Sr Director, Emerging Technology (Technology)

Posting Date

10/02/2026

5200 Virginia Way, Brentwood, Tennessee, 37027, United States of America

General Purpose of the Job

The Sr Director, Emerging Technology is a visionary, hands-on strategic leader responsible for identifying, evaluating, incubating, and scaling disruptive technologies across DaVita. This role drives the enterprise emerging technology roadmap, leading research, rapid prototyping, proof-of-concept (POC) delivery, and production transition for game-changing innovations—such as Generative AI, agentic workflows, automation platforms, machine learning, and next-generation cloud architectures.

Sitting at the intersection of enterprise business strategy and cutting-edge engineering, this leader partners closely with executive leadership, enterprise architects, clinical teams, and product lines to translate emerging tech possibilities into measurable clinical and business outcomes, enhancing patient care and teammate experience across the Village.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

In order of significance, the essential functions and responsibilities of the position and the typical allocation of time:

• 1. Emerging Technology Strategy & Enterprise Roadmap (25%)Define and champion the enterprise-wide Emerging Technology strategy and multi-year roadmap aligned with DaVita’s long-term business and clinical priorities.Continuously monitor, research, and evaluate global technology trends, market disruptions, and emerging paradigms (e.g., GenAI, LLMs, autonomous agentic systems, ambient clinical intelligence, IoT/edge devices).Translate executive vision and complex business challenges into concrete technology exploration initiatives and business cases with clear ROI.
• 2. Innovation Incubation, Prototyping & POC Delivery (25%)Lead the Emerging Tech Foundry / Innovation Lab to rapidly design, build, test, and iterate proof-of-concepts, MVPs, and pilots.Establish disciplined experimentation frameworks, fail-fast methodologies, and architectural standards for evaluating high-potential innovations.Partner with enterprise engineering and operations to build seamless transition paths from successful POCs into hardened, scalable, enterprise-grade production deployments.
• 3. Enterprise AI & Modern Technology Architecture (20%)Spearhead the adoption and governance of modern artificial intelligence, machine learning models, and automated workflows across core platforms (e.g., clinical systems, EHR/CWOW integrations, patient engagement, and corporate operations).Partner with Enterprise Architecture, Information Security, Legal, and Compliance to ensure all emerging technology implementations adhere to strict data privacy (HIPAA), security frameworks, and responsible AI governance standards.Modernize legacy architectural patterns by embedding cloud-native, event-driven, and interoperable architectures.
• 4. Strategic Vendor Evaluation, Partnerships & Ecosystem (15%)Proactively scout, evaluate, and establish strategic alliances with top-tier technology vendors, venture-backed startups, academic institutions, and industry consortia.Lead technical due diligence, vendor scorecards, and pilot negotiations to maximize DaVita's strategic advantage and investment value.Serve as a senior technical advisor for DaVita Venture Group and strategic partnership initiatives.
• 5. Technical Leadership, Evangelism & Talent Development (10%)Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of engineers, data scientists, and solution architects, fostering a culture of continuous learning, curiosity, and engineering excellence.Sponsor and direct enterprise innovation programs, hackathons (e.g., DaVita Annual Hackathon), tech summits, and Communities of Practice (CoP) across the Technology organization.Serve as the primary internal and external evangelist for emerging technology capabilities.
• 6. Other Duties as Assigned (5%)Perform other related strategic leadership duties and special initiatives as assigned.

Total Allocation of Time: 100%

Minimum Qualifications & Education Requirements

• Education:Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or a related quantitative/technical discipline required.Master’s degree (MS, MBA, or related advanced degree) strongly preferred.
• Experience:Minimum of 10–15+ years of progressive experience in Information Technology, software engineering, or technical strategy.At least 5–7+ years in senior technical leadership or director-level roles leading innovation, architecture, or emerging technology initiatives.Proven track record of taking emerging technologies (specifically AI/ML, cloud platforms, and automation) from ideation to scaled production.Demonstrated experience managing complex technical portfolios, matrixed cross-functional teams, and executive stakeholder relationships.Healthcare IT, clinical operations, or health system technology experience is highly preferred.

Essential Behaviors, Skills, and Core Competencies

• Core Values: Demonstrated commitment to DaVita’s Core Values: Service Excellence, Integrity, Team, Continuous Improvement, Accountability, Fulfillment, and Fun.
• Technical Mastery: Deep conceptual and hands-on understanding of modern AI/ML frameworks, LLMs, agentic workflows, API-first architecture, cloud services (AWS/GCP/Azure), and data streaming platforms.
• Executive Communication: Outstanding ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, compelling narratives for executive stakeholders, clinical partners, and non-technical teammates.
• Business Acumen & ROI: Strong ability to build financial models, assess total cost of ownership (TCO), and articulate business value and clinical impact of new technology investments.
• Strategic Influence: Exceptional interpersonal, collaboration, and change management skills to influence across organizational boundaries in a highly matrixed healthcare environment.

Additional Requirements & Working Conditions

• Travel & Time Requirements:Travel: As needed (typically up to 15–25% for on-site leadership meetings, hackathons, and conferences).Schedule: Flexible hours as required to support strategic deliverables and critical production milestones.
• Language Skills: Fluent in the written and verbal English skills necessary to perform successfully the essential functions, duties, and responsibilities of the position.
• Work Environment: Level III – Moderate noise (e.g., business office or remote home office environment with computers, printers, and light traffic). Normal work routine involves no exposure to blood, body fluids, or other hazardous conditions.
• Visual Requirements: Vision adequate to perform essential duties and responsibilities, including extended screen time and reading complex technical documentation.
• Physical Demands: Sedentary to light physical activity; ability to use standard computer peripherals, keyboards, and office equipment.
• ADA / Reasonable Accommodation: DaVita provides reasonable accommodations to enable otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential physical and/or mental functions of a position.

What We’ll Provide: 

More than just pay, our DaVita Rewards package connects teammates to what matters most. Teammates are eligible to begin receiving benefits on the first day of the month following or coinciding with one month of continuous employment. Below are some of our benefit offerings.  

• Comprehensive benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, paid time off, PTO cash out  
• Support for you and your family: Family resources, EAP counseling sessions, access Headspace®, backup child and elder care, maternity/paternity leave and more 
• Professional development programs: DaVita offers a variety of programs to help strong performers grow within their career and also offers on-demand virtual leadership and development courses through DaVita’s online training platform StarLearning.  

At DaVita, we strive to be a community first and a company second.  We want all teammates to experience DaVita as "a place where I belong."  Our goal is to embed belonging into everything we do in our Village, so that it becomes part of who we are. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and comply with state and federal affirmative action requirements. Individuals are recruited, hired, assigned and promoted without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

This position will be open for a minimum of three days.

 

 

 

Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience. DaVita offers a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401k match, healthcare coverage and a broad range of other benefits. Learn more at https://careers.davita.com/benefits  

  

Colorado Residents: Please do not respond to any questions in this initial application that may seek age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You may also redact this information from any materials you submit during the application process.  You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.