Key Takeaways
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute employs approximately 6,000 staff and is among the top three cancer centers in the United States, affiliated with Harvard Medical School and partnered with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital.
- All applications go through Workday at careers.dana-farber.org, so a clean ATS-friendly resume and a complete Workday profile are non-negotiable.
- Mission alignment is the single biggest differentiator; every interview round will test why you want to work in cancer care specifically, not just healthcare broadly.
- Clinical roles require active licensure, oncology-specific certifications such as OCN or ONS Chemotherapy and Biotherapy provider cards, and current immunizations including annual flu shots.
- Research roles often involve a chalk talk or seminar plus rigorous evaluation by faculty; demonstrating publication record, grant trajectory, and a clear scientific narrative matters.
- The interview process is multi-stage and panel-based; expect to meet five to ten people for senior roles across one or more on-site days.
- Compensation is competitive for an academic medical center but Dana-Farber's appeal is the mission, the patients, the science, and the prestige rather than top-of-market pay.
- Internal mobility is strong; many Dana-Farber employees grow careers across decades, moving between clinical, research, education, and administrative tracks.
- Background, reference, occupational health, and credential checks are thorough and can extend the time between offer and start date by three to six weeks, especially for clinical hires.
About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world's leading cancer treatment and research centers, headquartered in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1947 by Dr. Sidney Farber, who pioneered the use of chemotherapy in pediatric leukemia, Dana-Farber has grown from a small clinic in the basement of Boston Children's Hospital into a global powerhouse that employs approximately 6,000 physicians, scientists, nurses, and staff across multiple campuses in Massachusetts, including the main Longwood campus and satellite locations in Chestnut Hill, Milford, Methuen, Foxborough, Londonderry (NH), South Shore, and Merrimack Valley. The Institute is a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and serves as the cancer center for both adult care (in partnership with Brigham and Women's Hospital under the Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center umbrella) and pediatric care (in partnership with Boston Children's Hospital under Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center).
Dana-Farber is consistently ranked among the top cancer hospitals in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, frequently sitting in the top three nationally for adult and pediatric cancer care. It is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a designation reserved for institutions that demonstrate excellence across laboratory research, clinical care, and population science. The Institute treats more than 450,000 patient visits annually and runs one of the largest cancer clinical trials portfolios in the world, with over 1,100 active trials at any given time. Annual research expenditures exceed one billion dollars, funded through a combination of federal grants, foundation support, industry sponsorship, and a robust philanthropic base.
The research enterprise spans basic science, translational medicine, and population health, with researchers contributing to landmark discoveries in immunotherapy, targeted therapy, CAR-T cell therapy, cancer genomics, and the molecular biology of tumors. Dana-Farber faculty have contributed to multiple FDA-approved drugs including ibrutinib, palbociclib, and several immune checkpoint inhibitors, and are routinely awarded major NIH and NCI grants. The Institute hosts the Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, the Center for Cancer Genome Discovery, the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, the Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers, and the Robert and Renee Belfer Office for Dana-Farber Innovations, among many others.
Culturally, Dana-Farber is mission-driven: every employee, regardless of role, is reminded that the work serves patients facing cancer. The Institute emphasizes patient- and family-centered care, scientific rigor, equity in cancer care, and a collaborative academic environment. Leadership has prioritized addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities in cancer outcomes, reflected in the Center for Cancer Equity and Engagement and partnerships with community health centers across Boston. It is also the beneficiary of one of the most beloved philanthropic engines in sports, The Jimmy Fund, which has supported pediatric cancer care and research at Dana-Farber for over 75 years and is officially partnered with the Boston Red Sox, the Pan-Mass Challenge, and the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk.
Application Process
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1
Search and apply through the official Dana-Farber Cancer Institute careers porta
Search and apply through the official Dana-Farber Cancer Institute careers portal hosted on Workday at careers.dana-farber.org, which redirects to the Workday-powered job site (dfci.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com).
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2
Create a Workday candidate account to upload a resume, optional cover letter, an
Create a Workday candidate account to upload a resume, optional cover letter, and complete the structured application questionnaire including work authorization, EEO self-identification, and licensure questions for clinical roles.
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3
Application review by a Talent Acquisition partner who screens for credentials (
Application review by a Talent Acquisition partner who screens for credentials (especially for licensed clinical roles such as RN, NP, PA, MD, PharmD, and laboratory certifications) and routes qualified candidates to the hiring manager.
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4
Initial recruiter phone screen lasting 20 to 30 minutes covering motivation for
Initial recruiter phone screen lasting 20 to 30 minutes covering motivation for joining Dana-Farber, alignment with the patient-centered mission, and high-level role fit.
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5
Hiring manager interview followed by panel interviews with team members, peers,
Hiring manager interview followed by panel interviews with team members, peers, and often a senior physician, scientist, or nurse leader depending on the function; clinical roles typically include a behavioral interview using STAR-format questions.
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6
Reference checks, professional license verification (where applicable), backgrou
Reference checks, professional license verification (where applicable), background check, occupational health screening, and proof of required immunizations including annual influenza and COVID-19 vaccination.
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7
Formal written offer extended through Workday with onboarding handled centrally;
Formal written offer extended through Workday with onboarding handled centrally; new hires complete HIPAA, compliance, infection control, and cancer-specific orientation in their first weeks.
Resume Tips for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
recommended
Mirror language from the Dana-Farber job description directly, including credent
Mirror language from the Dana-Farber job description directly, including credentials such as RN, BSN, MSN, BC, CCRP, SOCRA, ASCP, or board certifications, because the Workday parser and recruiters both filter on these tokens.
recommended
Quantify clinical and research impact: number of patients managed per shift, inf
Quantify clinical and research impact: number of patients managed per shift, infusion volumes, trial enrollments, grants secured, manuscripts published, or process improvements measured in hours saved or error reduction.
recommended
Lead with mission-aligned experience such as oncology, hematology, immunology, p
Lead with mission-aligned experience such as oncology, hematology, immunology, pediatrics, infusion, palliative care, biostatistics, or translational research; generic healthcare experience without an oncology hook is less competitive.
recommended
List active state licensure (Massachusetts compact or single-state for nursing r
List active state licensure (Massachusetts compact or single-state for nursing roles), DEA registration if relevant, and BLS/ACLS/PALS/ONS Chemotherapy and Biotherapy certifications prominently in a Credentials section near the top.
recommended
For research and laboratory roles, include specific techniques (flow cytometry,
For research and laboratory roles, include specific techniques (flow cytometry, CRISPR, single-cell RNA-seq, IHC, mass cytometry, bioinformatics pipelines such as Seurat or DESeq2) and instrument platforms used.
recommended
For administrative, finance, IT, and operations roles, emphasize healthcare or a
For administrative, finance, IT, and operations roles, emphasize healthcare or academic medical center experience, EPIC or OnCore exposure, HIPAA compliance, and grant or sponsored research administration.
recommended
Use a clean ATS-friendly format with standard section headings (Summary, Experie
Use a clean ATS-friendly format with standard section headings (Summary, Experience, Education, Licenses and Certifications, Publications) and submit as a single PDF or .docx file under 5 MB.
recommended
Add a short Summary statement that explicitly references commitment to cancer ca
Add a short Summary statement that explicitly references commitment to cancer care or the Dana-Farber mission so reviewers see immediate alignment within the first six lines.
ATS System: Workday
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute uses Workday Recruiting (Workday HCM) as its applicant tracking and candidate experience platform. The portal at dfci.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com is the canonical source for all open positions across the Institute, including clinical, research, faculty, administrative, IT, and operational roles. Workday parses uploaded resumes into structured fields and uses keyword matching to surface candidates to recruiters and hiring managers, so candidates should optimize their resumes against the job description language and complete every Workday profile field rather than relying solely on the uploaded resume.
- Create a complete Workday candidate profile rather than relying only on the uploaded resume; recruiters often filter searches against profile fields.
- Upload a clean .docx or PDF version of your resume so the parser correctly extracts experience, education, certifications, and skills.
- Mirror exact keywords from the job description, including credentials such as RN, BSN, OCN, ONS Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Provider, ASCP, CCRP, or PMP.
- Avoid tables, text boxes, columns, headers, footers, and graphics in the resume because Workday's parser frequently mishandles them and drops content.
- Save the Workday job ID (visible in the URL) so you can reference it cleanly in any follow-up communication or networking outreach.
- Set up Workday job alerts for keywords like oncology, clinical research coordinator, infusion nurse, or biostatistician to be notified of new postings.
- If you stall in Workday's review status for more than three weeks, a polite LinkedIn outreach to the named recruiter or hiring manager is acceptable and often effective.
Interview Culture
Dana-Farber's interview process is mission-forward, rigorous, and deeply collaborative.
Candidates should expect to articulate not just what they have done, but why they want to do it at a cancer center. Interviewers across functions, from bedside nurses to principal investigators to IT directors, almost always ask some variation of "Why Dana-Farber?" and "Why oncology?" Surface-level answers do not land well; the strongest candidates connect a specific personal or professional experience to the Institute's mission of reducing the human burden of cancer. Many successful hires reference a family member's cancer journey, a transformative clinical rotation, or a research question they want to answer that only Dana-Farber's resources can support.
The format is typically a multi-stage process. After a recruiter screen, candidates meet a hiring manager, then participate in panel interviews that may include team members, cross-functional partners, and a leader two levels up. Clinical candidates often shadow on the unit or sit in on a clinic session, while research candidates frequently deliver a chalk talk or formal seminar in front of the lab and collaborators. For senior roles, expect a half-day to full-day on-site visit with rotating one-on-ones, lunch with peers, and a closing meeting with the hiring leader. Faculty searches add a job talk to a broader audience and often a separate meeting with the department chair and dean's office.
Behavioral questions follow the STAR framework and probe for empathy, communication under stress, teamwork across disciplines, error disclosure, and judgment in ethically complex situations such as end-of-life care, clinical trial consent, or navigating disagreements with physicians. Interviewers value humility and self-awareness; candidates who acknowledge a mistake, what they learned, and what they changed tend to outperform those who present a polished but defensive narrative. Expect at least one question on how you would handle a distressed patient or family, and at least one on how you have collaborated through conflict with a colleague of different rank or discipline.
The culture is academic and consensus-oriented. Decisions are made through committees, working groups, and faculty input, so demonstrating the ability to influence without formal authority and to respect expertise outside your own domain is essential. Dress is business or business casual for non-clinical interviews and clean professional attire (closed-toe shoes, minimal jewelry, hair tied back) for clinical shadowing. Candidates should prepare thoughtful questions about training pipelines, patient population, scope of practice, research-clinical integration, and the team's role in Dana-Farber's strategic plan. Bring printed copies of your CV, license, and any relevant publications, even though everything has been uploaded electronically, because faculty often prefer paper during discussions. Send thank-you notes within 24 hours to every interviewer, personalized to something specific from each conversation; recruiters track follow-through as a signal of professionalism.
What Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Looks For
- Demonstrated commitment to the cancer care mission, ideally evidenced through prior oncology, hematology, palliative care, or cancer research experience or a compelling personal motivation.
- Clinical or technical excellence verified by board certifications, peer-reviewed publications, fellowship training, or recognized credentials in the candidate's discipline.
- Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, including the ability to support patients and families through serious illness while maintaining professional resilience.
- Collaborative mindset suited to a matrixed academic medical center where care teams, researchers, and administrators must work across institutional boundaries (DFCI, Brigham and Women's, Boston Children's, Mass General Brigham).
- Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and addressing cancer care disparities, which is a stated strategic priority of the Institute.
- Intellectual curiosity and continuous learning, particularly the ability to keep current with rapidly evolving oncology science and treatment standards.
- Adherence to patient privacy, research integrity, and regulatory compliance including HIPAA, IRB protocols, GCP, and FDA requirements.
- Professionalism and communication skills strong enough to interface with patients, families, faculty, philanthropic donors, and external partners on behalf of the Institute.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ATS does Dana-Farber Cancer Institute use?
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute uses Workday as its applicant tracking system. The careers portal at careers.dana-farber.org redirects to dfci.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com, where candidates create a Workday account, upload their resume, and complete the structured application.
How long does the hiring process take at Dana-Farber?
Most non-clinical roles take four to eight weeks from application to offer. Clinical roles, faculty appointments, and senior research positions can take three to six months because of multi-panel interviews, credentialing, license verification, occupational health, and immunization checks.
Does Dana-Farber require oncology experience?
Not always, but it is a major advantage. Bedside RN, NP, PA, infusion, pharmacy, and clinical research roles strongly prefer prior oncology or hematology experience. Administrative, IT, and operations roles can be obtained without direct oncology background, though academic medical center experience is preferred.
What is Dana-Farber's relationship with Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital?
Dana-Farber is a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and most physician-scientists hold Harvard faculty appointments. Adult inpatient care is delivered with Brigham and Women's Hospital through the Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center, while pediatric care is delivered with Boston Children's Hospital through Dana-Farber/Boston Children's.
Are remote or hybrid roles available at Dana-Farber?
Clinical, laboratory, and patient-facing roles are on-site by necessity. Many administrative, IT, finance, biostatistics, regulatory, and grants management roles offer hybrid schedules with two to three days on-site per week. Fully remote roles are rare and usually require a Massachusetts or contiguous-state residence.
What benefits does Dana-Farber offer?
Benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, generous paid time off, tuition reimbursement, professional development funding, on-site fitness facilities, MBTA pass subsidies, parental leave, and access to Harvard-affiliated learning resources.
Does Dana-Farber sponsor work visas?
Yes, Dana-Farber routinely sponsors H-1B, O-1, and J-1 visas for physicians, scientists, postdoctoral researchers, and certain specialized clinical and technical roles. Sponsorship for entry-level administrative roles is uncommon. Each posting indicates whether sponsorship is available.
How important is the Jimmy Fund to Dana-Farber?
The Jimmy Fund is a foundational part of Dana-Farber's identity and funds pediatric cancer care and research. Established in 1948 and partnered with the Boston Red Sox, it remains one of the most successful disease-specific philanthropies in the country and is woven into the Institute's culture.
What should I wear to a Dana-Farber interview?
Business or business casual for non-clinical interviews. Clinical shadowing or unit visits require professional attire with closed-toe shoes, minimal jewelry, and hair pulled back per infection control standards. Bring printed copies of your CV, license, and key publications even if uploaded electronically.
Can I apply to multiple Dana-Farber positions at once?
Yes. Workday allows candidates to apply to multiple roles using a single profile, but apply only to roles where you genuinely meet the qualifications. Recruiters notice scattershot applications and prefer candidates who demonstrate intentional fit with specific teams and missions.
Open Positions
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute currently has 394 open positions.
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