Senior Lead Clinical Data Science Programmer

ICON Clinical Research; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave entitlements

Health insurance offerings

Retirement planning

Global Employee Assistance Programme (

Life assurance

Country-specific benefits

Job summary

ICON Clinical Research in Johannesburg is seeking a Senior Lead Clinical Data Science Programmer to drive design, development and delivery of clinical data solutions across global trials. You will lead complex programming activities, translate requirements into scalable systems and mentor junior programmers to ensure compliant, high-quality outputs.

Role blends clinical data, programming and study delivery with opportunities to engage customers, set standards and influence cross-functional teams

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Life Sciences or related field.
• Significant experience in Clinical Data Science, Clinical Systems or Clinical Programming.
• Strong experience with clinical databases, data integration, analytics or data review platforms.
• Experience using R, Python, SQL or equivalent technologies.
• Understanding of clinical trial processes, data standards and regulatory expectations.
• Experience working directly with customers and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication and project coordination skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, configure and maintain clinical data systems and study databases.
• Develop programming solutions for data ingestion, validation, extraction and reporting.
• Create data review, risk management and analytical outputs for study oversight.
• Translate business requirements into scalable clinical system solutions.
• Act as a technical lead across study builds and complex system enhancements.
• Support customer engagements and provide SME on clinical data technologies.
• Ensure high-quality delivery through SDLC, validation and quality control processes.
• Mentor junior programmers and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

R

Python

SQL

Clinical data systems

Data integration

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Life Sciences or related

Tools

SQL databases

Data integration tools

Job description

Senior Lead Clinical Data Science Programmer

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.

We are seeking a Senior Clinical Data Science Programmer to join our Clinical Systems team. In this role, you will serve as a senior technical expert responsible for the design, development and delivery of clinical data solutions that support global clinical trials. Working across study teams, customers and technology partners, you will lead complex programming and system development activities, translating study requirements into high-quality, compliant and scalable clinical data solutions.

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of clinical systems, programming and study delivery, supporting the implementation of clinical databases, data review solutions, integrations, analytics and reporting tools that drive decision-making across the clinical trial lifecycle.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Design, configure and maintain clinical data systems and study databases.
• Develop programming solutions supporting data ingestion, validation, extraction and reporting activities.
• Create data review, risk management and analytical outputs that support study oversight.
• Translate business requirements into scalable clinical system solutions.
• Act as a technical lead across study builds and complex system enhancements.
• Support customer engagements and provide subject matter expertise on clinical data technologies.
• Ensure high-quality delivery through adherence to SDLC, validation and quality control processes.
• Mentor junior programmers and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.

You Will have/be:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Life Sciences or a related discipline.
• Significant experience within Clinical Data Science, Clinical Systems or Clinical Programming.
• Strong experience working with clinical databases, data integration, analytics or data review platforms.
• Experience using programming languages such as R, Python, SQL or equivalent technologies.
• Understanding of clinical trial processes, data standards and regulatory expectations.
• Experience working directly with customers and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication and project coordination skills.

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.

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.