Global Head of Platform Technology Development, Autonomous Lab Accelerator

Roche • South San Francisco, CA

6d • $261,500 - $485,700

About The Position

The Global Head of Platform Technology Development will translate Roche R&D Autonomous Lab Accelerator’s multi-year AI-native autonomous lab vision into rigorous technology platform capabilities and deliverables. The role determines internal scientific R&D workflow needs, identifies technology gaps, and builds fit-for-purpose physical capabilities across laboratory automation systems and robotics.

The position leads core technology platform development, with responsibility for interoperability, robust architecture, and scalable autonomous lab systems serving Roche R&D, including Genentech Research and Early Development (gRED), Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Diagnostics (DIA), and Pharma Technical Operations (PT). It also leads physical AI and digital-twin capabilities, including synchronized virtual lab models, robotics simulation and synthetic-data pipelines, and edge AI deployment for low-latency monitoring and control.

The role hires and leads the Accelerator’s automation platform technologies, robotics, and simulations engineering function, and represents Roche externally at industry events, consortia, standards bodies, and partner boards. Relocation benefits are available. The expected salary range for the primary location of San Francisco is $261,500–$485,700; actual pay depends on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and company performance. The position qualifies for benefits detailed at a linked resource.

Requirements

• MS/PhD in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Robotics), Computer Science, Bioengineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 15+ years of experience in laboratory automation, high-throughput experimentation, or autonomous platforms, with significant leadership and team-building experience in Biopharma or Techbio.
• Demonstrated experience driving the shift from hard-coded robotic systems to agentic programmability and flexible control.
• Familiarity with integration protocols such as Python, gRPC, and REST; robotic simulation environments; and closing execution loops with foundation models or AI systems.
• Demonstrated understanding of robotics foundation-model advancements, including VLA architectures and spatial-reasoning VLMs, and practical challenges of deploying them on physical lab hardware.
• Experience transitioning hardware and software platforms into GxP and regulated environments.
• Proven ability to collaborate with scientific product managers, software engineers, and AI researchers to translate biological and chemical workflows into robust hardware specifications.
• Demonstrated experience leading AI inference deployment and optimization on resource-constrained edge hardware, such as NVIDIA Jetson, including TensorRT quantization, for real-time control and low-latency sensor networks.
• Experience overseeing teams working with 3D robotics simulation, synthetic-data generation, and closing the sim-to-real transfer gap; familiarity with industrial digital twins and their use in complex operational environments.
• Technical familiarity with robotic kinematics, computer vision including segmentation and pose estimation, and modern ML techniques for continuous control and robotic manipulation.

Responsibilities

• Implement advanced automation platform technologies for prioritized use cases across the Accelerator program.
• Lead development and integration of fit-for-purpose platform technologies, including bespoke microwell and microfluidics hardware/software systems, for Roche R&D autonomous labs.
• Map and track external robotics and physical AI companies, instrument and liquid-handling vendors, cloud and autonomous labs, and industry players building autonomous-lab platforms.
• Lead technical diligence on partnerships and acquisitions, and scope and shape co-development and commercial agreements.
• Co-own data standards with the lab automation software lead, and conduct architecture reviews and technical diligence for new automation purchases and partnerships.
• Direct development of high-fidelity 3D digital-twin models of the autonomous laboratory, ensuring synchronization between physical lab telemetry and the virtual environment for predictive modeling, spatial optimization, and real-time fleet monitoring.
• Oversee robotics simulation efforts and synthetic-data generation pipelines to train AI agents in virtual labs before deployment to physical R&D laboratories.
• Oversee deployment and optimization of compact vision and VLA models at the edge for low-latency monitoring of physical lab states.
• Lead deployment and optimization of AI inference on resource-constrained edge hardware to support real-time physical control loops and low-latency sensor networks.
• Hire and lead the Accelerator’s automation platform technologies, robotics, and simulations engineering function.
• Represent Roche externally at events, consortia, standards bodies, and partner boards as a voice on lab-in-the-loop.

Benefits

• Relocation benefits are available.
• A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance.
• The position qualifies for benefits detailed at the link provided.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior