Salesforce Platform Lead in Watford

Job Description

As Salesforce Platform Lead, you sit at the intersection of declarative solution design, functional platform ownership, and compliance governance.

You will translate business requirements into robust, scalable low‑code solutions while maintaining the platform's integrity in a regulated Gx P/pharma environment.

You will act as the functional authority for the platform, the primary gatekeeper for our external Salesforce partner, and the day‑to‑day technical mentor for our Salesforce Delivery Associate.

This is not a dedicated project manager or stakeholder management role. You will be expected to be hands‑on on the platform every day.

• Job Requirements
• 4+ years of hands‑on Salesforce experience in an internal platform ownership or Senior Administrator capacity.
• Demonstrable mastery of declarative tools: Flow Builder, complex security models, validation rules, and custom metadata.
• Proven experience managing or reviewing the output of an external Salesforce partner, specifically the ability to enforce a "clicks-before-code" methodology.
• Familiarity with maintaining change control or validation documentation, ideally within a regulated environment (Pharma, Fin Tech, or similar).
• Experience owning a Jira or equivalent sprint backlog, translating functional requirements into technical delivery tasks.
• Salesforce Administrator certification (minimum); Platform App Builder or additional certifications strongly preferred.

Desirable Key Skills & Experience

• Experience in a good practice, regulated pharmaceutical, CRO, or life sciences environment.
• Exposure to Salesforce Health Cloud, Experience Cloud, and/or PM/PSA integrations.
• Experience in technically mentoring a junior administrator or associate.
• Job Responsibilities
• Platform Architecture & Declarative Build
• Own the platform's declarative solution design, including advanced Flow automation, security models, object schemas, permission sets, and sharing rules.
• Design and configure native solutions that are scalable, audit‑ready, and aligned to business processes, aggressively prioritising standard functionality, other Salesforce offerings and App Exchange apps (Ie Klient PSA) over custom code.
• Maintain an up‑to‑date configuration and integration register covering all core platform customisations and data flows.
• Actively co‑build alongside the Salesforce Delivery Associate on internal projects, translating functional specifications into shared configuration workflows and ensuring technical mentoring happens mid‑build.
• Salesforce Partner Governance
• Act as the internal technical authority in all engagements with the external Salesforce partner and related vendors, critically reviewing proposed solutions before they are scoped or costed.
• Challenge and reject over‑engineered or Apex‑heavy proposals where declarative functionality is sufficient, protecting both budget and platform simplicity.
• Ensure all partner and vendor deliverables meet Innovative Trials' architecture standards, change control requirements, and good practice validation obligations before acceptance.
• Collaborate occasionally with the Technology Support Coordinator to streamline cross‑functional IT tasks, such as integrated user provisioning, identity management (SSO), and general tech stack alignments.
• Sprint & Backlog Ownership
• Own the Salesforce Jira backlog: translating business requirements and business analyst user stories into well‑defined, technically accurate tickets.
• Manage sprint planning and sequencing, ensuring the platform roadmap is executed at pace without compromising quality or compliance.
• Collaborate with the Business Analyst to refine requirements before they enter the sprint, preventing rework and scope creep.
• Act as the support escalation point and operational safety net; willingly stepping into the day‑to‑day user support queue to execute basic configurations, bug fixes, or administrative tasks during peak periods or when the Salesforce Delivery Associate is at capacity.
• Good Practice Validation & Compliance
• Enforce and champion Computer System Validation (CSV) and change control practices across all Salesforce modifications to ensure a validated, audit‑ready state.
• Govern the validation lifecycle: Define the risk assessments and UAT criteria, while collaborating with the Salesforce Delivery Associate to execute test cases, scripts, and documentation.
• Partner with the Quality team to represent the Salesforce platform during internal audits, client audits, and regulatory inspections.
• Technical Mentorship
• Provide day‑to‑day technical direction, sprint assignments, and configuration guidance to the Salesforce Delivery Associate.
• Support the Associate's professional development through structured coaching, code/config review, and skills progression planning.
• Act as the first technical escalation point.
• Job Benefits
• Competitive Salary
• Free Parking
• Healthcare
• Life Assurance
• Flu Jab
• 24 days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
• Long Service Rewards
• EV Car Scheme
• Referral Programme
• Company Events
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