Director, Business Application Operations

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life-changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care, united in the mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. Located in Boston and surrounding communities, we strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment, providing compassionate care to patients of all backgrounds and advancing treatment through groundbreaking research.

About the role

The Director of Business Application Operations is responsible for the stability, performance, and ongoing enhancement of DFCI’s enterprise applications, with a strategic emphasis on Workday and UKG. This role ensures the secure and reliable operation of critical systems supporting HR, Finance, Supply Chain, Operations, and Workforce Management for more than 14,000 users. The Director drives operational excellence by streamlining processes, supporting platform innovation, and ensuring compliance with regulatory and institutional requirements. As a strategic partner to both IT and business stakeholders, this leader helps extend best practices in support, optimization, and business relationship management across the broader application portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Application Operations Leadership
  • Lead day-to-day operations and support for Workday, UKG, and other enterprise platforms, ensuring system performance, availability, and scalability.
  • Drive continuous improvement through process optimization, service standardization, and proactive monitoring.
• Release and Change Lifecycle Management
  • Manage enterprise release and change lifecycles, minimizing disruption while maximizing platform adoption and value.
  • Implement robust change control and readiness processes, ensuring all system modifications are vetted, tested, and communicated across stakeholders.
• High-Performance Team Leadership
  • Build and lead a high-performing team, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and customer-focused service.
  • 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.
• Strategic Business Engagement
  • Serve as a strategic advisor to business leaders, aligning technology roadmaps with organizational priorities and transformation goals.
• Compliance, Risk, and Integration Management
  • Oversee governance, compliance, and risk practices to ensure data integrity, security, and alignment with regulatory standards.
  • Collaborate with technical teams and vendors to maintain reliable system integrations.
• Supervisory Responsibilities
  • Direct leadership responsibility for a team of system analysts for the Workday and UKG platforms.
  • Oversee hiring, coaching, performance management, resource allocation, and professional development.
  • Foster a high-performing, collaborative, and customer-focused team culture.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required in a relevant field.
• 10 years of experience in ERP management or operations, preferably 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 experience in service management for complex business applications, such as ERP, CRM, HRIS, or financial systems.

Skills

• Deep experience supporting enterprise platforms like Workday and UKG, with a focus on performance, reliability, and continuous improvement.
• Proven ability to lead support operations, including incident management, user support, and service model development.
• Skilled in change control, release management, and KPI tracking to ensure smooth deployments and measurable service effectiveness.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills for partnering with technical teams and business stakeholders.
• Experienced in leading high-performing support teams and using data-driven insights to drive process improvements and automation.

Pay

$183,600.00 - $208,400.00