Team Lead – Language Services – Homebased – Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Brazil.
ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We’re proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development.
The Team Lead, PCS, is responsible for overseeing a team of project and/or operations staff within the Language Services department of ICON. This role ensures high standards in training, risk management, and resource allocation, while also serving as a subject matter expert in localization workflows, language technology tools, and the clinical/pharmaceutical industry. The Team Lead fosters team development through active coaching and knowledge-sharing, ensuring that team members are equipped not only with project management skills but also with deep understanding of regulatory, scientific, and clinical trial contexts. The Team Lead plays a key role in driving operational excellence, quality, and compliance in a fast-paced, client-focused environment.
What You Will Be Doing
- Actively supporting the growth and integration of language services within ICON’s Clinical & Scientific Research (PCS) division.
- Building and maintaining deep expertise in localization, language technology, and clinical/pharmaceutical industry trends and regulatory landscapes.
- Guiding junior staff in understanding evolving client needs, industry developments, and service delivery challenges specific to Life Sciences.
- Driving awareness among project teams on client relationships, supporting strategic engagement and contributing to client retention and sales initiatives.
- Leading the development of new project management practices and operational systems that improve efficiency, consistency, quality, and risk mitigation.
- Overseeing a functional team of project and/or operations staff, ensuring optimal resourcing and training aligned with team and departmental goals.
- Mentoring and developing staff through coaching, knowledge-sharing, and creation of best practice materials, including process guides and training tools.
- Responsible for team-level human resource management, including performance development, staffing, engagement, and recognition.
- Ensuring the delivery of high-quality, compliant language services across all projects, in line with industry standards and client expectations.
- Proactively identifying and managing project risks; supporting proposal development with realistic assumptions to mitigate those risks.
- Representing the department in internal and external meetings, including client reviews and strategic discussions.
- Leading or contributes to CAPA investigations, ensures adherence to quality control procedures, and champions best practices in localization QA.
- Ensuring team compliance with all applicable SOPs, policies, and procedures.
Your Profile
- 6+ years of experience in translation, localization, or language services project management, including team mentoring or coordination.
- Strong expertise in Life Sciences translation (e.g., pharmaceutical, clinical trials, biotech).
- Solid understanding of localization workflows, quality management practices, and industry standards (e.g., GxP, ISO).
- Hands-on experience with quality investigations, root cause analysis, and CAPA implementation in localization.
- Proven ability to support strategic client relationships and contribute to sales efforts through solution-focused thinking.
- Skilled in coaching and developing team members’ expertise in both localization and clinical content.
- Advanced proficiency with CAT tools, TMS platforms, and structured content formats (XML, PDF, etc.).
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and organizational skills.
- Able to thrive in a deadline-driven, regulated environment with minimal supervision.
What ICON Can Offer You
Our success depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.
In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well-being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.
Our Benefits Examples Include
- Various annual leave entitlements
- A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family’s needs.
- Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
- Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24-hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialized professionals who are there to support you and your family’s well-being.
- Life assurance
- Flexible country-specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidized travel passes, health assessments, among others.
Visit our careers site to read more about the benefits ICON offers.
At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here
Interested in the role, but unsure if you meet all of the requirements? We would encourage you to apply regardless – there’s every chance you’re exactly what we’re looking for here at ICON whether it is for this or other roles.
Are you a current ICON Employee? Please click here to apply