Business Applications Team Lead

Overview

The IT Infrastructure and Operations Unit is seeking a Business Applications Team Lead to oversee the development, delivery, and continuous improvement of business-critical software solutions. You will lead a small development team and ensure that all business applications are aligned with institutional objectives, meet stakeholder requirements, and follow best practices in development, security, and usability.

The ideal candidate combines strong leadership and project management skills with a solid understanding of software development. They must be confident and effective in engaging with internal clients and stakeholders, able to navigate complex dynamics, build consensus, and drive solutions forward. A hands-on and collaborative approach is essential, as is the ability to communicate clearly across technical and business domains, adapting messaging to diverse audiences.

Key Responsibilities

Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the Project Management Office, working and collaborating closely with them to align technical solutions with business objectives;
• Lead the analysis and translation of user needs into functional specifications in collaboration with the Project Management Office;
• Proactively challenge and guide stakeholders to streamline and standardize workflows when needed.;
• Actively participate in meetings with internal clients and stakeholders to understand needs, gather feedback, and ensure buy-in;
• Oversee the ERP & LIMS system from an IT perspective, ensuring alignment with business needs and coordinating with stakeholders and vendors;
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills to build trust, manage expectations, and foster positive relationships;
• Build collaborative relationships with principal investigators, research teams, and laboratory managers to understand scientific workflows and data requirements;
• Partner with biobank operations team to optimize sample tracking, storage, and retrieval processes;
• Facilitate cross-functional workshops between IT, research, and clinical teams to identify automation opportunities.

Strategic and Technical Alignment

• Define and execute the business applications roadmap in alignment with institutional goals and IT infrastructure strategy;
• Coordinate with the Head of Infrastructure & Operations to ensure application solutions are compatible with broader architectural and operational standards;
• Develop a research informatics strategy that supports the institute's scientific mission and publication goals;
  
  

Product Lifecycle and Project Management

• Oversee the complete lifecycle of business applications from planning and design to development, testing, deployment, and maintenance;
• Ensure that applications are delivered on time, within scope and budget in accordance with quality standards;
• Manage project timelines, deliverables, scope, and resources;
• Provide regular updates to stakeholders and IT management;
• Coordinate the ERP’s lifecycle and integration with other systems, ensuring smooth operation, stakeholder alignment, and effective collaboration with the integrator;
• Handle change requests and evaluate their impact on ongoing development work;
• Create roadmaps for integrating laboratory instruments with central data management systems;
• Manage implementation of Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) and biospecimen tracking systems;
• Oversee integration projects between research applications and scientific instruments;
• Coordinate validation and verification processes for systems handling clinical research data;
• Ensure audit trails and data integrity features meet research reproducibility standard.
  
  

Team Leadership

• Supervise and coordinate the application development team;
• Assign responsibilities, monitor progress, and support team members in achieving project goals;
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement;

Vendor Management

• Coordinate and oversee external partners such as software vendors, SSII providers, and integrators;
• Ensure timely delivery, quality execution, and alignment with institutional needs;
• Serve as the point of contact for the project management office to convey and follow up on technical requirements;
• Support vendor evaluation, contract discussions, and performance follow-up;
• Coordinate with scientific instrument vendors for software integration and data export capabilities.

Quality and Documentation

• Promote best practices in software development, version control, and testing;
• Ensure adequate documentation of specifications, architecture, development activities, and decisions;
• Implement documentation standards that support research audit requirements and publication needs;
• Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for research application deployment and validation.

Key Skills, Experience and Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related field. Master’s degree is a plus.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in software development, with at least 2 years in a leadership or product ownership role;
• Experience managing the full development cycle of business applications;
• Experience working in research institutions, academic medical centers, or biorepositories;
• Background in implementing systems for regulated environments.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in Agile/Scrum and other software development methodologies;
• Familiarity with modern development practices, tools, and project management frameworks;
• Understanding of business process mapping and enterprise architecture principles;
• Knowledge of biobanking information systems and laboratory informatics platforms is considered a strong asset.

Leadership & Communication

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage performance;
• Excellent communication skills in English and French, both written and spoken;
• Capable of translating complex technical information into understandable terms for non-technical stakeholders;
• Comfortable interacting with a wide range of stakeholders, including internal clients, and facilitating constructive discussions;
• Skilled at managing stakeholder dynamics, influencing outcomes, and maintaining professional relationships under pressure;
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders including researchers, clinicians, and laboratory technicians.

Soft Skills

• Strong organizational and analytical skills;
• High adaptability and resilience in a dynamic, fast-paced environment;
• Solution- and delivery-oriented mindset;
• Scientific curiosity and willingness to understand research methodologies;
• Attention to detail critical for maintaining data integrity in research settings;
• Commitment to supporting scientific discovery and improving research efficiency.

The applicants should submit before 31st December 2025 a letter detailing their motivation and a curriculum vitae via our website: https://www.lih.lu/en/careers/#jobs. Applications submitted by email will not be considered and will be automatically rejected.

Gender Equality

The LIH is an equal opportunities employer. We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender, and not only, in recruitment and career progression of our staff. The LIH is attentive to gender representation among its leadership staff and aims to eliminate obstacles to the recruitment and promotion of female leaders and their career development.