Principal Programmer Analyst

GlaxoSmithKline; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Annual bonus

Healthcare

Pension plan

Shares and savings programme

Job summary

GlaxoSmithKline is seeking a Principal Programmer Analyst to join our Clinical Programming team. You will lead study programming across complex analyses, ensure high-quality outputs, and mentor junior programmers within a global, agile environment.

You will partner with clinical, statistical, and operational groups to bridge scientific requirements with scalable technical solutions, while supporting regulatory interactions and governance frameworks across programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• Five or more years of 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.

Responsibilities

• 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

Skills

Programming experience

Clinical trial knowledge

Leadership

Regulatory understanding

Governance & QC

R programming

Education

Bachelor's degree in Math/CS or related

Tools

CDISC

Job description

Principal Programmer Analyst

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 practices; 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

• 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

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.

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.

Important notice to Employment businesses/ Agencies

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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.

Find out more

Our approach to R&D

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.

For more information, please visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/