Back to jobs
New

Director, IT Quality, Compliance and Technology Assurance

Princeton, New Jersey

Kyowa Kirin is a global specialty pharmaceutical company backed by more than 70 years of breakthrough life science innovation, dedicated to discovering and advancing treatments for diseases in which unmet need is greatest. Based in Japan with worldwide operations, we work across the continuum from drug discovery to commercialization, guided by our commitment to patients and their families.

Our research teams, located in California and around the world, are focused on developing the next generation of antibody, cell, and gene therapies, with particular emphasis on bone and mineral disorders, hemato-oncology, and rare diseases. We accelerate development through collaborations with industry, academia, patients, and healthcare providers, and since 2018 we have introduced four new therapies serving patients with progressive illnesses often in need of new therapeutic alternatives.

Our culture is grounded in our values: Commitment to Life, Integrity, Innovation, and Teamwork/Wa, and brought to life through the Kabegoe Principles, which define the behaviors and actions that guide how we work together to deliver meaningful impact for patients.

We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and mindful of the countless individuals still waiting for their own breakthroughs. A commitment to making people smile unites our efforts. Learn more at www.kkna.kyowakirin.com.

Summary:

Kyowa Kirin Information & Communication Technology is seeking to add a dynamic and independent Director, IT Quality, Compliance and Technology Assurance.  The role is accountable for establishing, governing, and continuously evolving the organization’s enterprise approach to technology assurance across both regulated (GxP) and non-regulated systems. This role provides authoritative, risk-based assurance leadership that enables safe, compliant, and efficient technology delivery at scale.
The role owns the design and operation of the Computer Software Assurance (CSA) framework and associated Centre of Excellence (CoE), ensuring that technology risk is managed proportionately, decisions are defensible, and assurance outcomes support business agility rather than impede it.

Essential Functions:

Leadership
•    Own and define the global technology assurance strategy spanning GxP and non-GxP systems.
•    Act as the enterprise authority on risk-based assurance, providing clear, defensible guidance to IT, Quality, and business leadership.
•    Ensure assurance decisions are evidence-based, proportionate, and aligned with regulatory expectations and organizational risk appetite.
•    Design, stand up, and lead the Global CSA Centre of Excellence.
•    Define the CoE mandate, operating model, RACI, and engagement model across global and regional teams.
•    Lead through authority and structure, enabling regional capability owners rather than centralized execution.
•    Ensure the CoE operates within its defined authority, maintaining structural separation from delivery execution while providing oversight and interpretation support.

Technology Assurance Framework and Governance
•    Establish and maintain the CSA framework, lifecycle, governance model, and standards as the Accountable authority for methodology and interpretation within Operational Governance, aligned to the non delegable enterprise boundaries defined in the CSA Governance Framework
•    Define assurance decision points, artefact expectations, and inspection narratives that are consistent, scalable, and audit ready.
•    Ensure alignment with global Quality, Audit, and Regulatory stakeholders while maintaining independence of technical judgement.
•    Ensure unresolved matters relating to methodology, interpretation, or cross regional consistency are escalated to the CSA Steering Committee in accordance with the Decision Authority & Risk Acceptance Model.

Organizational Enablement and Capability
•    Enable sustainable CSA capability across regions through governance, coaching, and targeted enablement.
•    Oversee the development of Regional CSA Champions and ensure consistent application of CSA principles.
•    Reduce reliance on central assurance through clear frameworks and decision structures.

Tooling and Maturity Evolution
•    Define the long-term CSA maturity roadmap, including the role of tooling and automation.
•    Ensure tooling decisions are evidence-led, supporting a proven CSA operating model rather than driving it.
•    Sponsor targeted experimentation to inform future enterprise tooling standards.

Senior Stakeholder Engagement
•    Act as a trusted advisor to the CIO, IT leadership team, Quality leadership, and the CSA Steering Committee, ensuring governance decisions incorporate independent QA oversight perspective and are consistent with enterprise risk posture.
•    Represent technology assurance in enterprise governance forums.
•    Provide clear, calm leadership in inspection, audit, and regulatory interactions.

Requirements:

Education
•    Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Engineering, or Business field required. 
•    Advanced degree in Information Technology, Engineering field preferred

Experience
•    A strong computer science background, demonstrated through industry experience
•    At least 15 years’ experience in technology assurance, IT quality, validation, or related disciplines within regulated industries (e.g. pharmaceutical, life sciences).
•    Deep, demonstrable expertise in computer system validation (CSV), Computer Software Assurance (CSA), and risk-based assurance in regulated environments.
•    Strong understanding of global regulatory expectations (e.g. FDA CSA guidance, GAMP, EU Annex 11) and how to apply them pragmatically.

Technical Skills
•    Proven ability to design assurance frameworks and governance models, not just execute validation activities.
•    Strong grasp of modern IT delivery models, including COTS, SaaS, cloud platforms, and configurable systems.

Leadership Skills
•    Recognized as a subject-matter authority with strong personal credibility.
•    Comfortable operating with ambiguity and defining structure where none exists.
•    Leads through clarity, proportionate control, and trust rather than bureaucracy.
•    Able to balance regulatory rigor with business pragmatism.
•    Demonstrates disciplined governance behavior, ensuring decisions and escalations follow the authority boundaries and thresholds defined in the CSA Governance Framework.

Working Conditions:

Requires up to 10% domestic and international travel

The anticipated salary for this position will be $185,000 to $220,000.  The actual salary offered for this role at commencement of employment may vary based on several factors including but not limited to relevant experience, skill set, qualifications, education (including applicable licenses and certifications, job-based knowledge, location, and other business and organizational needs.

The listed salary is just one component of the overall compensation package. At Kyowa Kirin North America we provide a comprehensive range of benefits including:

  • 401K with company match
  • Annual Bonus Program (Sales Bonus for Sales Jobs)
  • Generous PTO and Holiday Schedule which includes Summer and Winter Shut-Downs, Sick Days and, Volunteer Days
  • Healthcare Benefits (Medical, Dental, Prescription Drugs and Vision)
  • HSA & FSA Programs
  • Well-Being and Work/Life Programs
  • Life & Disability Insurance
  • Concierge Services
  • Long Term Incentive Program (subject to job level and performance)
  • Pet Insurance
  • Tuition Assistance
  • Employee Referral Awards

The compensation and benefits information set forth in this posting applies to candidates hired in the United States. Candidates hired outside the United States will be eligible for compensation and benefits in accordance with their local market.

KKNA and all of its employees have an obligation to act in accordance with the law and with integrity in all our operations and interactions

It is the policy of Kyowa Kirin North America, Inc. to provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified persons without regard to race, religion, creed, color, pregnancy, sex, age, national origin, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation or affection preference or citizenship status or any other category protected by law.

When you apply to a job on this site, the personal data contained in your application will be collected and stored by Kyowa Kirin, Inc. (“Controller”), which is located at 510 Carnegie Center Dr. Princeton, NJ 08540 USA and can be contacted by emailing kkus.talentacquisition.8h@kyowakirin.com. Controller’s data protection officer can be contacted at usprivacyoffice@kyowakirin.com. Your personal data will be processed for the purposes of managing Controller’s recruitment related activities, which include setting up and conducting interviews and tests for applicants, evaluating and assessing the results thereto, and as is otherwise needed in the recruitment and hiring processes. Such processing is legally permissible under Art. 6(1)(f) of General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”) as necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the Controller, which are the solicitation, evaluation, and selection of applicants for employment. 

Your personal data will be shared with Greenhouse Software, Inc., a cloud services provider located in the United States of America and engaged by Controller to help manage its recruitment and hiring process on Controller’s behalf. Accordingly, if you are located outside of the United States, your personal data will be transferred to the United States once you submit it through this site. The transfer will be made using appropriate additional safeguards under the standard contractual clauses approved by regulators for transfers of personal data outside the European Union.

Your personal data will be retained by Controller as long as Controller determines it is necessary to evaluate your application for employment.  Under the GDPR, if you are located in the European Union, you have the right to request access to your personal data, to request that your personal data be rectified or erased, and to request that processing of your personal data be restricted. You also have the right to data portability, and to lodge a complaint with an EU supervisory authority. If you have any questions about our use of your data, you may contact us by email at usprivacyoffice@kyowakirin.com.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies

Kyowa Kirin does not accept agency resumes unless contacted directly by internal Kyowa Kirin Talent Acquisition. Please do not forward resumes to Kyowa Kirin employees or any other company location; Kyowa Kirin is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

#LI-TT1 #Princeton #Hybrid

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...

This information is collected solely to identify potential conflicts of interest and does not impact hiring decisions.
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Kyowa Kirin North America’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 07/31/2029

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.