Director of Software Development for Oncology Data Platform

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

PHI was distinguished as one of the top 50 "Best Non-Profit Organizations to Work For" by the Non-Profit Times in a national search.

SUMMARY:

C/NET Solutions CNExT Cancer Registry software is used by Cancer Registrars for meeting mandated cancer reporting as well as analysis of the cancer population at their medical center. Together with our Cancer Alert System, efficiency in identifying and reporting of cancer is realized. We meet HIPAA and security regulations and allow remote access. All C/NET Solutions software can be run in mixed technology environments where the highest standards in database security or remote access are required.

The Director of Software Development for Oncology Data Platform (Director) will spearhead the strategic transformation of our software offerings, leading the design and development of our next-generation cloud-based oncology data platform (Project Aither / CNExT Cloud) that will replace our legacy system. This critical position combines product vision, technical leadership, and change management to guide our team through this significant transition while delivering innovative, AI-embedded solutions that help researchers and clinicians advance cancer treatment through data-driven insights.

Additionally, this position will manage the ongoing development, implementation, and support of our current hospital registry software (CNExT) and cancer case ascertainment (CAS) product. The Director will ensure that our existing products are updated at least annually as we provide continued support to our legacy product. This position will report to the Program Director.

This is a remote, regular full-time position with a work schedule of 40 hours per week. The incumbent must be able to work during core business hours for the Pacific Time zone and occasionally work more than 40 hours a week and on weekends. Candidates in the United States (all Time Zones) are welcome to apply.

Full salary range for this position: $123,149 to $188,879 per year. The typical hiring range for this position is from $123,149 (minimum) to $156,014 (midpoint), based on 100% FTE. The starting salary is determined using a variety of factors, such as the candidate's knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as internal equity consideration and budget availability.

Employment Type: Full Time

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

Lead development of next-generation product (Project Aither - CNExT Cloud)

Serve as the technical and strategic lead for Project Aither, C/NET Solutions' initiative to build CNExT Cloud - a next-generation, AI-embedded, cloud-native SaaS cancer registry platform that will replace the current legacy on-premises system. The Director is responsible for translating the product vision into a structured engineer executable plan and driving delivery through a 24-month phased development plan.

Product Strategy & Roadmap

• Own and execute the end-to-end product strategy for CNExT Cloud, covering both back-end and front-end development.
• Define and maintain the product execution roadmap, sprint plan, and feature backlog informed by competitive gap analysis, SME validation, and SME & customer inputs.
• Drive requirements gathering by engaging internal subject matter experts, cancer registrar users, and external stakeholders to validate feature priorities and document workflows before sprint planning begins.
• Protect and carry forward CNExT's competitive strengths, including SmartHelp, User-Defined Fields, CAS efficiency gains, and MP/H decision support into the new platform.

Cloud Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Architect and oversee the development of a cloud-native, multi-tenant SaaS platform built on containerized microservices (Azure/AWS/GCP), with Kubernetes orchestration, CI/CD pipeline, and full DevOps fabric.
• Lead the design and implementation of a browser-based React SPA replacing the legacy Windows client, with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility, role-based dashboards, and modern UX.
• Oversee the building of a FHIR R4 / HL7 API Gateway to enable EHR connectivity, real-time ADT and lab result feeds, and EHR writeback, eliminating the need for manual data imports.
• Ensure multi-tenant data isolation, self-serve onboarding, SSO configuration, per-tenant billing, and RBAC are built to enterprise standards from the outset.
• Lead Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) through formal approval with PHI InfoSec, ensuring HIPAA controls, AES-256 encryption, audit logging, and RBAC design are verified prior to development.

AI & Machine Learning Capabilities

• Lead integration of AI auto-abstraction capabilities using NLP and large language model (LLM) engines to pre-populate NAACCR fields from pathology reports and clinical notes, with a human-in-the-loop registrar review and approval workflow.
• Oversee development of an ML-powered smart case-finding engine that scans ADT feeds, lab results, and pathology data with >90% confidence to surface cases registrars might otherwise miss.
• Manage strategic technology vendor evaluations and partnerships (e.g., EHR API connectivity, clinical NLP providers) to accelerate platform capability without building from scratch.
• Manage AI data partnership initiatives - such as the City of Hope collaboration, including data governance, IRB compliance, de-identification protocols, and AI training pipeline setup.

Regulatory Compliance & Quality

• Ensure CNExT Cloud maintains full compliance with NAACCR v23+, CoC accreditation requirements, SEER, AJCC 8th Edition, NPCR, and all-50-state reporting standards.
• Establish coding standards, best practices, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing workflows aligned to the new platform architecture.
• Conduct code reviews and provide technical guidance to a team of 3-5 programmer analysts, ensuring high-quality deliverables at each phase milestone.

Change Management & Stakeholder Engagement

• Create and execute change management strategies to guide the programming team and broader organization through the transition from the legacy on-premises product to a cloud SaaS model.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison between programming teams, executive stakeholders, and external partners throughout the project lifecycle.
• Manage project timelines and resource allocation across all development phases, ensuring milestone delivery and proactive risk management.
• Provide regular communication and transparency to C/NET staff on Project Aither status, decisions, and next steps through structured staff update forums.

Manage all CNET and CAS application planning, analysis, design, implementation, and documentation (testing and technical) effort

• Analyze annual changes to NAACCR volume II data sets and state collection requirements to design and execute updates to CNET software products.
• Supervise the programming staff as they implement new program code and customize the CNET applications with appropriate prioritization of resources.
• Ensure all testing instructions and technical documentation are maintained and updated according to industry best practices.
• Assist whenever necessary by personally performing programming tasks at any level.
• Lead the Change Control meeting series and ad hoc planning processes to determine the content and timing of releases.
• Work with both the Special Projects and Support teams to analyze and design both user- and technology-directed changes to CAS.
• Supervise the programming staff as they perform further analysis and design of meeting those requirements; implement new program code and customize the CAS application as necessary.

Manage second-level help desk support assistance

• Assist, or assign resources to assist, with support issues escalated through the help desk escalation process.
• Answer, or direct resources to answer, product questions as needed without regard to the underlying issues' escalation status.
• Maintain communication with Support manager to effectively coordinate effort.

Additional Responsibilities

• Actively participate in management, advisory, and user processes and meetings to determine the current and future direction of the C/Net Solutions program.
• Act as mentor to programming staff and ensure that programming staff are fairly treated, assignments given are diverse and challenging, and opportunities for growth are presented.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications

• 7 years of related experience in the Health Information Technology field, including at least 3 years as a manager. Knowledge/experience related to leadership can substitute one year of management level experience.
• Experience with healthcare data systems, preferably in oncology.
• Demonstrated experience leading product transformation or legacy system replacement initiatives.
• Experience with HIPAA compliance and healthcare data security standards.
• Experience with data migration strategies and legacy system decommissioning.
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems; or substitute with 4 additional years of related experience in an Information Technology environment.

Other Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead teams through significant technological and organizational change.
• Strong knowledge of software architecture patterns and microservices design.
• Extensive knowledge of Cancer Registry practice and procedures preferred.
• Extensive knowledge of all CNExT products preferred.
• Background in data science or machine learning applications in healthcare.
• Extensive knowledge of software products including (but not limited to) Microsoft Windows, Excel, Access, SQL Server, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, text editors, compression or encryption software and customer relationship management software such as ACT!
• Excellent written language skills particularly experience with technical/instructional writing.
• Ability to work independently from a remote location.
• Ability to communicate with customers and staff at all levels of computer literacy.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to compose complex and non-routine communications on a regular basis.
• Ability to travel when required.
• Ability to occasionally work more than 40 hours a week and on weekends.
• Master's degree preferred but not required.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Access to Protected Health Information

This job requires access to Protected Health Information. The incumbent will be responsible for reading, acknowledging, and complying with all C/NET Solutions and Public Health Institute policies pertaining to confidentiality and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) STATUS

This position is classified as exempt based on the job duties. However, based on the FTE, salary level of the employee, or federal/state/local laws, the employee may be classified as nonexempt.

The Public Health Institute is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and to make all employment decisions so as to further this principle of equal employment opportunity. To this end, the PHI will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are offered employment and employees are treated during employment without regard to these characteristics.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

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We're so pleased the Public Health Institute is an organization you would like to work with. Do you have questions about this opportunity? If so, email our recruitment team at Recruitment@phi.org.

Additional information about PHI's benefits and compensation offerings can be found here.

The Public Health Institute is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Recruitment Team at least 48 hours in advance at Recruitment@phi.org.