Hot IT Jobs in Biotech

Biotech companies look carefully for applicants who have industry-specific IT experience. Because the development of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals is heavily regulated, IT personnel must be acutely aware of how to make sure all technical processes comply with those guidelines.

A global search returned 26 postings for IT positions in the biotechnology arena in the months of October and November in the New York area. Skills the top jobs highlighted included the following:

Data Management: As you'd expect, the database platforms biotech firms use vary, from Oracle and Unix-based systems to PL SQL. Key skills involve the ability to work on the nitty-gritty level with data — database migration, analytics and business intelligence, query writing, and reporting are all desired.

Clinical Trials Skills: A unique function in this industry, clinical trials for pharmaceuticals require an extraordinary amount of oversight and precision. In addition, IT personnel who work in clinical trials must cooperate with the clinical teams to assist in the development and support of EDC and paper-based clinical trial data systems. Typical work involves:

• designing and implementing specific setup for clinical trials applications
• developing data validation procedures
• providing end-user support
• performing application validation

In addition, IT personnel in biotech firms may be responsible for ensuring that global standards are applied in clinical trials and providing custom reports and clinical outputs. They may also be responsible for database design and database building.

Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance Skills: IT teams in biotech industries manage internal and external audit functions to ensure compliance to regulatory and statutory requirements. In biotech, IT personnel must demonstrate experience in such areas as:

• developing quality management systems
• design and development of training programs
• lean documentation
• Six Sigma methodology
• auditing in a regulated manufacturing environment

In addition, IT staff must understand and be able to apply standards including CGMPs, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and CMDR. Frequently, IT must also be able to identify, develop, and report QMS metrics.

The Connors Group is currently seeking top-notch candidates for IT positions in biotech. For information about the jobs listed here, contact Vinay Singh, biotech staffing specialist at The Connors Group, at 201-537-0032 or by email at vinay@theconnorsgroup.com.