Full-Time

Senior Manager

HR Shared Services

Posted on 9/25/2025

Icon

Icon

10,001+ employees

Global drug and device development services

No salary listed

Company Does Not Provide H1B Sponsorship

Raleigh, NC, USA + 1 more

More locations: Ambler, PA, USA

Hybrid

Hybrid role requiring in-office presence.

Category
People & HR (1)
Required Skills
Customer Service
Requirements
  • Proven HRSS Leadership – Significant experience leading large, multi-disciplinary HR teams in a complex, matrixed environment with a track record of attracting, developing, and retaining talent.
  • 6 + years of experience along with a BS in Human Resources or equivalent
  • Expertise in Benefits Administration – Deep knowledge of US and Canadian benefits, compliance, and retirement plans, with hands-on experience administering programs and managing vendor relationships.
  • Change Management Acumen – Demonstrated ability to drive organizational transformation, especially in vendor transitions and process optimization, utilizing data and industry best practices.
  • Strategic Mindset – Experience in developing and implementing regional HRSS strategies aligned with business objectives, contributing to overall organizational success.
  • Stakeholder Engagement – Highly effective communication and relationship-building skills, adept at influencing HR leadership and collaborating across teams and geographic regions.
  • Process Improvement Focus – Strong familiarity with technology-driven solutions (particularly Workday), and a continuous improvement approach to service delivery.
  • Compliance Orientation – In-depth understanding of employment regulations in the US and Canada, with the ability to implement updates and ensure ongoing compliance.
  • Service Excellence – Commitment to ICON’s values centered around People, Clients, and Performance, consistently delivering high-quality HR service against agreed measures.
  • Analytical and Governance Skills – Ability to design and assess HRSS workflows, maximize operational efficiencies, and oversee audit and quality control processes.
  • Adaptability and Urgency – Capacity to lead through high-impact periods, fill critical roles quickly, and respond effectively to evolving business needs and challenges.
Responsibilities
  • Deliver Comprehensive HR Services – Ensure the full range of HRSS offerings are provided to ICON internal customers, supporting organizational strategy and maintaining service excellence.
  • Lead and Develop HRSS Team – Manage, attract, develop, and retain high-performing HRSS professionals across North America and LATAM, fostering engagement and proactively addressing performance issues.
  • Optimize Benefits Administration – Oversee design, compliance, execution, and optimization of US and Canadian benefits programs, including healthcare, 401(k), and retirement plans.
  • Vendor Management – Lead effective management of global and regional vendors, driving continuous improvement through Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and mitigation of compliance issues.
  • Drive Process Improvement – Identify and execute initiatives focused on streamlining HRSS processes, leveraging technology (e.g., Workday enhancements) and global partnerships to deliver efficiencies and value.
  • Ensure Regulatory Compliance – Oversee compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, ensuring timely filings, audits, and adherence to evolving employment laws.
  • Shape Health & Wellness Initiatives – Design and implement health and wellness programs such as biometric screenings and fitness initiatives, integrating data and employee feedback for continuous refinement.
  • Partner with HR Stakeholders – Collaborate with the HR Senior Leadership Team, Country HR Managers, and Centres of Excellence on people policies, organizational initiatives, and global improvement projects.
  • Manage Escalations and Service Delivery – Serve as an escalation point for service level shortfalls, designing and implementing action plans to resolve issues while maintaining a culture of customer-focused delivery.
  • Governance and Quality Assurance – Oversee HRSS Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and quick reference guides; coordinate audits and ensure outcomes are tracked and implemented.

Provides consulting, development, and commercialization services for drugs and medical devices through a global network to help clients accelerate development and bring products to market. A global team of experts in 53 countries offers end-to-end support across strategy, development, regulatory, manufacturing, and market access to reduce time to market, lower costs, and improve quality. The company differentiates itself with its large global presence, clear focus on speed and cost, and extensive experience across therapeutic areas. Its goal is to help clients accelerate the development of life-saving drugs and devices by delivering high-quality information, solutions, and performance.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Ireland

Founded

1990

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Advarra integration reduces administrative friction and accelerates study startups.
  • Oncology expansion adds 14 oncologists to boost patient recruitment.
  • Jefferies upgrades ICON to Buy with $135 target post-selloff.

What critics are saying

  • Audit probe reveals $160M revenue overstatements, delaying Q4 2025 results to April 30.
  • Holzer & Holzer, Levi & Korsinsky lawsuits erode investor confidence immediately.
  • IQVIA captures 20% more biotech trials via superior AI site selection.

What makes Icon unique

  • ICON partners with Advarra on March 24, 2026, for connected site network using Braid AI.
  • Accellacare expands oncology via Brian Moran Cancer Institute partnership in Illinois.
  • Deepali Suri leads biotech division since September 2025 with AI-enabled solutions.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Benefits

Health Insurance

Paid Vacation

401(k) Retirement Plan

Mental Health Support

Life Insurance

Flexible Work Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-13%

1 year growth

-13%

2 year growth

-13%
Resonate Group
Mar 24th, 2026
Icon, Advarra partnership aims to optimize trials, expand access.

Icon, Advarra partnership aims to optimize trials, expand access. * March 24, 2026 Clinical research organization Icon has entered into a partnership with research technology company Advarra to launch a network of connected sites for clinical trials. Fields (*) Mark are Required

Business Wire
Mar 24th, 2026
ICON and Advarra launch connected site network to streamline clinical trials

ICON plc and Advarra have partnered to introduce a "research-ready" connected site network model for clinical trials. The partnership integrates ICON's global clinical trial solutions with Advarra's site systems, already used by over 50,000 investigators worldwide, including researchers at 90 of the top 125 academic medical centres. The collaboration will create a shared operating environment that reduces administrative burden, accelerates study startup and increases clinical trial participation. Advarra will provide operational intelligence through its Braid AI platform to help ICON optimise protocol design and improve site identification. The companies plan to equip emerging and research-naïve sites with Advarra's technology, enabling broader geographic diversity in clinical trials. Last year, Advarra's systems managed over $4 billion in trial invoice value and three million patient visits.

Contract Pharma
Mar 24th, 2026
ICON, Advarra partner on connected site network model.

ICON, Advarra partner on connected site network model. Partnership will integrate ICON's global clinical trial services with Advarra's site CTMSs, eISF, and eSource systems. March 24, 2026 Managing Editor, Contract Pharma ICON plc, a clinical research organization, and Advarra, a provider of connected, intelligence-powered research technology, have entered a partnership agreement to introduce a new 'research-ready,' connected site network model for clinical trials. The partnership will integrate ICON's global clinical trial services with Advarra's site CTMSs, eISF, and eSource systems. This approach leverages Advarra's Study Collaboration as the connector to ICON's technology to create a shared operating environment for ICON studies that aims to reduce administrative friction, accelerate study startup, and increase clinical trial participation. Advarra will also provide ICON with operational intelligence through Study Collaboration, built on Braid, Advarra's data and AI platform that draws on operational insights from its IRB and clinical trial systems. The intelligence will help ICON further optimize protocol design, improve forecasting and study planning, and strengthen research site identification and feasibility decisions. With a clearer understanding of research site capacity, workflow realities, and historical operational patterns, the goal is to allow for studies to be planned more realistically and executed with fewer downstream adjustments. In addition, ICON and Advarra will work together to expand access to clinical trials by enabling more research sites worldwide to support today's increasingly complex study requirements. The companies plan to equip emerging and research-naïve sites, along with select sites working with ICON, with Advarra's site technology, helping standardize operations and reduce manual processes. "Research sites should not have to adapt their operations for every new study or sponsor, and ICON and Advarra are focused on meeting sites where they are, prioritising their needs and removing that burden through this partnership," said Barry Balfe, CEO of ICON plc. "By aligning ICON's workflows with the systems sites already use every day, we're advancing a more practical and scalable way to run trials that reduces administrative burden on sites." "Sites do their best work when they can stay focused on patients and study delivery, not on managing fragmented processes," said Gadi Saarony, CEO of Advarra. "By integrating ICON's technology with the Advarra systems sites already use, this partnership allows sites to work in their native systems, reducing rework, improving consistency, and streamlining workflows. For sponsors, it means trials can move forward with greater speed and confidence, helping promising therapies move through development more efficiently and reach patients sooner."

Yahoo Finance
Mar 5th, 2026
Jefferies upgrades ICON to buy as accounting probe selloff deemed overdone

Jefferies has upgraded ICON Public Limited Company to Buy from Hold, lowering its price target to $135 from $175. Analyst David Windley cited the stock's valuation as "hard to ignore", noting that whilst AI could compress labour-intensive businesses, the market may underestimate regulatory hurdles to rapid tech adoption. The upgrade follows TD Cowen's recent move to Buy from Hold with a $120 price target, describing the risk-reward as "compelling" after a 33% selloff tied to an internal accounting investigation. ICON disclosed in February that preliminary findings indicate revenue for 2023 and 2024 may have been overstated by less than 2% each year. The company withdrew its 2025 guidance and plans to release fourth-quarter results by 30th April.

PR Newswire
Feb 18th, 2026
ICON plc shares drop 40% after internal probe uncovers $160M annual revenue overstatement

ICON plc, one of the world's largest contract research organisations, is facing investigation after disclosing on 12 February that an internal accounting probe uncovered preliminary evidence of revenue overstatements by up to 2% in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The disclosure prompted the company to delay releasing its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results. With reported annual revenue exceeding $8 billion, a 2% overstatement would represent approximately $160 million per year. Following the announcement, ICON shares declined roughly 40%, erasing billions in market capitalisation. Law firm Levi & Korsinsky is investigating the Dublin-based company, which provides outsourced drug development and clinical trial management services. During 2025, ICON repurchased $750 million of its own shares and authorised an additional $1 billion buyback programme.

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