Lead Automation Engineer, Autonomous Lab Science & Technology

The Position

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.

Advances in AI, data, robotics, and laboratory automation are transforming drug discovery and development. The Roche Autonomous Lab Accelerator brings together gRED, pRED, PT, and the Computational Sciences Center of Excellence (CS CoE) to build closed-loop Lab-in-the-Loop capabilities that connect scientific intent, digital design, experimental execution, and high-quality data generation.

The Opportunity

You are the technical lead for Lab Automation within Automation Science & Technology and the owner of the physical platform architecture for the Roche Autonomous Lab Accelerator. This role reports to the Head, Automation Science & Technology, Autonomous Lab Accelerator.

Working closely with Science & Technology Project Leaders, scientific SMEs, Lab Operations, and Lab Automation Informatics partners, you translate defined scientific workflow requirements into executable laboratory processes and scalable physical automation platforms. The individual in this role would own how scientific requirements are technically realized through robotics, instrumentation, instrument-control software, execution-layer interfaces, and integrated laboratory systems.

You also partner with Lab Operations from design through operational acceptance so new capabilities are engineered for autonomous, reliable, and supportable routine use.

In this role, you will:

Key Responsibilities

• Physical Platform Architecture: Own the end-to-end architecture of the physical execution platform, from instruments and robotic work cells to integrated, increasingly unattended laboratory systems. Serve as the technical design authority for robotics, scientific instrumentation, instrument-control software, execution-layer interfaces, and reusable platform patterns.
• Scientific Workflow Translation & Execution Design: Partner with Science & Technology Project Leaders and scientific SMEs to convert defined scientific requirements and acceptance criteria into automatable unit operations, equipment requirements, sample and material flows, execution sequences, control points, and exception states. Identify technical constraints and recommend workflow adaptations required for robust automated execution.
• AI-to-Execution & Data Interfaces: Partner with CS CoE to define the boundary between digital orchestration and physical execution: how digitally specified experiments become machine-executable actions and how instrument outputs, system state, sample identity, metadata, and execution context return to downstream systems. Own the physical-platform interface and device requirements while CS CoE owns the corresponding higher-level AI, informatics, and orchestration capabilities.
• Build, Commission & Technical Verification: Lead technical selection, integration, commissioning, and verification of robotics, liquid handlers, scientific instruments, schedulers, and control layers. Demonstrate that new platforms satisfy defined technical and scientific requirements before they progress to operational acceptance.
• Autonomy, Operability & Operational Handoff: Engineer the capabilities required for unattended execution, including state awareness, observability, exception detection, automated recovery, safe-stop behavior, and appropriate human escalation. Design for maintainability and serviceability, jointly define operational-readiness criteria with Lab Operations, and support formal acceptance into routine operations. After acceptance, remain the technical design authority for material architecture changes, new capabilities, and systemic technical limitations; Lab Operations owns routine execution, monitoring, maintenance, incident response, and established recovery procedures.
• Technical Leadership & Reuse: Lead complex technical problem solving, architecture and design reviews, and the development of reusable engineering standards. Mentor engineers and direct contractors, vendors, and system integrators while communicating technical tradeoffs clearly across science, software, automation, facilities, and operations.
• Key Deliverables
• Physical Platform Reference Architecture: A scalable architecture for the Accelerator physical execution layer and clearly defined interfaces with CS CoE systems.
• Integrated Autonomous Capabilities: Priority laboratory automation platforms delivered from defined scientific requirements through commissioning, technical verification, and scientific acceptance.
• Reusable Engineering Standards: Common patterns for instrument and robotic integration, execution state, data capture, observability, error handling, recovery, and deployment across the organization.
• Operational Readiness & Transfer: Joint readiness criteria and handoff packages that enable Lab Operations to formally accept new systems into reliable routine use, with clear post-deployment ownership for operations versus engineering changes.
• Who you are: Education & Experience: Bachelor's or advanced degree in engineering, computer science, life sciences, or a related discipline, with significant experience in laboratory automation and systems integration.
• Automation & Systems Expertise: Deep experience designing, programming, integrating, and deploying laboratory automation platforms such as Hamilton, Tecan, Agilent, HighRes, Opentrons, robotic arms, schedulers, or comparable technologies.
• Software & Integration Fluency: Strong Python and API-integration skills, with experience connecting instruments to schedulers, databases, message brokers, LIMS/ELN, or other scientific software systems.
• End-to-End Delivery: Demonstrated ownership of greenfield automation platforms from architecture and vendor selection through commissioning and production deployment, with strong systems thinking across hardware, software, data, science, and reliability.
• Technical Leadership: Proven ability to lead through technical authority, mentor engineers, and create reusable solutions in ambiguous, cross-functional environments while remaining hands-on when needed.
• Relocation benefits are not available for this opportunity

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of San Francisco is $169,100 - 314,100 of hiring range. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. 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.