Principal Software Engineer, Early Clinical Development (ECD)

Roche • South San Francisco, CA

12d • $185,200 - $343,900 • Hybrid

About The Position

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced AI Software Engineering manager/leader to lead the development of innovative software solutions within our Early Clinical Development (ECD) department in Roche/Genentech. In this critical role, you will drive the strategic direction and execution of software engineering initiatives, enabling the acceleration of clinical trial development and ultimately bringing life-changing medicines to patients faster. You will lead a talented team of engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive experience leading high-performing software engineering teams and directing complex technical initiatives.
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or a related technical discipline, paired with an extensive, demonstrable tenure in advanced software engineering.
• Extensive background in engineering management, characterized by a proven ability to lead high-functioning teams and a steadfast commitment to mentoring and talent development.
• Profound technical expertise across modern software engineering paradigms, enterprise cloud platforms, advanced data storage architectures, and the development of highly scalable applications.
• Proven track record of spearheading large-scale, complex technical projects from inception to delivery ("zero to one"), decisively influencing technical strategy, and fostering seamless cross-functional collaboration.
• Exceptional communication and strategic partnership capabilities, demonstrating the ability to think holistically while cultivating a highly inclusive and equitable team environment.
• Deep commitment to driving engineering excellence, optimizing product usability, ensuring robust system scalability, and systematically reducing architectural complexity.
• Distinguished as a highly influential and collaborative leader, adept at building cross-organizational trust, skillfully negotiating complex technical trade-offs, and driving consensus to realize shared business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Spearhead the architecture and deployment of production-grade pipelines and services, systematically transitioning rapid prototypes into secure, highly maintainable enterprise systems.
• Architect and develop advanced applications and AI assistants, integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) through retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), multi-agent architectures, and complex function-calling methodologies.
• Institute comprehensive evaluation frameworks, operational guardrails, and continuous monitoring protocols for GenAI and ML systems, serving as a steadfast champion for rigorous data quality and validation standards.
• Forge strategic cross-functional partnerships with data, clinical, and product teams to accelerate and optimize clinical data review, site feasibility analyses, enrollment forecasting, and portfolio decision-support capabilities.
• Direct the architectural strategy for cloud-native, API-first services and interoperable data products, proactively mitigating technical debt and eliminating systemic redundancies.
• Foster a highly inclusive and collaborative engineering culture, providing dedicated mentorship to peers and scientists through rigorous code reviews, comprehensive design documentation, and paired programming.
• Deliver strategic engineering leadership by continually identifying and capitalizing on opportunities to develop scalable, foundational solutions that serve broader organizational needs.
• Lead, develop, and empower a diverse, high-performing team of software, data, and machine learning engineers, cultivating an enduring environment of professional growth and technical excellence.

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.

What This Job Offers

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