Assoc. Director of Workstation Architecture & Engineering- Morrisville, NC (Hybrid)

Syneos Health • Morrisville, NC

81d • $97,300 - $170,300 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Workstation Engineering & Architecture will lead the global strategy, architecture, and delivery of end-user computing platforms across a 30,000-employee Contract Research Organization (CRO). Operating in a regulated life sciences/biopharma environment, this role is accountable for ensuring secure, compliant, and reliable workstation solutions that enable scientists, clinical researchers, and corporate teams to deliver on critical drug development and clinical trial outcomes. The successful candidate combines deep technical expertise in workstation platforms with proven leadership in large, complex, and regulated environments. They will champion innovation while ensuring compliance with global regulatory requirements (e.g., GxP, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, HIPAA, EMA, GDPR).

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field required.
• 12+ years in IT with at least 5 years leading global workstation or digital workplace functions.
• Proven success in scaling workstation platforms for 20,000+ employees in regulated industries (life sciences, biopharma, healthcare).
• Expertise with modern endpoint management solutions (Microsoft Intune, JAMF).
• Experience with compliance-driven environments (GxP, HIPAA, GDPR, 21 CFR Part 11).
• Demonstrated ability to lead modernization initiatives such as cloud integration, VDI/DaaS, and secure digital workplace adoption.

Nice To Haves

• Strong knowledge of ITIL, security best practices, and regulatory compliance.
• Expert level knowledge of Microsoft Intune.
• Strong knowledge of other Microsoft management platforms supporting workstations (AD, Entra, Azure, Defender, M365, etc.).
• Exceptional leadership and collaboration skills across global, cross-functional teams.
• Ability to communicate complex technical and compliance strategies to executive and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of Zero Trust security principles.
• Strategic thinker with proven execution capability in highly regulated industries.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the global workstation architecture roadmap across Windows, macOS, and VDI/DaaS solutions.
• Ensure workstation environments align with regulatory, security, and business requirements unique to the CRO and biopharma industry.
• Establish or implement enterprise standards for device lifecycle management, endpoint security, compliance, and user experience.
• Lead global teams of engineers to design, build, and optimize workstation platforms.
• Oversee endpoint management solutions (Intune, JAMF, Tanium, etc.), automated provisioning, workstation software deployment, and global patching operations.
• Drive consistency across labs, clinical operations, and corporate environments.
• Oversee the development, facilitation, and maintenance of product support materials including run books, technical diagrams, and knowledge bases.
• Partner with Quality and Regulatory functions to ensure workstations support GxP-compliant processes, validated systems, and audit readiness.
• Partner with CISO and Data Privacy functions to implement strong data protection, encryption, and identity/access controls on workstations to safeguard patient, trial, and proprietary data.
• Embed compliance frameworks (21 CFR Part 11, HIPAA, GDPR, ZeroTrust) into workstation design and operations.
• Advance digital workplace initiatives such as zero-touch provisioning, secure remote work, virtual desktops, and AI-driven support.
• Leverage analytics, automation, and AI to improve reliability, performance, and employee satisfaction.
• Enable seamless global collaboration across researchers, clinicians, and corporate teams.
• Manage a distributed global team of workstation engineers and architects.
• Partner with IT, Security, Clinical, and lab leadership to ensure workstation capabilities support business-critical research and trial execution.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on digital workplace strategy in a regulated environment.
• Contribute to the development and management of the workstation engineering budget, driving cost optimization without compromising compliance or performance.
• Manage strategic vendor relationships and evaluate enterprise solutions that align with CRO and biopharma industry needs.

Benefits

• Health benefits to include Medical, Dental and Vision.
• Company match 401k.
• Eligibility to participate in Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Eligibility to earn commissions/bonus based on company and individual performance.
• Flexible paid time off (PTO) and sick time.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees