VP, Head of Data & Analytics

About Us:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: accelerating meaningful therapeutic advances and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Foundation applies extraordinary scientific, business and media assets to this singular focus—thus creating a unique and dynamic organization. Since inception, MJFF has quickly grown into the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s disease research, having funded over $2 billion in research projects in both academic and industry labs worldwide.

Core to our philosophy is how we think of our capital and its risk profile relative to other stakeholders in the drug development pipeline. We work aggressively to de-risk various therapeutic strategies and tools in the hopes of building a robust pipeline of new treatments for patients. In order to achieve our mission of finding a cure for PD it is critical that we engage with, and bring together, members of the PD community including researchers, physicians, health professionals and most important, people with Parkinson's and their families.

We believe that to find a cure for PD as quickly as possible, our capital needs to push research forward today—we therefore deliberately hold no endowment or excessive reserves. We instead seek to deploy funds raised as quickly and wisely as possible. MJFF raises over $100 million annually. Today, the Foundation has approximately 250 full-time employees. We offer a collegial and collaborative environment where optimistic problem-solvers and entrepreneurial, resourceful individuals can thrive and make a tangible difference for millions of people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Position Summary:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (“the Foundation”) is seeking top talent for its VP, Head of Data & Analytics position.  This position plays not only a pivotal role in leading Marketing and Community Experience (CX) but will also play a key role in leading an analytics transformation across the organization. This role will be critical in evolving the Foundation’s analytics capabilities from its current decentralized state to a more cohesive, strategy and future-ready function across the organization.

Reporting directly to the SVP, Head of Community Experience, this role will provide strategic guidance for Marketing and CX analytics, while also working alongside peers in Technology, Fundraising Strategy & Operations, and the Office of the CEO to address ongoing needs in data infrastructure, engineering and governance. This role will focus on cross-functional partnerships and leadership in delivering analytics solutions that enable data-driven audience growth and enhanced community experiences.

The ideal candidate is an entrepreneurial and strategic thinker who thrives in ambiguous environments and is comfortable developing, implementing and evolving new processes and strategies from the ground up. The candidate can effectively work across silos, rally senior leadership across business units and generate executive level buy-in of analytics strategy. This is a people manager role and will be expected to develop and mentor a team of analytics professionals.

Success in this role will be measured by the development and implementation of standardized analytics frameworks, improvements in data governance and the delivery of insights that meaningfully influence marketing, fundraising, and organizational strategy.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:
Leadership & Strategy

• Lead and manage the marketing & CX analytics team within the CX department housed in the Marketing & Communications Business Unit, providing direction, mentorship, and career development opportunities.
• Work closely with other data leaders across the organization to align analytics initiatives across business units and ensure cohesive data strategies are in place.
• Collaborate closely with MarComms Department Heads to advocate for and integrate analytics into decision-making processes across the organization.
• Oversee collaboration with external agencies and third-party data partners, ensuring optimal selection and use of analytics and marketing technologies.

Governance & Operational Excellence

• Move team from reactive, ad hoc reporting to more proactive, scalable and consistent reporting frameworks.
• Establish automated processes and standardized dashboards to ensure focus on key metrics.
• Resolve existing governance challenges by creating and implementing data governance policies and best practices within the business unit.
• Standardize analytics processes, tools and methodologies to ensure consistency and efficiency across the business unit.
• Support the development of data infrastructure in an environment of continuous change, ensuring it supports the organization’s current and future needs.
• Partner with peers across the organization to influence and advocate for strong data governance practices, optimized data infrastructure, and scalable engineering solutions.
• Work with the Technology department to optimize data integrations, security and accessibility.

Team & Talent Management

• Manage, mentor and develop a team of early and mid-career professionals within the Marketing & Analytics function, fostering a culture of continuous learning, collaboration and innovation.
• Foster a culture of cross-training and collaboration, ensuring analytics professionals are equipped to work across business units and tackle organization-wide challenges.
• Lead recruitment efforts to attract and retain top analytics talent, including those with specialized skills in data engineering, data governance, visualization and other advanced analytics capabilities.
• Develop and manage the analytics budget, including staffing, tools and technology investments.
• Ensure the team’s work aligns with CX and broader business objectives, delivering actionable insights that drive strategic decisions.

Impact & Complexity

• Drive cross-functional collaboration within the Marketing & Communications business unit and other business units to ensure that analytics initiatives support broader business goals, enhance decision-making, and deliver measurable outcomes
• Serve as a thought leader within the organization, championing the use of analytics to drive innovation and competitive advantage.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Proven experience in analytics with demonstrated success in a leadership role.
• Proven expertise in advanced analytics platforms (e.g., SQL, Python, R) and experience with BI tools such as Domo, Tableau, Power BI and Looker.
• Strong understanding of data governance, analytics engineering, data visualization and advanced analytics techniques.
• Comprehensive understanding of analytics within a business context, including financial and personnel management.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to translate complex data into actionable business insights.
• Excellent leadership and management skills, with a proven ability to lead through influence and drive change.
• Exceptional communication skills, capable of translating and articulating complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to develop budgets and resource plans to meet strategic objectives.
• Ability to oversee the development of intuitive dashboards and advanced data visualizations for stakeholder consumption.
• Understanding of modern data architectures, cloud-based systems (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP), and ETL processes.
• Familiarity with AI/ML models and predictive analytics to enhance CX, marketing and fundraising/sales strategies.
• Experience establishing data governance frameworks, ensuring quality, security and compliance across datasets.
• Knowledge of marketing analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Salesforce or other CRM, Marketing Cloud and attribution modeling solutions.
• Proficiency in working with large datasets, structured and unstructured data and advanced data modeling techniques.

Salary and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $165,000 - $185,000.  In addition to salary, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• 15+ options for medical insurance (with MJFF paying 90 percent of the premiums).
• Competitive dental and vision plans.
• 401(k) plan with 6 percent employer contribution.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Employer paid life and disability insurance.
• 18 days Paid Time Off (PTO); 12 Well-Being (Sick) Days; 2 Personal Days; summer Fridays (office closure at 2pm) and a summer holiday week over July 4.
• Two ways of working: hybrid-flex, or remote work.  We trust all employees to work closely with their manager and colleagues to determine when, where and how programs and projects get done. 

Employees are also eligible for a discretionary bonus on an annual basis. MJFF provides staff and leadership cultivation through regular training courses and events. 

Vaccine Statement: 
At The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), the health and safety of our team and our community is a priority. MJFF has made the decision to require all staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment. Successful applicants for this position must be fully vaccinated by date of hire and proof of vaccine is required. Full vaccination is defined as two weeks after both doses of two-dose vaccine or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine has been administered. Anyone unable to be vaccinated, because of medical or religious reasons, can request a reasonable accommodation for consideration.

How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing their specific qualifications and interest in the position.

MJFF is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who will contribute to our efforts to build and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Diversity may refer to characteristics including, but not limited to, race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic circumstance, geographic background, ability and disability, political ideology and age.