Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Project Manager

Worldwide Clinical Trials; United States; Remote; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Worldwide Clinical Trials is seeking a Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Project Manager to lead complex information security initiatives from planning through implementation and operational transition. This role partners with the Office of the CISO and coordinates across IT, Privacy, Legal, Quality, and vendors to deliver secure and compliant outcomes that support clinical research programs.

The ideal candidate brings extensive project management experience in information security,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information security, cybersecurity, IT, or a related field.
• Five or more years of project management experience delivering information security or cybersecurity initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and vendors in a matrixed organization.
• Strong written, verbal, facilitation, and executive communication skills.
• Professional certifications such as PMP/PRINCE2 or CISSP/CISM are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead information security projects from initiation through closure with clear objectives, milestones, and success measures.
• Translate security strategies and regulatory commitments into executable project plans.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams including IT, Privacy, Legal, Quality, and vendors.
• Manage risks, issues, dependencies, budgets, and governance artifacts.
• Provide concise executive updates and ensure successful transition to operations.
• Support continuous improvement of delivery practices and templates.

Skills

Project management

Information security knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Risk management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in information security, cybersecurity, IT, or related field

Project Management Certification (PMP/PRINCE2)

Tools

PMP/PRINCE2

Job description

Join a global Contract Resource Organization (CRO) where innovation meets purpose. At Worldwide Clinical Trials, we’re driven by a shared commitment to improving lives through high-quality clinical research. Our teams are empowered to think creatively, take ownership, and deliver meaningful work that helps bring life‑changing therapies to patients around the world.

With more than 4,000 professionals across the globe, we foster a collaborative and inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued, growth is encouraged, and every contribution makes an impact. Whether you’re building your career or bringing years of experience, you’ll have the opportunity to learn, grow, and help shape the future of clinical research.

SUMMARY

The Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Project Manager is a key member of the Governance, Risk and Compliance team, reporting to the Sr. Director of Governance, Risk and Compliance function. This role is responsible for working with the Office of the CISO (OCSIO) team and for leading complex information security initiatives from planning through implementation and operational transition. The role combines disciplined project management with practical security and technology knowledge to deliver outcomes that reduce risk, strengthen security capabilities, and support Worldwide Clinical Trials’ business objectives. Working with limited oversight, the Project Manager will establish project structure, coordinate cross‑functional teams, manage dependencies and risks, and provide clear reporting to technical teams, business leaders, and executives. Success requires prior experience delivering information security projects, the ability to translate between technical terminology and clinical research organization business requirements, and a highly collaborative approach that builds accountability without relying on direct authority.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Project leadership: Independently lead information security projects from initiation through closure, including defining objectives, scope, deliverables, milestones, resource needs, success measures, and acceptance criteria.
• Security delivery planning: Convert security strategies, risk treatment plans, audit findings, regulatory commitments, and operational needs into executable project plans with clear ownership, dependencies, and timelines.
• Hands‑on project management: Maintain schedules, action logs, decision records, risk and issue registers, budgets, status reports, and project documentation. Facilitate working sessions, remove obstacles, and follow through on commitments rather than serving only as a meeting coordinator.
• Cross‑functional coordination: Bring together Information Security, Information Technology, Privacy, Legal, Quality, Vendor Management, Procurement, Clinical Operations, and other business functions to achieve agreed outcomes in a matrixed environment.
• Technical engagement: Work effectively with security architects, engineers, analysts, and technology owners; understand technical designs, implementation constraints, control requirements, and operational impacts sufficiently to challenge assumptions and keep delivery on track.
• Risk, issue, and dependency management: Identify risks to delivery and security outcomes early, assess their impact, establish mitigation and contingency actions, and escape material decisions with clear options and recommendations.
• Governance and assurance: Ensure projects follow applicable Office of the CISO governance, security, privacy, quality, change‑management, and documentation requirements. Coordinate required reviews, approvals, evidence, and readiness activities before implementation.
• Executive communication: Provide concise, accurate updates on progress, decisions, risks, financials, and expected outcomes. Tailor messages and presentations for executives, technical teams, project sponsors, and business stakeholders.
• Business translation: Explain security and technology matters in practical business terms and connect project decisions to patient, sponsor, regulatory, operational, and client considerations within a clinical research organization.
• Vendor delivery: Coordinate third parties supporting security initiatives, including deliverables, dependencies, performance, security obligations, and issue resolution, in partnership with accountable business and commercial owners.
• Change and adoption: Plan stakeholder engagement, communications, training, implementation readiness, and transition to operations so that delivered capabilities are adopted, supported, and sustainable.
• Portfolio visibility: Maintain reliable project data and contribute to Office of the CISO portfolio dashboards, capacity planning, prioritization, and leadership reporting.
• Continuous improvement: Apply lessons learned, improve delivery practices and templates, and help establish consistent project management standards across the information security portfolio.

Perform other duties as assigned. The duties and responsibilities listed above are representative of the nature and level of work assigned and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Independent delivery: Establishes structure, makes sound day‑to‑day decisions, and advances complex work with limited direction while escalating matters that require sponsor or leadership action.
• Security fluency: Understands information security principles, common technologies, controls, threats, and delivery considerations well enough to manage technical work and engage credibly with specialists.
• Collaboration and influence: Builds trust across functions, creates shared accountability, and resolves disagreements constructively in environments where team members may not report directly to the role.
• Communication: Communicates with precision in writing and conversation, listens actively, asks effective questions, and adjusts the level of detail to suit technical, business, and executive audiences.
• Presentation: Develops clear, decision‑oriented materials and confidently presents project status, risks, recommendations, and outcomes to leadership and working teams.
• Business acumen: Understands how a clinical research organization operates and can connect security work to sponsor expectations, clinical delivery, regulated processes, data protection, and business priorities.
• Planning and judgment: Anticipates dependencies, distinguishes urgent activity from important outcomes, and uses evidence to recommend practical courses of action.
• Adaptability: Remains effective when priorities change, information is incomplete, or delivery requires coordination across regions, time zones, and competing stakeholder needs.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in information security, cybersecurity, information technology, business, project management, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience may be considered.
• Five or more years of project management experience, including demonstrated responsibility for independently delivering multiple information security or cybersecurity projects through completion.
• Documented experience managing security initiatives such as identity and access management, vulnerability remediation, security tooling, cloud security, data protection, third‑party risk, security operations, compliance remediation, or security transformation.
• Working knowledge of core information security concepts and common enterprise technology environments, with the ability to understand architecture diagrams, technical requirements, control designs, testing results, and implementation plans.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross‑functional teams and vendors through planning, execution, implementation, and transition to operations in a matrixed organization.
• Strong command of project management practices, including scope, schedule, budget, resources, risks, issues, dependencies, change control, governance, and benefits tracking.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills, including experience preparing executive‑level status reports and decision materials.
• Proficiency with project planning, collaboration, reporting, and presentation tools; experience developing portfolio metrics and dashboards is preferred.
• Experience in a clinical research organization, life sciences, healthcare, pharmaceutical, or another regulated environment is strongly preferred.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), PRINCE2, Certified ScrumMaster, or comparable project management certification is preferred. A security certification such as CISSP, CISM, Security+, or equivalent is beneficial.

Success in this role is measured by the consistent delivery of agreed security outcomes, the quality and transparency of project governance, effective cross‑functional collaboration, and the ability to operate independently while keeping Office of the CISO leadership appropriately informed.

Promotion to the next level is not automatic based on years of experience. Personnel are evaluated on proven competency, level of responsibility, and ability to work independently.

DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE

We love knowing that someone is going to have a better life because of the work we do. Discover the Difference at Worldwide Clinical Trials.