Senior IT Systems Engineer

Avania Clinical is a leading contract research organization (CRO) that offers exciting career opportunities for professionals in the clinical research industry. The Senior IT Systems Engineer plays a key role in designing, maintaining, and optimizing Avania’s global IT infrastructure while ensuring systems are secure, compliant, resilient, and scalable across multiple countries.

Responsibilities:

• Ensure and contribute to a day-to-day IT routine that anticipates problems and needs
• Support Avania employees and independent contractors with day to-day challenges
• Perform user and system administration functions in Microsoft 365 and other SaaS systems
• Perform user onboarding, including account setup, licensing, and orientation
• Procure and deploy hardware to Avania staff
• Maintain Windows servers, printers, and networking equipment
• Effectively communicates IT concepts to a non-technical audience
• Manage and work with external suppliers in projects and operation
• Manage the IT side of audits, validations and SOPs
• Make use of and develop the features already available from existing products and services to enhance the flexibility and efficiency of the group
• Be mindful of stability, security, resilience and disaster recovery needs
• Effectively communicate concepts and ideas to different audience types and gain management buy-in
• Motivate and inspire fellow team members
• Set a good example (role model) to other team members, being proactive in identifying, supporting, coaching and mentoring team members
• Design, implement, and maintain global IT infrastructure, including servers, virtual environments, storage, networks, and cloud platforms
• Manage Windows Server environments, Active Directory, Azure AD, Group Policies, and identity/access management
• Oversee Microsoft 365 administration (Entra ID, InTune, Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams)
• Ensure high availability, performance, and security of critical systems across geographies
• Working with other disciplines and 3rd parties to ensure products are installed, configured, integrated and supported to ensure that the solution is appropriate, impartial and meets the needs of the group
• Being available to support systems and services outside of normal business hours
• Implement and maintain security controls aligned with Good Clinical Practice (GCP), GDPR, HIPAA (if applicable), and internal IT policies
• Monitor and respond to security alerts, vulnerabilities, system events, and compliance deviations
• Support internal and external audits, including documentation and remediation plans
• Serve as senior escalation point for complex support incidents
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to infrastructure, networking, authentication, and system integrations
• Manage backup/restore procedures, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning
• Lead and contribute to global infrastructure projects (network upgrades, security tools, system implementations)
• Evaluate new technologies and recommend solutions that improve stability, security, and efficiency
• Maintain high‑quality technical documentation, SOPs, and diagrams
• Manage relationships with global IT vendors, MSPs, and cloud service providers
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams (Clinical Operations, Quality, Finance, HR) to understand system needs and deliver fit‑for‑purpose solutions
• Coordinate with regional IT contacts or support partners in different countries

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in information technology, Computer Science, or equivalent experience
• 5 years' experience as an IT Administrator in a Microsoft Environment (M365, Azure, Entra ID, SharePoint)
• Experience working with Juniper / Fortinet hardware
• Experience with VMware
• Experience with Data analysis and migration
• Experience with Information Security (ISO27001, SIEM / SOC, Audits, Pen tests, Phishing test, Vulnerability Management)
• Experience in a highly regulated business (Validation processes, SOPs)
• Strong problem solving, analytical abilities, and troubleshooting skills
• Fluent in English, verbal and written
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written)
• Experience with presentations
• Experience with project management, participating in projects and planning work
• Experience with managing 3rd parties
• Capability to communicate technical concepts clearly, concisely, and understandably