IT Research Support Lead (Near Shore)

IT Research Support Lead

Location: Remote LATAM preferred. Open to South Asia if willing and able to work East Coast USA hours.

Department: Research IT

Length of assignment: 1 year with the option to renew

Pay rate: $45-$60 USD/hr

Position Summary

The IT Research Support Lead is accountable for the operational performance, reliability, and compliance of a portfolio of scientific applications supporting Preclinical and Translational Research. This role serves as the primary IT owner and escalation point, ensuring systems are stable, audit-ready, and aligned with scientific workflows.

The position partners closely with research scientists, Quality Assurance, IT Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, and external vendors to deliver high-quality application support and continuous service improvement. The ideal candidate brings strong experience supporting GxP-regulated scientific platforms and can effectively bridge business needs with technical execution in a remote, highly collaborative environment.

Key Responsibilities

Application Ownership & Operations

• Serve as the primary IT owner and support lead for assigned scientific and laboratory applications
• Ensure application availability, performance, and reliability meet defined service expectations (SLAs/SLOs)
• Act as the escalation point for incidents, driving timely resolution and root cause remediation
• Monitor system health, manage incidents and service requests, and coordinate issue resolution across internal teams and vendors
• Maintain accurate application ownership, CMDB records, and asset inventory
  
  

Project Management

• Plan, coordinate, and track small-to-medium application initiatives including implementations, upgrades, and remediation efforts
• Manage project scope, timelines, risks, issues, and dependencies to ensure successful delivery
• Facilitate cross-functional coordination across Research, IT, QA, and vendors
• Provide status updates and ensure alignment with business stakeholders and IT teams
• Support transition of projects into steady-state operations with appropriate documentation and support models
  
  

Delivery & Change Management

• Support application lifecycle activities including implementations, upgrades, enhancements, and migrations
• Coordinate changes, testing, release activities, and user acceptance processes
• Track and manage risks, issues, and dependencies to ensure successful delivery outcomes
  
  

Compliance & Quality (GxP / CSV)

• Ensure systems remain compliant with GxP requirements and support Computer System Validation (CSV) processes
• Maintain audit-ready documentation including validation artifacts, SOPs, and change records
• Partner with Quality Assurance to support inspections, audits, and remediation activities
  
  

Stakeholder Engagement & Requirements

• Partner with scientists and business stakeholders to understand workflows, gather requirements, and identify improvement opportunities
• Translate business needs into actionable technical requirements for Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Cloud, and other IT teams
• Communicate system changes, planned maintenance, and operational status to stakeholders
  
  

Vendor & Service Management

• Manage vendor relationships for assigned applications, ensuring accountability for service performance, SLAs, and issue resolution
• Coordinate vendor support activities, upgrades, and escalations
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree Information Technology, Computer Science, Life Sciences, or related field
• 5 years of experience supporting scientific, laboratory, or research applications in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences organizations
• Hands-on experience supporting platforms such as IDBS, Watson LIMS, Phoenix WinNonlin, or similar scientific applications
• Experience working in GxP-regulated environments, including Computer System Validation (CSV) and Quality Assurance processes
• Experience managing application incidents, changes, and system lifecycle activities (implementation, upgrades, remediation)
• Strong business analysis and requirements gathering skills
• Experience working with vendors and supporting small-to-medium application initiatives
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Preclinical Research, Translational Research, DMPK, Toxicology, PK/PD, Biomarkers, or Research Informatics functions
• Familiarity with laboratory systems, instrument software, and scientific data workflows
• Experience with IT Service Management tools (e.g., ServiceNow), CMDB, and application lifecycle management
• Understanding of integrations across laboratory systems, data platforms, and enterprise IT environments
• Experience supporting data integrity and readiness for analytics or AI-enabled research workflows
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent project management experience
  
  

Key Competencies

• Strong ownership mindset with accountability for system performance and outcomes
• Ability to operate effectively in a cross-functional, matrixed environment
• Problem-solving and root cause analysis skills
• Attention to detail in regulated, compliance-sensitive environments
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills
  
  

Role Impact

This role ensures that critical scientific applications are reliable, compliant, and aligned with research workflows, directly supporting the productivity and effectiveness of Preclinical and Translational Research teams.

Role Scope

• Portfolio of GxP and non-GxP scientific applications
• High availability, compliance-sensitive systems
• Cross-functional collaboration across Research, IT, QA, and vendors