Head of Quality Engineering

IDBS helps BioPharma organizations unlock the potential of AI/ML to improve the lives of patients. As a trusted long-term partner to 80% of the top 20 global BioPharma companies, IDBS delivers powerful cloud software and services specifically designed to meet the evolving needs of the BioPharma sector.

IDBS, a Danaher company, leverages 35 years of scientific informatics expertise to help organizations design, execute and orchestrate processes, manage, contextualize and structure data and gain valuable insights throughout the product lifecycle, from R&D through manufacturing. Known for its signature IDBS E-WorkBook software, IDBS has extended its flexible, scalable solutions to the IDBS Polar and PIMS cloud platforms to help scientists make smarter decisions with assured confidence in both GxP and non-GxP environments.

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Head of Risk Assurance to lead our risk management and assurance functions within our technology organisation. Reporting directly to the CTO, this role will be responsible for working across our technology teams to collaboratively surface, design, implement, and oversee comprehensive risk assurance frameworks, ensuring that our software design, development, deployment, and operational processes meet the highest standards of security, compliance, and resilience.

The ideal candidate will bring deep knowledge of quality and risk management practices, software engineering principles, and industry regulations, along with the ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, product, customer operation, legal, and executive teams. As well as having a deep technical background in modern Agile software engineering and test practices, this person will be highly collaborative and empathic, a great listener who is able to surface and evolve people’s ideas, unite people when reaching difficult decisions, deal well with ambiguity and be highly capable of leading by influence.

What we’ll get you doing:

• Testing Community of Practice: Establish a vibrant, engaged Risk Assurance ‘Community of Practice’ comprised of all Test Engineers & Test Leads across IDBS’ ‘Full Practice’ Agile teams, with other roles welcomed to join and participate.
• Risk Minimisation: Work across our Agile teams to surface, define, communicate and establish shared ways of working which ‘build quality in’ right from the very beginning of the development life-cycle.
• Risk Prediction: Work across our Agile teams to surface, define, communicate and establish shared ways of working which promote a thoughtful approach to how the team form their test strategy for new features.
• Risk Detection: Work across our Agile teams to surface, define, communicate and establish shared ‘best practice’ for documenting, automating, executing, reporting and maintaining test cases and test plans.
• Risk Management: Work across the teams to surface, define, communicate and establish shared best practice for a robust, efficient and effective CD pipeline.
• Tools & Frameworks: Work across our Agile teams to define and agree a common test framework including ‘best in class’ test tools, test harness, test environments, test languages and test data generation software.
• Simplification of QMS Processes: Review and assess our existing QMS processes associated with testing and determine how these can be streamlined, simplified and reduced.

Here is what success in this role looks like:

• Risk Assurance Strategy: Develop and implement a robust risk assurance framework aligned with IDBS’ software engineering processes and business goals.
• Governance & Compliance: Ensure compliance with relevant software industry regulations (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR).
• Risk Identification & Mitigation: Identify emerging risks associated with software development, cloud services, DevOps practices, and open-source integrations.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Serve as a trusted advisor to the CTO and engineering leadership on all matters related to software risk.
• Assurance Reporting: Prepare and present regular risk assurance reports to the executive leadership and board committees.
• Leadership & Team Development: Lead, mentor, and coach a high-performing risk assurance practice.

At IDBS we believe in designing a better, more sustainable workforce. We recognize the benefits of flexible working arrangements for eligible roles and are committed to providing enriching careers, no matter the work arrangement. This position is eligible for a flexible work arrangement in which you can work part-time at the Company location identified above and part-time remotely from your home.

Join our winning team today. Together, we’ll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology.