoring SLAs, OLAs, and Underpinning Contracts to ensure service performance and accountability.
• Ability to design KPI dashboards and performance reports that provide actionable insights into service health and managed service provider performance.
• Knowledge of financial management principles, including departmental budgeting and cost-of-service analysis and deep functional knowledge of Incident, Problem, Change, Request, and Asset Management is required.
• Ability to translate complex technical metrics and analytical data into clear, business-focused reports for executive stakeholders.
• Skill in negotiation and conflict resolution, particularly within complex multi-vendor or outsourced service environments.
• Ability to build strong partnerships and bridge communication between technical teams, business units, and senior leadership.
• Ability to lead with a customer-first, user-experience-driven mindset that supports end-user satisfaction and business alignment.
• Skill in enabling and presenting data-driven decision-making at the senior leadership level to address complex business challenges.
• Ability to influence outcomes without direct authority in shared-services environments and collaborative partner organizations

Minimum Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer science, Management of Information Systems, or a relevant field required.
• 6 years of experience in healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceutical, medical device, or other innovation-driven organizations required
• 6+ years in IT operations or service management, including 5+ years in senior leadership roles required.
• 10+ experience with healthcare organizations such as hospitals, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or innovation-driven organizations preferred.
• Proven success developing and executing ITSM roadmaps that improve agility, service reliability, and user workflows/processes.
• Experience implementing or refining ITSM standards such as COBIT or ISO/IEC 20000 in high-compliance healthcare environments, including DFCI-aligned processes.
• Strong hands-on experience with enterprise ITSM platforms and vendor management, including holding MSPs accountable through service level reviews and improvement plans.

License/Certification/Registration Required: ITIL v4 or v5 Certification required. PMP preferred

Supervisory Responsibilities: Supervise the Technical Business Analyst, ITSM, Technical Business Analyst, Performance and Reporting, and Process Owner, CMDB & Knowledge Management

Patient Contact: None

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 who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate 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.