Roche · 2 months ago
Principal Engineer II, Fluidic Systems Integration, Research & Early Development
Santa Clara
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$127K/yr - $236K/yr
7+ years expRoche is dedicated to advancing science and ensuring everyone has access to healthcare. They are seeking a Principal Fluidic Systems Integration Engineer II to lead the evaluation, integration, and optimization of fluidic and mechatronic systems in research and development for next-generation sequencing.
BiotechnologyHealth CareHealth DiagnosticsOncologyPharmaceuticalPrecision Medicine
Responsibilities
System Evaluation & Feasibility Assessment: Critically evaluate proposed fluidic architectures, subsystems, and workflows for next-generation sequencing applications. Integrate, test, and characterize early-stage hardware to establish fundamental feasibility and de-risk new technological approaches through rigorous experimentation
Workflow Integration & Optimization: Lead efforts to translate complex, multi-step chemical, biochemical and molecular biology protocols from the benchtop onto early-stage instruments, breadboards, and custom test fixtures with novel fluidic and microfluidic systems. Optimize fluidic protocols and hardware interactions for performance, reliability, and robustness
Hands-on Testing & Characterization: Specify requirements, assemble, commission, and utilize custom test fixtures, breadboards, and automation scripts (e.g., Python) required for early-stage system characterization, proof-of-concept validation, and feasibility studies
Hypothesis-Driven Experimentation: Design and execute rigorous experiments to characterize system performance. This includes pushing the boundaries of new technologies, identifying critical failure modes at the interface of biology, chemistry, and hardware, and driving optimization efforts
First-Principles Troubleshooting: Lead early-stage, deep-dive troubleshooting efforts for complex performance issues on novel systems, seamlessly connecting systemic failures back to first-principles root causes—whether molecular, chemical, material, physical, or control-related
Data Analysis & Communication: You will analyze complex, multi-modal data sets and author detailed technical reports, characterization summaries, and feasibility studies. You'll also generate intellectual property related to integration and optimization methods, and present findings to technical teams and R&D leadership to inform technology roadmap decisions
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Feedback: Serve as a key technical partner to assay development scientists and hardware design engineers, providing critical, data-driven feedback based on integration testing and characterization results to guide the co-development and refinement of reagents, consumables, and instrument hardware . Ensure biological requirements and engineering constraints are harmonized through iterative testing and feedback cycles
Qualification
Required
You have a PhD in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biophysics, Molecular Biology, or a closely related discipline with 7+ years of relevant industry experience; OR a Master's degree in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biophysics, Molecular Biology or closely related discipline with 8+ years of relevant industry experience; OR a Bachelor's degree in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biophysics, Molecular Biology or closely related discipline with 10+ years of relevant industry experience
You have demonstrated, hands-on success translating complex biological or chemical workflows (e.g., library prep, enzymatic assays, immunoassays) onto prototype instruments, breadboards, or integrated microfluidic devices with a strong emphasis on system integration, characterization, and optimization in a life sciences or diagnostics R&D environment
You possess a deep, intuitive understanding of the fundamental principles of molecular biology, biochemistry, and enzymology, and a proven ability to apply this knowledge to solve complex hardware integration, fluidics, material science and system performance challenges
You have proficiency in evaluating, integrating, testing, and troubleshooting complex fluidic and microfluidic systems. You think in terms of flow rates, pressures, surface tension, and compatibility, thermal management, and sensor integration as fluently as you do about DNA concentrations and enzyme kinetics
You have a demonstrated ability to troubleshoot from a first-principles perspective, identifying and resolving ambiguous issues that span molecular biology, chemistry, hardware, consumables, software and their interactions. You exhibit a high degree of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and scientific curiosity applied to solving complex integration challenges and optimizing system performance in a fast-paced, ambiguous R&D environment
You have demonstrated strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to communicate complex technical knowledge in a clear and understandable manner to a multidisciplinary team
Preferred
You have hands-on experience defining workflows and then implementing/testing them on instrumentation by writing custom scripts via Python or custom fluidic simulation software for control and data acquisition
You have hands-on experience interpreting CAD models and potentially designing minor custom parts, fixtures, or adapters to facilitate testing and integration (e.g., SolidWorks)
You have a solid understanding of advanced microfabrication techniques and their implications on device performance, reliability, and potential failure modes
You have a strong record of innovation, demonstrated through contributions to successful product development, a portfolio of patents and/or publications in relevant fields, particularly related to system integration, optimization, or troubleshooting
You have direct experience using Design of Experiments (DOE) and statistical analysis tools (e.g., JMP, R) for system characterization and optimization
Benefits
A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance.
This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.
Company
Roche
Roche is a pharmaceutical and diagnostics company that offers medicines and diagnostic tests for various medical conditions and diseases.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Roche has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (12)
2024 (9)
2023 (6)
2022 (2)
2021 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$7.79BKey Investors
SoftBankSCALE AINovartis
2021-08-04Post Ipo Equity· $5B
2020-12-07IPO
2020-05-06Post Ipo Equity· $0.5M
Leadership Team
Alan Hippe
Member of the Executive Board - Group CFO
Christine Bakan
Global Head and Group Vice President, Computational Science and Informatics R&D
Recent News
2026-01-25
2026-01-23
2026-01-22
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