Senior/Principal Statistical Programmer FSP (SAS + R)

Cytel; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Cytel is seeking a Principal Statistical Programmer to work within a sponsor-dedicated team in Cape Town. You will manage SDTM, ADaM, define.xml artifacts, generate complex listings and graphs in SAS and R, and oversee CRO deliverables for multiple studies.

You will contribute to regulatory submissions, DSURs, and exploratory analyses while ensuring compliance with FDA/ICH guidelines and good clinical practice. A strong independent work style and leadership are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, data science, mathematics, or statistics preferred.
• 7+ years as a Statistical Programmer in Biotech/Pharma clinical development or similar.
• Exceptional SAS programming skills with clinical development experience.
• Hands-on R programming experience.
• Extensive CDISC SDTM/ADaM and Define.xml knowledge; FDA/ICH regulations familiar.
• Experience supporting regulatory submissions and interactions with regulators.
• Ability to work independently with strong communication and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Generate SDTM and ADaM specifications, datasets, reviewer's guides, and define.xml for multiple studies.
• Develop SAS programs for datasets, complex listings, tables, and graphs with statisticians.
• Deliver high-quality programming outputs; validate and maintain SAS and/or R programs.
• Oversee CRO programming deliverables across studies to meet timelines.
• Support preparation of CSRs, regulatory submissions, publications, DSUR, and exploratory analyses.
• Follow FDA regulations and GxP guidelines for electronic submissions.
• Contribute to standards for programming tools, outputs, and macros.
• Develop CRFs, edit checks, and data validation plans; review data transfers.
• Collaborate with internal/external partners (CROs, vendors, sponsors) to meet goals.
• Review and/or author SOPs and work instructions for programming practices.

Skills

SAS programming

R programming

CDISC SDTM/ADaM

FDA/ICH regulations

Independence

Leadership

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Data Science / Mathematics / Statistics

Tools

SAS

R

Python

Java

Shiny

Markdown

Unix/Linux

Git

Job description

Sponsor-dedicated:

Working fully embedded within one of our pharmaceutical clients, with the support of Cytel right behind you, you'll be at the heart of our client's innovation. As a Principal Statistical Programmer you will be dedicated to one of our global pharmaceutical clients; a company that is driving the next generation of patient treatment, where individuals are empowered to work with autonomy and ownership. This is an exciting time to be a part of this new program.

Position Overview:

This position reports to the Director, Biostatistics and Programming in the FSP Services business unit in Cytel. The Principal Statistical Programmer works independently with only concept level instruction and very little supervision, tracks progress, and provides expert technical support to team members. We are looking for a highly experienced senior statistical programmer who will work on clinical development programs on different therapeutic areas and participate in overseeing CRO programmers to ensure that data summaries are delivered in a consistent, high-quality manner. This individual will be responsible for implementing all reporting and analysis activities for the Sponsor clinical trials.

As a Principal Statistical Programmer, your responsibilities will include:

• Generate SDTM, ADaM specifications, datasets, reviewer's guide and define.xml files for multiple studies
• Develop SAS programs which generate datasets, complex listings, tables (including those with descriptive and standard inferential statistics in collaboration with a Statistician), and complex graphs
• Deliver high-quality statistical programming results including developing, validating, and maintaining SAS and/or R programs tailored to clinical development programs' needs
• Participate in overseeing CRO's statistical programming deliverables for multiple clinical studies to ensure high-quality and meet the pre-specified timelines
• Support the preparation of clinical study reports, regulatory submissions, publications, annual DSUR, and exploratory analyses
• Understand and follow FDA regulations which affect the reporting of clinical trial data. This includes good clinical practice and guidelines for electronic submissions.
• Contribute to the creation, maintenance, documentation, and validation of standards for programming tools, outputs, and macros
• Participate in the development of CRFs, edit check specifications, and data validation plans
• Provide review and/or author data transfer specifications for external vendor data
• Collaborate with internal and external functions (e.g. CROs, software vendors, clinical development partners, etc.) to ensure meeting project timelines and goals
• Provide review and/or author SOPs and/or Work Instructions related to statistical programming practices

Here at Cytel we want our employees to succeed and we enable this success through consistent training, development and support. To be successful in this position you will have:

• At a minimum bachelor's degree in computer science, data science, mathematics, or statistics major preferred
• 7+ years of experience as a Statistical Programmer on a Biotech/Pharma Clinical Development Biometrics Team or with a similar team and experience supporting drug development, medical device development, or intervention studies
• Exceptional SAS programming skills and expertise in the development and implementation of statistical programming procedures and processes in a clinical development environment
• Experience with hands-on R programming
• Extensive applied experience of CDISC standards (SDTM, ADaM, and Define.xml), medical terminology, clinical trial methodologies, and FDA/ICH regulation
• Experience supporting regulatory submissions, interacting with the FDA and/or global regulatory authorities
• Must be able to work independently
• Outstanding communication skills (written and verbal) and strong leadership skills

Preferred Qualifications (nice to have)

• Prior work experience with pharmacokinetic data and the neuroscience field,
• proficiency in languages or tools other than SAS and R (e.g., Python, and Java, Shiny, Markdown, Unix/Linux and git)

Cytel Inc. is an Equal Employment /

Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristics protected by law.