Specialist Programmer, AD

As a Specialist Programmer, you will create, support and implement SAS solutions for different data products. This role involves developing SAS code as well as providing the necessary tools and resources for business partners. You will oversee packaging, maintaining and scaling solutions and code bases with the latest technologies. Due to the nature of the variety of solutions provided within the organization and the continuously evolving technology landscape, a flexible mindset to acquire and put to practice new tools or software is highly desirable. A successful candidate will have a record of high-quality delivery, be able to work independently with little supervision and good collaboration in a global team setting. They will lead parts of projects and handle risk and expectations in new situations. They will have good communication skills and be comfortable working as part of agile sprint and delivery teams.  

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world's most serious diseases. But we're more than one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. At AstraZeneca, we're proud to have a unique workplace culture that inspires innovation and collaboration. Here, employees are empowered to express diverse perspectives and are made to feel valued, energized and rewarded for their ideas and creativity. 

Department – Clinical Data & Insights 

The Clinical Data & Insights Team is a global team of highly experienced and skilled professionals passionate about delivering state of the art services and solutions within R&D. AI has the potential to transform every step of the R&D pipeline. Through recent advancements in technology, we are now collecting a large amount of data, and have the opportunity to harness that data for analytics and insight that will help deliver a new generation of medicines that are capable of addressing the world’s most challenging unmet medical needs. The mission of our team is to transform the way R&D uses data, analytics and AI to streamline processes and mitigate risks while building operational efficiencies. To achieve this, we partner with business functions within R&D to deliver cutting-edge capabilities and solutions that enable them to accelerate medicines that are safe and effective for patients. 

Role 

The Specialist Programmer will focus on developing software solutions using SAS, R, Python to derive new insights, unlock predictive power, and automate data manipulation. In this role, you’ll own the technical delivery and implementation of SAS solutions within Clinical Data &Insights. You will work closely with a community of data experts driving team cohesion, engagement, morale and sharing of best practices. Competitive candidates will have a proven track record of delivering applications bringing excellent technical oversight and development of the best coding practices for the team. 

Technical Leadership: 

• Provide technical leadership in the aspects of statistical programming and SAS. 

• In depth knowledge of regulatory requirements, industry standards, and industry best practices for data standards development and implementation 

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and execute the solution roadmap. 

• Stay updated on the latest developments in relevant technologies to ensure our team remains at the forefront of the industry. 

• Identify opportunities for innovation and solution optimization. 

• Lead, inspire and be a key part of team development and retention. 

• Coach and mentor team members in a matrix organization. Lead, inspire and be a key part of team development and retention. 

Quality, Security and Compliance: 

• Implement and enforce security protocols and best practices to protect sensitive data. 

• Ensure compliance with data privacy regulations and industry standards (e.g., GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability). 

• Implement rigorous testing and quality assurance processes to maintain high product quality. 

Documentation and Training: 

• Be a champion for high standards to ensure best practices are developed in the team. 

• Create and maintain documentation related to tools, processes, and best practices. 

• Provide training and support to development teams on platform usage and optimization. 

Candidate Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent experience in a related scientific or technical discipline. 

• 10 years of relevant experience

• Experience creating SDTM/ADaM specification and datasets. 

• Expertise in SAS programming including SAS/Base, SAS/Lifetest, SAS/Macro, SAS/Graph, SAS/SQL, SAS/ODS, SAS/STAT, SAS/Connect and SAS Access. 

• Experience in data analysis, statistical analysis, and generating tables, listing, figures, and reports using SAS tools. 

• Proficiency in understanding statistical programming environments, processes, procedures, and roles. 

• Strong project management and time management skills. 

• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities to engage with customers and internal stakeholders. 

• Creative, collaborative, & product focused.  

• Experience with Python, R desirable. 

• Experience with Groovy Scripting, SnapLogic, SharePoint, Power Automate, Power Apps, Power BI a plus. 

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $137,763.20 - $206,644.80. Hourly and salaried non-exempt employees will also be paid overtime pay when working qualifying overtime hours. Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition, our positions offer a short-term incentive bonus opportunity; eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (salaried roles), to receive a retirement contribution (hourly roles), and commission payment eligibility (sales roles). Benefits offered included a qualified retirement program [401(k) plan]; paid vacation and holidays; paid leaves; and, health benefits including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans. Additional details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base pay (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.