Principal Engineer I, Fluidic Systems Integration, Research & Early Development

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections,  where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

A healthier future. It's what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That's what makes us Roche.

At Roche, we are working to make next-generation sequencing simple and accessible enough for routine use. By accelerating clinical research, streamlining workflows, and expanding assay menus, we are broadening access to genomic data and lowering barriers to adoption. From robust sample isolation and preparation tools to novel sequencing technology and advanced bioinformatics, we are developing differentiated, highly integrated end-to-end solutions for next-generation sequencing, resulting in a sample in, result out workflow.

Our Systems Technology Group, a part of Roche Sequencing Solutions, is focused on creating and advancing technologies to significantly enhance DNA sequencing workflows. We are seeking a Principal Fluidic Systems Integration Engineer I to serve as a critical technical leader in evaluating, integrating, and optimizing novel fluidic and mechatronic systems during the earliest stages of research and development.

This is a pivotal, hands-on role for a multidisciplinary expert who is passionate about pioneering new technologies and making them work reliably by mastering the complex intersection of chemistry, molecular biology, and biochemistry with hardware, surfaces, and materials. The ideal candidate thrives at the nexus, capable of rigorously testing system concepts, integrating complex subsystems, and optimizing performance based on first principles.

This role requires close collaboration with scientific and design teams and will focus on the critical tasks of integrating, characterizing, troubleshooting, and optimizing proposed concepts and early prototypes. You will be the engineering force responsible for answering the crucial R&D question: "Can we make this proposed technology work robustly and reliably?" You will evaluate the feasibility of new concepts by integrating subsystems, conducting rigorous testing on breadboards and prototypes, identifying failure modes, and providing data-driven feedback to guide design iterations, ensuring the technical foundation for the next generation of sequencing platforms is sound.

Your Role and Responsibilities

• System Evaluation & Feasibility Assessment: 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: Tackles 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: Capable of leading 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.
   

A cover letter is required for this application.

Please outline your relevant experience and explain why you are interested in this role and our company.

Who You Are:
(Required)
 

• You have a PhD in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biophysics, Molecular Biology, or a closely related discipline with 4+ years of relevant industry experience; OR a Master's degree in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biophysics, Molecular Biology or closely related discipline with 6+ years of relevant industry experience; OR a Bachelor's degree in Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biophysics, Molecular Biology or closely related discipline with 7+ 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 an 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 a strong level of 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.

• 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.

This is an on-site position based in Santa Clara, CA.

Relocation benefits are not being offered for this role.

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of Santa Clara, CA is $103,000 - $191,600.  Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law.  We encourage all qualified applicants to apply. The role's level (& title) may be adjusted based on experience and qualifications.

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.

Benefits

A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.

Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy and practice to employ, promote, and otherwise treat any and all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to, discrimination on the basis of Protected Veteran status, individuals with disabilities status, and consistent with all federal, state, or local laws.

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