Principal IT Operations Architect

Principal IT Operations Architect

Location: Rockville, MD

Onsite: Yes (on an as needed basis) 

Be Part of One Team, One Purpose.

At Emmes Group, we’re shaping the future of clinical research—where human intelligence meets cutting-edge technology to drive meaningful advancements in healthcare. With over 47 years of scientific excellence, we’ve led groundbreaking research in cell and gene therapy, vaccines, infectious diseases, ophthalmology, rare diseases, and neuroscience.

Through our two business units—Emmes, a full-service CRO, and Veridix AI, our technology, data, and analytical solutions —we are modernizing clinical trials and accelerating the development of life-changing therapies.

We believe that every clinical breakthrough starts with people—people who are passionate, purpose-driven, and ready to make an impact. At Emmes Group, we bring People, Science, and Technology together to collaborate with our customers and deliver global health impact. Our culture is built on integrity, collaboration, and innovation, ensuring that every challenge is met with perseverance and accountability.

Primary Purpose

The Principal IT Operations Administrator is responsible for leading, managing, and optimizing the organization's IT infrastructure and operational services. This role ensures the availability, reliability, performance, and security of critical IT systems while aligning operations with business needs and compliance requirements. The Principal Administrator provides technical leadership, oversees day to day IT operations, and acts as a subject matter expert for infrastructure, systems, and operational excellence.

• Lead IT operations strategy, planning, and execution across infrastructure, networks, servers, storage, and cloud environments.
• Oversee daily monitoring, incident management, problem management, and system health checks.
• Manage configuration, patching, and upgrades of operating systems, servers, and enterprise applications.
• Ensure compliance with IT security standards, regulatory requirements, and company policies.
• Implement automation and monitoring solutions to improve operational efficiency and reduce downtime.
• Collaborate with security, application, and business teams to ensure seamless system integrations and operations.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to IT operations team members.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) for major incidents and ensure implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
• Manage vendor relationships, service contracts, and performance of managed service providers.
• Develop and maintain documentation of IT processes, architecture, and operational procedures.
• Support business continuity and disaster recovery planning, testing, and execution.
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Complies with all policies and standards

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. Master’s degree or industry certifications preferred.  Experience with ITIL, Microsoft 365, Azure, AWS, VMware preferred.  Preferred
• 15+ years of experience in IT operations, infrastructure administration, or systems engineering Required
• 7-9 years Proven experience in managing enterprise IT environments (on-premises, hybrid, and cloud). Required
• 7-9 years Strong background in Windows/Linux server administration, virtualization, networking, and storage technologies. Required
• 7-9 years Experience with Azure administration and automation tools. Required
• 7-9 years Demonstrated success in leading IT operations teams and managing critical IT services. Required
• 7-9 years Experience in regulated industries (pharma, CRO, healthcare) Preferred
• Deep understanding of IT infrastructure, networking, server administration, and cloud technologies. High
• Strong knowledge of IT service management, ITSM, frameworks such as ITIL. High
• Ability to analyze complex issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement long term solutions. High
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills to guide junior IT staff. High
• Excellent project management, organizational, and time management skills. High
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills to engage with technical and non technical stakeholders. High
• Ability to thrive in a fast paced, global environment with multiple competing priorities. High
• Proficiency with monitoring, automation, and orchestration tools as ServiceNow, Ansible, Nagios, Splunk. High

If you’re looking for a career where your work advances global health and where scientific excellence meets real-world impact, join us and be part of something bigger. One Team, One Purpose.

Why work at Emmes?

At Emmes, your actions and hard work will have a direct impact on public health initiatives, both globally and in our local communities with opportunities for volunteerism through our  Emmes Cares  community engagement program.   We offer a competitive benefits package focused on the health and needs of our growing workforce, including:

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               Visit our website:https://www.theemmesgroup.com/

The Emmes Company, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability or protected veteran status.