Senior Clinical Data Engineer – based in South Africa

Join Parexel as a Senior Clinical Data Engineer based in South Africa. We're seeking an experienced data engineering professional to lead the design, development, and maintenance of clinical data systems across our operations in 2 key locations.

What This Role Involves

As a Senior Clinical Data Engineer at Parexel, you'll architect and oversee the infrastructure that powers clinical data management for our research operations. This full-time position combines technical expertise with strategic oversight, ensuring data integrity, accessibility, and compliance across clinical trial environments. You'll work with complex datasets, manage data pipelines, and mentor engineering team members whilst driving innovation in our data platforms.

What You'll Do

• Design, develop, and optimise clinical data management systems and ETL (extract, transform, load) pipelines
• Ensure data quality, validation, and compliance with regulatory standards including ICH-GCP and data governance frameworks
• Collaborate with clinical, statistical, and IT teams to translate business requirements into technical solutions
• Lead database architecture, performance tuning, and infrastructure scaling for clinical trial systems
• Oversee data security, backup, and disaster recovery protocols
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to continuous improvement of data engineering practices
• Troubleshoot complex data issues and implement preventative solutions

Skills & Qualifications

• Advanced experience with SQL, Python, and modern data engineering frameworks
• Proven expertise in healthcare data management, clinical trial environments, or regulated data systems
• Strong knowledge of data architecture, database design, and ETL tools
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) or on-premise data infrastructure
• Familiarity with healthcare compliance standards (HIPAA, GDPR, 21 CFR Part 11)
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Informatics, or related field
• 5+ years of professional data engineering experience, with at least 2 years in a senior or leadership capacity
• Excellent problem-solving ability and communication skills

Working at Parexel

Parexel is a leading contract research organisation supporting the global pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries. We're committed to advancing clinical research and bringing transformative therapies to patients. Our South Africa operations benefit from a collaborative, innovation-focused culture where your expertise directly impacts the success of critical clinical programmes. You'll join a team of dedicated professionals invested in scientific excellence and operational integrity.

Apply Today

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