Principal Programmer Analyst

GSK; Stevenage; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

GSK is seeking a Principal Programmer Analyst to join the Clinical Programming team. You will lead programming activities for multiple pivotal studies within an agile, squad-based environment, mentor junior programmers, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to align scientific requirements with technical solutions.

You'll contribute to governance, quality control, and regulatory interactions while driving innovative solutions and ensuring timely delivery across global programs in a hybrid

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, or related discipline.
• Five or more years of experience with at least one programming language.
• Three or more years in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry with understanding of clinical trials.
• Experience leading discussions on programming strategies and custom programs.
• Experience implementing governance, quality control, and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Independently lead programming activities for one or more studies, ensuring development, maintenance, and validation of complex analysis packages.
• Foster QA by adhering to standards such as Good Programming Practices and CDISC.
• Mentor junior programmers with guidance in technical tasks and industry best practices.
• Lead programming support for regulatory interactions (e.g., EMA, FDA).
• Identify gaps and implement innovative solutions aligned with standards and best practices.
• Establish governance frameworks, identify risks early and devise mitigation plans.

Skills

Programming experience

Regulatory familiarity

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Governance & QA

Clinical trials knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics/ Computer Science

Tools

R

CDISC

Job description

Principal Programmer Analyst

Provides statistical programming expertise in support of discovery (e.g. Product Development, Investigational Material Supply, Safety Assessment and Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics) and clinical development (e.g. analysis and reporting of Human Subject Research). Job Family - Data Use & Analytics: Develop, drive implementation and utilise methods, processes and systems to analyze data so that information is consumable for business use. Job Family Group - Digital, Data & Analytics: A set of tools and a mindset underpinned by advances in software, the increasing volumes of both structured and unstructured information and the ability to make sense of this data to identify trends and insights which allows us to engage with patients, customers and employees and drive better business decisions.

We are seeking a Principal Programmer Analyst to join our Clinical Programming team, contributing to pipeline delivery across complex and pivotal studies. This role operates within an agile, squad-based environment, where you will lead study delivery, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and act as a technical mentor to ensure high‑quality and timely outputs. Working closely with stakeholders across clinical, statistical, and operational functions, you will play a key role in bridging scientific requirements with technical solutions, supporting the successful execution of clinical development programmes within a global setting.

We create a place where people can grow, be their best, be safe, and feel welcome, valued and included. We offer a competitive salary, an annual bonus based on company performance, healthcare and wellbeing programmes, pension plan membership, and shares and savings programme.

We embrace modern work practises; our Performance with Choice programme offers a hybrid working model, empowering you to find the optimal balance between remote and in‑office work.

Discover more about our company wide benefits and life at GSK on our webpage Life at GSK | GSK

In this role you will

• Independently lead programming activities for one or more studies, ensuring development, maintenance, and validation of complex analysis packages
• Foster quality assurance by ensuring programming activities adhere to standards such as Good Programming Practices and CDISC
• Mentor junior programmers by providing guidance and support in technical programming tasks and industry best practices
• Lead programming support for regulatory interactions (e.g., EMA, FDA)
• Identify gaps and inefficiencies and recommend and implement innovative solutions aligned with standards and best practices
• Establish and uphold governance frameworks, identify risks early and devise mitigation plans, ensuring timely escalation

Basic Qualifications & Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related discipline
• Five or more years if experience with at least one programming language and ability to evaluate and select appropriate tools or languages for specific tasks
• Three or more years of experience working in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry with advanced understanding of clinical trials and therapeutic areas, applied to enhance programming outputs and decision‑making
• Experience leading discussions on programming strategies, displays, and custom programs
• Experience implementing principles of governance, quality control, and compliance with regulatory requirements and programming standards

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

Please note the following skills are not necessary, just preferred, if you do not have them, please still apply:

• Experience guiding others in the use of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) tools or applying these tools to improve efficiency
• Experience contributing to internal technical discussions, forums, or external technical organizations
• Application of critical thinking to implement standards and collaborate with stakeholders where deviations are required
• Ability to articulate complex technical information effectively to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders
• Experience contributing to department strategies and key technical initiatives through working groups or sub‑teams
• Demonstrated networking and collaboration across departments, divisions, and external partners
• Experience facilitating integration across matrix teams and contributing to planning and execution of programming activities
• Experience guiding teams and individuals, fostering continuous improvement, collaboration, and innovation
• Demonstrated proficiency in R.

At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. Our R&D focuses on discovering and delivering vaccines and medicines, combining our understanding of the immune system with cutting‑edge technology to transform people’s lives. GSK fosters a culture ambitious for patients, accountable for impact, and committed to doing the right thing, making sure that we focus our efforts on accelerating significant assets that meet patients’ needs and have the highest probability of success. We’re uniting science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together.

Find out more:

Our approach to R&D.

Skills

Agile Leadership, Agile Methodology, Clinical Development, Data Engineering, Data Science, Influencing Without Authority, Learning Agility, Problem Solving, Statistical Programming

Please visit GSK US Benefits Summary to learn more about the comprehensive benefits program GSK offers US employees.

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

If you require an accommodation or other assistance to apply for a job at GSK, please contact the appropriate Recruitment Staff by emailing us at [e-mail]

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

Please note that if you are a US Licensed Healthcare Professional or Healthcare Professional as defined by the laws of the state issuing your license, GSK may be required to capture and report expenses GSK incurs, on your behalf, in the event you are afforded an interview for employment. This capture of applicable transfers of value is necessary to ensure GSK’s compliance to all federal and state US Transparency requirements. For more information, please visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/