Senior Clinical Data Engineer - based in South Africa

When our values align, there's no limit to what we can achieve.

At Parexel, we all share the same goal - to improve the world's health. From clinical trials to regulatory, consulting, and market access, every clinical development solution we provide is underpinned by something special - a deep conviction in what we do.

Each of us, no matter what we do at Parexel, contributes to the development of a therapy that ultimately will benefit a patient. We take our work personally, we do it with empathy and we're committed to making a difference.

This is a fully remote (work-from-home) position for candidates based in South Africa only. Applicants must currently reside in South Africa and be legally authorized to work there.

Are you a skilled data engineering professional with a passion for clinical research? Parexel is seeking a Senior Clinical Data Engineer to join our Global Data Operations team. In this pivotal role, you will leverage your technical expertise to support the conduct of clinical trials, serve as an internal subject matter expert, and lead cross-functional projects with sponsors and data management teams.

As a Senior Clinical Data Engineer, you will work independently and collaboratively to manage electronic data, eClinical technologies, and systems while maintaining the highest standards of quality and regulatory compliance. You will also mentor team members and drive process improvements across the organization.

What You'll Do:

Project & Technology Management

• Lead and implement Data Receipt Agreements with vendors through cross-functional collaboration

• Program and configure import procedures for data ingestion using SAS, Workbench, or alternative technologies

• Design and execute reconciliation checks to ensure accurate data transfer

• Program offline listings and custom reports to provide actionable insights

• Aggregate data across multiple sources and manage external data effectively

• Handle missing values, raw data files, data structures, and SAS dataset operations

• Review and analyze data outputs to provide insights to study teams and clients

• Ensure first-time quality on all deliverables

• Manage electronic data timelines and coordinate with project teams

• Lead programming teams to successful study completion within timelines and budget

• Deploy and manage data management technology (Workbench, SAS, R, etc.)

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain comprehensive study documentation in accordance with SOPs, guidelines, and work instructions

• Ensure traceability and regulatory compliance across all activities

• Document deviations and communicate them to project teams

Standards & Process Improvement

• Participate in creating standards through tools (SAS macros, libraries, processes)

• Develop and implement project-specific tools and templates

• Improve efficiencies through standardized project structures and naming conventions

• Support business development and bid defense meetings

What We're Looking For:

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in a relevant science discipline

• Proficiency in at least one of the following: SQL, SAS, or R

• Knowledge of SOPs, guidelines, work instructions, system life cycle methodologies, ICH-GCP, and applicable regulations (e.g., 21 CFR Part 11)

• Proven practical application of regulatory and compliance frameworks

• Experience working with at least two systems used to aggregate data in clinical trials (e.g., SAS, Workbench, Elluminate)

• Strong background in clinical research industry

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Ability to make informed decisions in ambiguous situations

• Application of Clinical Research Standards (CRS) concepts

• Root cause analysis capability

• Fluent written and oral English