It Operations Lead

Pace Hr Consulting; Chennai District; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Pace Hr Consulting is seeking an IT Operation Lead for a Leading Clinical Research Organisation in Chennai. The role requires 8-12 years of IT operations experience, including infrastructure, security, and vendor management.

You will manage day-to-day IT operations, oversee Microsoft 365 and AD/Entra ID, and coordinate with QA and system owners in a regulated CRO setup. Leadership experience is preferred and familiarity with DPDP/GDPR/HIPAA is advantageous.

Qualifications

• 8-12 years of relevant IT experience
• Bachelor's degree in IT or related field
• Leadership/supervisory experience (2-4 years) preferred
• Experience in CRO/pharma/regulated environments preferred

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day IT operations, technical support, and L1/L2/L3 escalations
• Manage Microsoft 365, Windows, Active Directory/Entra ID, networks, VPN, Wi-Fi, endpoints, servers, and backup systems
• Oversee user onboarding, access management, RBAC, MFA, privileged accounts, and periodic access reviews
• Implement and monitor IT security controls including endpoint security, EDR/antivirus, patching, MFA, DLP and MDM
• Manage IT assets, software licenses, renewals, warranties, and lifecycle management
• Oversee backup, recovery, Disaster Recovery (DR), and business continuity activities
• Manage IT vendors, managed service providers, contracts, quotations, renewals, and service levels
• Support IT budgeting, procurement, and technology cost optimization
• Drive incident, problem, change, and service management in line with ITIL principles
• Lead/coordinate IT infrastructure, Microsoft 365, security, network, hardware refresh, and business application projects
• Maintain IT policies, procedures, documentation, and operational records
• Support internal, client, external, and regulatory audits and remediation activities
• Ensure IT controls align with DPDP, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, GxP, and 21 CFR Part 11 requirements
• Coordinate with QA, Clinical Data Management, System Owners, and other stakeholders in a regulated/CRO environment

Skills

Microsoft 365

Windows environments

Active Directory / Microsoft Entra ID

IT Operations & Infrastructure

User & Access Management

Endpoint & Network Support

VPN / Wi-Fi

IT Security Fundamentals

Backup & Disaster Recovery

IT Asset & Vendor Management

Incident & Problem Management

ITIL / ITSM

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or related discipline

Tools

Microsoft Intune

Azure fundamentals

PowerShell

EDR / Endpoint Security

Windows Server

Firewall Administration

Virtualization

ServiceNow

Jira

Freshservice

ManageEngine

Job description

We are hiring for Leading Clinical Research Organisation

Role: IT Operation Lead

Location: Chennai

Experience: 8-12 Years

Reporting To: Senior Management

Key Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day IT operations, technical support, and L1/L2/L3 escalations.
• Manage Microsoft 365, Windows, Active Directory/Entra ID, networks, VPN, Wi-Fi, endpoints, servers, and backup systems.
• Oversee user onboarding, access management, RBAC, MFA, privileged accounts, and periodic access reviews.
• Implement and monitor IT security controls including endpoint security, EDR/antivirus, patching, MFA, DLP and MDM.
• Manage IT assets, software licenses, renewals, warranties, and lifecycle management.
• Oversee backup, recovery, Disaster Recovery (DR), and business continuity activities.
• Manage IT vendors, managed service providers, contracts, quotations, renewals, and service levels.
• Support IT budgeting, procurement, and technology cost optimization.
• Drive incident, problem, change, and service management in line with ITIL principles.
• Lead/coordinate IT infrastructure, Microsoft 365, security, network, hardware refresh, and business application projects.
• Maintain IT policies, procedures, documentation, and operational records.
• Support internal, client, external, and regulatory audits and remediation activities.
• Ensure IT controls align with applicable DPDP, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, GxP, and 21 CFR Part 11 requirements.
• Coordinate with QA, Clinical Data Management, System Owners, and other stakeholders in a regulated/CRO environment.

Required Skills

• Microsoft 365
• Windows environments
• Active Directory / Microsoft Entra ID
• IT Operations & Infrastructure
• User & Access Management
• Endpoint & Network Support
• VPN / Wi-Fi
• IT Security Fundamentals
• Backup & Disaster Recovery
• IT Asset & Vendor Management
• Incident & Problem Management
• ITIL / ITSM

Good to Have

• Microsoft Intune
• Azure fundamentals
• PowerShell
• EDR / Endpoint Security
• Windows Server
• Firewall Administration
• Virtualization
• ServiceNow / Jira / Freshservice / ManageEngine
• Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery

Regulatory/Compliance Exposure

Working knowledge of DPDP, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, ALCOA+, Data Integrity, CSV/CSA will be an advantage.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or related discipline.
• 8-12 years of relevant IT experience, including experience in IT operations, infrastructure, technical support, and vendor management.
• 2-4 years of leadership/supervisory experience preferred.
• Experience in CRO, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or other regulated environments is preferred but not mandatory.

Key Competencies

• Strong IT operations and troubleshooting skills
• Leadership and people management
• Vendor management
• IT security and data protection awareness
• Problem-solving and decision-making
• Strong stakeholder communication
• Project and service management
• Documentation and organizational skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and critical incidents