Sr. Spclst , Information Architecture

Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement; Montreal; Hybrid; CAD 157,000 - 249,000; Full time

Job summary

A national nonprofit organization is seeking a Senior Specialist / Information Architect for its Clinical Development team in Montreal, Canada. The individual will design and implement information structures while ensuring alignment with technology improvements and business goals. Candidates should have a bachelor's degree and at least seven years of experience in IT architecture or data engineering, particularly within the life sciences. This role offers a competitive salary and a hybrid work environment.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package

401(k)

Annual bonus eligibility

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in IT architecture or data engineering roles.
• Hands‑on experience with relational and NoSQL databases.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop business acumen in data standards across Clinical Development.
• Design data products and models for data assets.
• Serve as a liaison between IT and business teams.

Skills

Analytical skills

Data modeling

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, information management, or related discipline

Tools

SQL

Erwin

PowerDesigner

Job description

Job Description

The Business and Information Architecture (BIA) group within our Research & Development Division (Clinical Development and Digital Solutions (CDDS)) value team, the Business Strategy Partnership (BSP) organization is seeking a highly motivated Senior Specialist / Information Architect. This role will design and implement information structures and reusable data assets that enable efficient data integration, governance, and accessibility across the complex clinical development ecosystem. Reporting to the BIA team lead, the Senior Specialist / Information Architect will play a key role in aligning technology improvements with overarching business transformation goals, ensuring that information architecture supports innovation, compliance, and scalability.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop deep business acumen and expertise in data and data standards across Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, and Regulatory Affairs domains.
• Apply domain knowledge to influence system design, architectural practices, and process improvements on a day-to-day basis.
• Design data products and models for structured and unstructured data assets.
• Define data flows, integration patterns, and storage strategies; partner with technical architects to design data exchange models and ETL pipelines for cross-functional integration.
• Create and maintain architectural models in Enterprise Architecture repository.
• Implement governance standards for data quality, data lineage, security, and regulatory adherence.
• Conduct gap assessments between current‑state and target‑state business/information architectures; recommend roadmap components.
• Serve as a liaison between IT and business teams, ensuring all stakeholders understand the strategic management approach and timelines.
• Align value team information architecture with divisional and enterprise architecture frameworks.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with business partners, IT product lines, and key vendors.
• Monitor emerging technologies to inform architectural decisions.

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, information management, computer engineering, or related discipline.

Required Experience and Skills

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in IT architecture, data modeling, data engineering, or business/technical analysis roles within the life sciences industry.
• Hands‑on experience with relational and NoSQL databases, data lakes, and data science platforms.
• Experience with data modeling tools (Erwin, PowerDesigner, or similar).
• Strong knowledge of SQL, JSON, XML.
• Understanding of data governance frameworks, metadata, taxonomies and ontologies management.
• Background in system design.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, capable of engaging both technical and business audiences.
• Strong organizational, influencing, and follow‑up abilities.
• Demonstrated collaboration and teamwork skills.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Knowledge of pharmaceutical industry development processes.
• Experience with strategic planning with a focus on business capability enablement.
• Familiarity with business process modeling and process improvement.
• Familiarity with data and data standards specific to the life sciences industry.
• Experience with application development, testing, and implementation in cloud environments.
• Understanding of enterprise architecture frameworks such as TOGAF or DAMA‑DMBOK.

Required Skills

Accountability, Application Development, Architectural Modeling, Architecture Frameworks, Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA), Business Process Modeling, Business Relationship Building, Business Transformation, Communication, Computer Engineering, Construction, Data Management, Data Modeling, Data Science, Emerging Technologies, Enterprise Architecture Management, Information Architectures, Medical Affairs, Product Roadmap, Requirements Management, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Management, Strategic Planning, System Designs, Technical Advice.

Preferred Skills

Current Employees apply HERE.

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE.

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

Equal Employment Opportunity

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit: EEOC Know Your Rights, EEOC GINA Supplement. We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively.

Current Residents Only

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre‑existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Job Details

Employee Status: Regular

Relocation: No relocation

Visa Sponsorship: No

Travel Requirements: 10%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Hybrid

Shift: Not Indicated

Valid Driving License: No

Hazardous Material(s): n/a

Job Posting End Date: 12/17/2025

Requisition ID: R376511

Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5 2023, employees in office‑based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on‑site per week, Monday‑Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote‑working day, unless business critical tasks require an on‑site presence. This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in‑person attendance is required for, field‑based positions; facility‑based, manufacturing‑based, or research‑based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective‑bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

Salary and Benefits

Salary Range: $114,700.00 - $180,500.00

Eligible for annual bonus and long‑term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee. The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.