Team Lead, Language Services

ICON Clinical Research; Reading; Remote; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life assurance

Annual leave

Job summary

ICON plc is seeking a Team Lead, PCS, Language Services to oversee a team of project and operations staff across the Language Services department. You will champion training, risk management and resource planning while leveraging localization workflows and language technology in a regulated Life Sciences context.

You will coach staff, support client relationships, and drive operational excellence in a fast-paced, client-focused environment across multiple countries and sites.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in translation, localization, or language services project management, including mentoring or coordination.
• Strong expertise in Life Sciences translation and regulated environments.
• Understanding of localization workflows, quality management, and industry standards (GxP, ISO).
• Experience with quality investigations, root cause analysis, and CAPA in localization.
• Ability to support strategic client relationships and contribute to sales through solution-focused thinking.
• Coaching staff in localization and clinical content with strong stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a team of project/operations staff within Language Services, ensuring training, risk management, and resource allocation.
• Lead development of project management practices and operational systems to improve efficiency and quality.
• Represent the department in client reviews and strategic discussions, supporting client retention.
• Mentor staff, create best-practice materials, and ensure SOP/compliance adherence across projects.
• Drive continuous improvement through client feedback and CAPA-driven improvements.

Skills

Team mentoring

Localization

Project management

Language services

Tools

CAT tools

TMS platforms

XML

Job description

Team Lead, Language Services. UK, Poland, Czechia or Spain. Home or office based

ICON is a global healthcare intelligence and clinical research organisation united by a mission to bring new medicines and treatments to patients faster.

As a values-driven organisation, integrity, collaboration, agility, and inclusion are at the heart of how we work and interact with each other, customers, patients and suppliers.

The Team Lead, PCS, Language Services is responsible for overseeing a team of project and/or operations staff within the Language Services department of ICON. This role ensures high standards in training, risk management, and resource allocation, while also serving as a subject matter expert in localization workflows, language technology tools, and the clinical/pharmaceutical industry.

The Team Lead fosters team development through active coaching and knowledge-sharing, ensuring that team members are equipped not only with project management skills but also with deep understanding of regulatory, scientific, and clinical trial contexts. The Team Lead plays a key role in driving operational excellence, quality, and compliance in a fast-paced, client-focused environment.

Job requirements

• 6+ years of experience in translation, localization, or language services project management, including team mentoring or coordination.

• Strong expertise in Life Sciences translation (e.g., pharmaceutical, clinical trials, biotech).

• Solid understanding of localization workflows, quality management practices, and industry standards (e.g., GxP, ISO).

• Hands-on experience with quality investigations, root cause analysis, and CAPA implementation in localization.

• Proven ability to support strategic client relationships and contribute to sales efforts through solution-focused thinking.

• Skilled in coaching and developing team members’ expertise in both localization and clinical content.

• Advanced proficiency with CAT tools, TMS platforms, and structured content formats (XML, PDF, etc.).

• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and organizational skills.

• Able to thrive in a deadline-driven, regulated environment with minimal supervision.

Job Description

STRATEGIC

• Actively supports the growth and integration of language services within ICON’s Clinical & Scientific Research (PCS) division.

• Builds and maintains deep expertise in localization, language technology, and clinical/pharmaceutical industry trends and regulatory landscapes.

• Guides junior staff in understanding evolving client needs, industry developments, and service delivery challenges specific to Life Sciences.

• Drives awareness among project teams on client relationships, supporting strategic engagement and contributing to client retention and sales initiatives.

• Leads the development of new project management practices and operational systems that improve efficiency, consistency, quality, and risk mitigation.

• Oversees a functional team of project and/or operations staff, ensuring optimal resourcing and training aligned with team and departmental goals.

• Mentors and develops staff through coaching, knowledge-sharing, and creation of best practice materials, including process guides and training tools.

• Responsible for team-level human resource management, including performance development, staffing, engagement, and recognition.

FUNCTIONAL

• Ensures the delivery of high-quality, compliant language services across all projects, in line with industry standards and client expectations.

• May manage a portfolio of complex or strategic projects, acting as a senior escalation point.

• Proactively identifies and manages project risks; supports proposal development with realistic assumptions to mitigate those risks.

• Drives a culture of continuous improvement by capturing client feedback, addressing issues, and promoting operational learnings across the team.

• Represents the department in internal and external meetings, including client reviews and strategic discussions.

• Leads or contributes to CAPA investigations, ensures adherence to quality control procedures, and champions best practices in localization QA.

• Oversees staff onboarding and development, ensuring alignment with training plans and mentoring objectives.

• Maintains and updates department-specific project tools, checklists, and documentation to ensure operational consistency.

• Ensures team compliance with all applicable SOPs, policies, and procedures.

• Performs additional duties as reasonably assigned to support departmental goals and service excellence.

What ICON can offer you:

Our success depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well-being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

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 over 80,000 independent specialized 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 (https://careers.iconplc.com/benefits) to read more about the benefits ICON offers.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. 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.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here (https://careers.iconplc.com/reasonable-accommodations)