Global Mobility Lead

ICON; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization is hiring a Global Mobility Lead to strengthen international operations in Reading, UK. This role involves overseeing the global mobility compliance framework, managing immigration requirements, and leading a dedicated team. You will collaborate with HR and legal teams to support global growth, aiming for a culture of continuous improvement. Ideal for those with extensive experience in global mobility and strong leadership skills.

Benefits

Health insurance offerings

Competitive retirement planning

Flexible optional benefits

Qualifications

• Significant experience in global mobility and immigration compliance.
• Proven experience managing high-performing teams.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of HR professionals.
• Implement a comprehensive global mobility compliance framework.
• Manage visa processes and ensure proactive renewals.

Skills

Global mobility expertise

Immigration compliance

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Job description

Overview

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We’re proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development.

Global Mobility Lead — Locations: Dublin, Ireland; Reading, UK; Warsaw, Poland. Hybrid working with a strong office presence required.

We are now hiring a Global Mobility Lead to strengthen our international mobility operations, build a structured and compliant framework, and ensure a seamless flow of information and accountability between Global Mobility, HR, and Talent Acquisition.

The Opportunity
This is a high-impact role where you will lead the development and oversight of ICON’s global mobility compliance framework. From managing complex immigration requirements to ensuring timely visa renewals and anticipating regulatory changes, you will also shape how we move talent across borders—securely, compliantly and with strategic foresight.

You will lead a small, dedicated team, providing leadership, direction, and development opportunities, and will be responsible for guiding day-to-day operations while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and cross-functional collaboration.

You will partner closely with stakeholders across HR, Talent Acquisition, Legal, and Tax to ensure our systems, processes, and data support ICON’s global growth. You’ll play a key role in risk mitigation, knowledge management and ensuring smooth operations between teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of HR professionals, setting clear goals and supporting career growth
• Develop and implement a comprehensive global mobility compliance framework across ICON's international footprint
• Provide subject matter expertise in immigration—ensuring visa processes, renewals, and expirations are managed proactively and accurately
• Build scalable processes to capture, centralize, and maintain global mobility knowledge and practices
• Collaborate closely with Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partners and HR Shared Services teams to ensure full training on our Global Mobility processes
• Identify compliance risks and implement mitigation plans; stay abreast of regulatory changes across regions
• Oversee reporting, audits, and governance procedures relating to mobility and immigration compliance
• Act as a key advisor on complex immigration cases, partnering with external legal counsel and our external immigration providers where needed

What You Bring

• Significant experience in global mobility, with a strong background in immigration and mobility compliance
• Expertise in visa lifecycle management, employee relocations, and cross-border employment compliance
• A track record of building structured mobility programs in a multinational, matrixed organisation
• Proven experience managing and developing high-performing teams
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with a solution-focused mindset
• Demonstrated ability to bridge teams—particularly HR, TA, and Legal—to deliver integrated processes and shared accountability
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to manage and interpret compliance-related data

Why Join Us

At ICON, you’ll be part of a mission-driven organisation with a global reach and a strong commitment to continuous improvement. You’ll have the autonomy to shape a critical function and the support of a collaborative and experienced global HR team. This is your chance to make a tangible impact at the intersection of compliance, mobility, and talent strategy—while developing and leading a team who will help deliver that vision.

ICON is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Benefits

Our benefits examples include:

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family’s needs
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24-hour access to a global network of professionals who are there to support you and your family’s well-being
• Life assurance
• Flexible country-specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidized travel passes, health assessments, among others

Visit our careers site to read more about the benefits ICON offers.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please let us know.

Interested in the role, but unsure if you meet all of the requirements? We encourage you to apply regardless—there’s every chance you’re exactly what we’re looking for here at ICON whether it is for this or other roles.

Are you a current ICON employee? Please apply through the careers site.